On Friday night, students got a chance to play Fortnite, and hear from officials at the very company that makes that hit video game.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — You’ve probably heard people say that playing too many video games will rot your brain. But Dee Jones, the CEO of the nonprofit Jump Ahead L3C, said that’s an outdated stereotype. The way he sees it, the world of esports can open doors for young people by giving them a chance to earn money and college scholarships. He says it also helps reduce violence by giving kids something to do.
All of those were reasons Jones was proud to help bring an esports-centered spring break event to Ottawa Hills High School this past week, culminating with a one-of-a-kind opportunity on Friday to learn about game design from developers at Epic Games, a company that makes the hit video game Fortnite.
“To be able to incentivize them and giving them an education that just sparks that passion lets them know that things that they usually see, like Epic Games or these big gaming companies, are not out of reach. It’s just really about you staying focused and being passionate and seeing the vision that you have for yourself, and those things are achievable,” Jones said.
“The students also got to ask Epic Games questions. I know they ain’t gonna forget that they were able to ask a $32 billion company questions about game design. Anything that they had a question on, they were able to ask that, and just being able to have access to those kind of companies is a beautiful thing.”
Ottawa Hills seniors Josiah Dunning and Demario Trevino thought it was a great opportunity. Both of them have played traditional sports in the past but had to quit for health reasons. They never thought esports would be a part of their high school experience.
“I’m really glad that we’ve been able to do this, that I’ve been able to play with friends, whether it’s like going against them, or playing like this,” Trevino said as the two of them played Fortnite.
Dunning is attending Davenport University next year and thinks he might have the chance to be a part of its esports team.
“That’s the plan, with my friend. He’s probably going to come with me. We’ve been planning this for awhile, since middle school, so going to Davenport was like a number one choice for us,” he said.
Jones will be flying to the United Nations on Tuesday to speak with the United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth Forum. He’s hoping to use that platform to expand his vision of using esports as a way to get people out of poverty.
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