Gaming
Do you know what the first video game ever was? The very first, very simple, very basic one: Pong. The game consisted in passing the ball to each other by moving a flat paddle located on the left and right sides of the screen. Like a 2 dimensional Ping Pong.
Since then, video games have evolved by far. Much more complex games are now available, with graphics that mimic reality and lots of options. According to an online article "Console gaming market expected to reach $72.67 billion by 2022" A lot of money is being invested in this field.
And it's not just about 'gamers'. This industry is hiring in IT, entrepreneurship, art, and esports. Video game enthusiasts can work in the gaming field as a video game programmer, video game developer, 3D programmer, AI specialist, concept artist, artist designer, script writer, tester, marketing expert, commentator, streamer, and more. There are many job opportunities in the field.
Obviously, not everyone makes it as a pro-gamer. There are several factors that contribute to a young person's rise or fall in the field of gaming. First, the means. Indeed, it takes money to have the latest technology to play a game that interests us. But games are becoming more and more accessible. And the passion of youth can serve as a teachable moment to tell them to work hard and save money to buy a PC or other means of gaming.
More and more researchers are also interested in video games and their ability to develop cross-cutting skills in youth. This is the case with McGill, which has been our partner for a few years now, and which has started the games are lit project. The goal is to encourage young people to participate in games called story mode, that is to say, based on stories to develop skills useful for school such as reading, as well as general skills such as leadership, problem solving etc..
McGill also offered us 5 PCs to develop a team of young amateur gamers. Our dear Christian (Sew), professor of history, French and ethics and a great fan of video games, plays the role of coach and makes sure that these young people become not only better players, but also better people. He takes advantage of playful moments to give them tools for better communication and to manage their emotions.
Our goal at Chalet Kent is to support the passion of the youth so that their inner fire does not go out and they can use and channel it to move forward in life. As mentioned above, they will not all be professionals, but the goal is to use that passion as motivation to find solutions, to learn more, to live an emancipated life.
However, there are still some barriers, including culture and parental support.
In general, the gaming community is not well regarded. It's often thought of as an addiction and that it causes kids to be violent or lazy. At least, that's what many parents think. And it's not completely unfounded. Indeed, some young people can develop a kind of addiction to video games. And this is true, among other things, because some games are based on a simple conditioning principle, the reward system. Think of the game Bejeweled on the phone…
However, games are also a good way to develop skills useful for school. For example, Assassin's Creed makes it easier to remember countries, their capital and other geographical information. The game colonization allows young people to understand the agricultural ways of life of past societies, something that is seen in history classes. Minecraft can be useful for maths and science, as kids look up different elements on the periodic table and can create new molecules. I'm not saying you need computers everywhere, no. That would be too complex and there would be some ethical concerns to review. Still, it is interesting to know that not all video games are violent or purposeless. What does exist though. Like everything, there is good and bad in everything.
And when it comes to video game addiction, any form of addiction is much more complex than the means used to satisfy an addiction. These kinds of behaviours often stem from immature emotional and cognitive processes that could not be addressed at a younger age. This would deserve an article of its own. Maybe next time... Anyway, we take this seriously and make sure we talk to them about balance. In fact, Miss Harvey, a professional gamer from Quebec, came to give a conference at Chalet Kent and talked about balance and the importance of taking care of your physical and mental health to become a professional. This includes eating well, exercising, not playing too much, watching professionals, playing warm ups and 1-2 games max (every day), and getting up and taking a break in between to re-oxygenate the brain.
What counts for us is to take advantage of this passion to keep them motivated, allow them to dream and pass on our advice to contribute to their good development. Moreover, we can use this passion as a motor for perseverance in school and in the future, as a springboard for their professional life.
This is even more important for young people from immigrant backgrounds. The video game culture is even more frowned upon by their parents, who come here not to get them into gaming, but to study in something serious. But young people live in the digital age and see all these great opportunities pass by. They know the market, the players, and are sometimes really naturally good at games.
But they don't always have the means either. Again, many immigrant parents come here with little means, and we all know that they face other economic barriers. For us, having the moral and financial support of McGill means that we can share that support and capital with young people and give them wings. Isn't that what we all want? That they can fly on their own, while being happy.
In fact, in November, we passed one of our super high-performance PCs to one of our kids to compete in a Fortnite tournament, and he won 3rd place, out of 300 participants! That reminds me of the 16 year old who won $3 million in an international Fortnite competition just in 2019. 3 million! Can you imagine that in Côte-des-neiges? I don't know about you, but it would be nice to see.
Money isn't everything, nor is glamour. We always remind youth that they must learn to work hard and that they must always educate themselves. But why not work hard to achieve your dreams?