The world continues to be affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with no clear end in sight. Games and movies have been delayed, while companies scramble to adapt to the current situation.

The esports industry is no different, and they have had to shift to more challenging online venues to replace the once-lively and crowded stadiums of yesteryear.

So, how can it help? According to the AESF, esports can help other struggling industries like the education sector by working closely with local authorities & governing bodies to push for standardised and affordable fast-speed internet in rural areas. This can be achieved by repurposing older machines and other materials from esports for the purpose of education, especially for those not well-equipped enough to even hold online classes.

Level Up

This is how esports bodies and organizations can help contribute to other sectors like education; by lending their technical expertise and adapting them to help others cope with the trials and tribulations of facing a pandemic. Traditional esports streaming and communication services can help improve the online learning process for students out there.

For example, several schools and universities in the United States of America have incorporated esports into their education programs, as a means of helping students thrive in this COVID-19 world. Newport High School in Kentucky has embraced esports as an educational tool by allowing schools to compete against each another and offering opportunities for esports college scholarship funds.

They have even implemented esports into their education programs, opening up both education and career opportunities such as for information technology, advertising, marketing, game development, digital design and other STEM-related (science, technology engineering and math) fields.

Meanwhile, other schools, like the Santa Ynez High School in California, esports is being used to promote an athletic spirit and sense of competition amongst its students, as all physical sports activities have been shut down due to COVID-19. Even their classrooms have been converted to host esports practice sessions and competitions, thanks to the help of PlayVS, a Santa Monica-based esports company.

Recently, in Malaysia, local politician Syed Saddiq successfully launched a fundraiser that provided free laptops and computer peripherals to students in need of such equipment for educational purposes. In fact, he’s still looking for more parties to contribute and donate laptops to his cause to help.

Lagi pukal laptop dibeli, anggaran harga sebuah laptop juga akan lebih berpatutan.

Lagi banyak laptop yang boleh kita biaya. Elok buat begini.

Kami cari laptop yang berkualiti, bukan netbook dan boleh digunakan untuk pelajar belajar dan buat semua jenis assignment.

— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) January 1, 2021

Esports brand like Logitech and Razer should take the opportunity to contribute by making their products more affordable for those in need. By allowing parties like Syed Saddiq and other similar fundraisers to buy their products in bulk at a cheaper price, it could help the community and the educational sector while also raising both brand and esports awareness.

Instead of giving away their products to influencers or streamers who could more than afford to buy their products at full price, their laptops and peripherals could improve the learning conditions of less-fortunate students out there.

These are just several ways that esports can start giving back to the world. The aforementioned esports equipment and services can go a long way to helping other sectors and industries survive in these trying times.

Let’s hope that 2021 turn out to be a better and more productive year for the esports industry moving forward.