The Connecticut Consolidated Esports League -a NASEF Affiliate
Frequent Questions
Parents, educators, youth organizations and even some of our youth have questions about Esports and the CCEL. These are the frequently asked questions that we receive on a fairly consistent basis. Check these out, but if you have any further questions feel free to contact us.
Isn't Esports Just Playing Video Games?
The #1 question we get from parents and educators is,"Isn't Esports just playing video games?" Simply put, "Well, no." Basketball isn't just putting a ball in a basket, just ask the NCAA during March Madness. Football isn't just running and tackling other players, just ask the Power Five Conferences or the NFL during the Super Bowl. In fact, we challenge any adult who drives to try and compete in the Indy 500. And these are the parallels between gaming and Esports. Esports athletes, like all other scholastic athletes, have to practice, strategize, be scrutinized and get good grades in order to participate. In fact, on average scholastic athletes practice an average of 10 hours a week and in some cases 94% of students in our partnering teams have seen their grades improve. Esports athletes have been compared to NASCAR drivers, with similar stress related injuries from dedicated movement and progression. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health, "novice players average approximately 50 action moves per minute, higher level athletes make 10 moves per second or 500–600 action moves per minute." That's why over 200 colleges and universities have dedicated varsity Esports programs with some schools offering scholarships between 4% of tuition all the way up to a full ride. Similarly, the Olympics has recognized Esports athletes, creating the Olympic Esports Series. So no, Esports is not just playing video games.
Why Join ConnCEL?
The Connecticut Consolidated Esports League provides the perfect combination of competitive gameplay, flexible & intuitive social emotional learning (SEL) and career technical education (CTE) curricula, program implementation and coaching development for youth programs throughout Connecticut. Like the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is dedicated to promoting the development of young athletes in traditional sports, ConnCEL is a multi-genre Esports organization dedicated to expanding the Esports ecosystem in Connecticut as a secondary Esports option to youth on CIAC Esports teams and a primary college and career recruitment tool for those who are not on those varsity teams.
What Is Asynchronous Gaming and How Does It Promote Inclusivity and Participation?
Many leagues require youth to play against other youth virtually at the same time in order to accurately navigate a bracket and set up a ranking system. This is model prevents some middle schools and after school programs from participating in Esports, due to connectivity and cyber security concerns. Asynchronous gaming allows players in different locations that opportunity to play and get ranked, without having to play simultaneously. Our asynchronous PvP (player vs player) weekly competitions require that players either play against one another or against an AI bot at their respective locations, then coaches post their results . Either way youth are not playing against other players from different locations and programs at the same time. Championships, however, will be in person and will pit the best players from each team against rivals for a change to win the trophy and prize pool.
Why Is Esports Important for Educaction and Digital Equity?
Esports is a $2.8 billion industry, and is the #1 entertainment industry in the world. Its growth mirrors the rise of coding three decades earlier, with more affluent, majority white schools being early adopters in scholastic Esports programs, while Title I schools (schools where the majority of students are eligible for free lunch) face opposition beyond financial limitations from administrators that don’t understand the opportunities inherent within the attention economy. Many of these administrators also falsely believe that students' use of video games after school or the gamification of education is irrelevant despite studies to the contrary. As a vital component of advancing career technical education in public schools, Esports is a crucial introductory vehicle to the approximately 1200 careers directly related to the Esports, videogaming and coding industries. And while students of color, female students and students from other marginalized demographics represent over 70% of the comsumer base for these industries, they are less likely to be employed in these fields - some groups as low as .02%
