A Kansas City-based esports league works to connect communities and help nonprofits through competitive video games.
Community Esports League is an inclusive, community-based gaming league for youth and amateur players to foster healthy competition and create lasting connections online.
AbdulRasheed Yahaya, director of business development for the Community Esports League, said the league brings together disparate players to bond around shared experiences.
“We want our young people to create healthy emotional relationships with each other (through) video games,” Yahaya said.
“We’ve learned that our kids will be in front of a screen anyway, whether it’s a small screen in their pocket or a big screen on the wall,” he continued. “For the benefit of parents and guardians, we are simply controlling what is on screen for them.”
The Community Esports Leagues are held six seasons a year. Each season lasts five weeks and includes a one-week championship. A mix of sports, action and adventure games is available for gamers, including “Call of Duty: War Zone, “Fortnite, “Super Smash Bros Ultimate, “Madden NFL 20, “NBA2K21, “Rocket league” and “League of Legends. ”
The competition and seasonality of the league format, which features cash prizes, are designed to keep the business exciting and flexible.
One of the main supporters of the company is Ahman Green, a former NFL running back who played 12 seasons and still holds a Green Bay Packers record for his 98-yard run at Lambeau Field against the Denver Broncos in 2003. Green is currently the head coach of Esports at Lakeland University in Plymouth, Wisconsin, one of the partner organizations of the Community Esports League. Yahaya considers Green both a friend and a colleague, having met him at a “Madden NFL 20” tournament last February.
“We kind of clicked on the sports talk and the garbage talk,” Yahaya said. “He plays Call of Duty with me at night.”
Building young minds through video games
Video games have come a long way over the decades, from “threatens” To memory recall. Research suggests that video games can help stimulate social memory and cognitive skills in children. Some schools are even implement esports leagues and a video game program to enrich the lives of students.
Yahaya said schools that have implemented esports leagues have seen an increase in grade point average and student attendance, possibly by increasing student motivation. (Completing the high school corn of Corn, Kansas is one such school.)
“When I was in high school, I skipped school to play video games,” he said. “But when video games are in school, it’s like ‘why leave?’ “
And as a form of entertainment in itself, esports is big business. Before the coronavirus hits, Business Insider Predicts Esports Industry To Surpass $ 1.5 Billion In Revenue by 2023. While the industry has suffered from the cancellation of in-person esports events, Yahaya said participation in the leagues themselves has increased because everyone is online.
The rise of virtual audiences is an unexpected benefit of the pandemic that gives businesses the opportunity to scale and deliver better services, Yahaya said.
The growing importance of online connections is also giving businesses the opportunity to collaborate like never before. In addition to helping players develop stronger online connections, the Community Esports League makes it easier to share information and build ecosystems between its social-purpose partner organizations like the AIM Institute and Disabled but not really.
“If we can provide these companies with opportunities to network and work together, we can create a better ecosystem for all,” Yahaya said.
Season two of Community Esports League launches Aug. 31 with over $ 8,000 in cash and prizes available to competitors of all ages. Seven games are available to players for a registration fee of $ 25 per game per 5 week season. Registrations take place until August 30.
Part of the registration fee will benefit the AIM Institute, a non-profit organization focused on strengthening the Omaha tech talent community and improving access to tech education.
When registering, the code AIMInstitute can be used to help support the association.
For more information and to register for the competition, visit the Community Esports League website.
