The seventeenth episode of the podcast looks at when school culture and gaming culture do not mesh well. Riot Games, this week, announced sweeping changes to their company culture to address sexism and misogyny. Do schools have a responsibility, when considering what games to include in their esports programs, to examine the publisher's practices? What if the popular game company's public values do not align with school and conference values? Note: I did not address what would be the potential fallout should other gaming companies be found to have similar issues as Riot Games. However, Riot Games has the opportunity to address their own toxic culture, and next steps can be discussed in later episodes should this problem uncover problems at other companies whose games are used in high school esports leagues.
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Esports is organized competitive video games allowing schools to redefine their athletic culture, diversify opportunities for student participation, promote physical and mental health, increase collegiate scholarship pathways, and play games! We cannot forget the importance of play!
James O'Hagan ( LinkedIn // Twitter) is the Founder and Host of The Academy of Esports podcast.
The Academy of Esports (Website // Twitter)
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