BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Forget about the perception of video games being a colossal waste of time. At Bennett High School and I-Prep, video games are now an outlet for opportunity.
The two schools recently created its own amateur esports teams that will compete in a national high school league starting in January. The teams were created in Buffalo Public Schools thanks to a sponsorship from AT&T, which it said has given more than $100 million to support STEM initiatives across the country.
Esports is one of the fastest rising businesses. Reuters reports that esports revenues globally will hit $1.1 billion this year, up 27 percent since 2018. The revenues include sponsorships, advertising, and media rights. Some professional gamers utilize a streaming program called "Twitch", which allows fans of their to follow along with a live stream of the gamers playing video games. The top earners can make thousands of dollars on Twitch. Some of the top professional gamers have made more than $6 million.
Jordan Graves, a senior at Bennett High and captain of the esports team, is among those who have developed their skills beyond playing video games. He said he has learned how to animate and develop video games from scratch.
"I'm getting good leadership skills that you might not learn anywhere else," he said.
Graves also said that he's researched local colleges that have a competitive esports program.
Students are split into groups that meet on different days to play video games after school hours. No video games are played during normal school hours. Albarella said the students need to have passing grades and be in good standing with the school in order to participate.
Bennett High School and I-Prep students will begin competing in a national high school league starting in January.