A unique benefit of school-sponsored esports is its equitable and inclusive nature. Esports enables all students with an interest and enthusiasm for gaming to participate regardless of skill level, physical abilities, gender identity, age, or means.
Like other extracurricular activities, esports can help to increase school attendance and engagement, have a positive impact on student self-esteem, increase focus in class, and lead to improved academic performance.[f:Jan L. Plass, Bruce D. Homer, and Charles K. Kinzer, Foundations of Game-Based Learning, Educational Psychologist 50, no. 4 (2015): 258-283, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1090277.pdf.] [f:Hoa P. Nguyen, How to Use Gameplay to Enhance Classroom Learning, Edutopia, March 26, 2021, edutopia.org/article/how-use-game-play-enhance-classroom-learning.] [f:Extracurricular Participation and Student Engagement, National Center for Education Statistics, June 1995, https://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/web/95741.asp.]