In traditional sports, many professional athletes can trace their success back to the guidance provided by a coach or parental figure. Whether in AAU basketball, academy soccer or Little League baseball, the majority of professionals have been competing at a high level since they were young, and have had help to reach the top levels of their sports. In esports, that isn’t usually the case. Forget coaching, few parents even truly understand games.
The Game Gym in Potomoc, Md., outside of Washington D.C. is trying to fill that gap. It provides a place for kids to get coaching on esports and develop healthy gaming practices at the same time.
“We feel that kids aren’t getting the proper education in how to behave online,” said Josh Hafkin, the CEO of Game Gym and also a Street Fighter coach. “By playing together and with coaches we can help kids navigate some of the negative things they might see like [cyber bulling or toxicity].”
Anyone familiar with ranked play in an esport can tell you that can be a tough environment. The anonymity of the Internet allows people to say vile things that go beyond harmless trash talk without the usual repercussions they would face in-person. Bullies are a minority online but can feel like the vocal majority.
“The internet can be kinda toxic,” said Maya Kushner, the COO of Game Gym and a League of Legends coach. “Being face-to-face changes the dynamic. When people are online they feel anonymous and invincible. That all changes when they are in person.”
This toxicity can permeate into the highest level of esports. Blizzard’s Overwatch League has punished players for offensive behavior. The Dallas Fuel’s Felix “xQc” Lengyel was suspended twice for homophobic remarks before finally being dropped. But xQc didn’t make comments to his opponents face, he said them from the safety of his room while streaming.
“Being in person teaches you that you need to be polite and you need to work together to succeed,” Kushner continued.
The Game Gym isn’t the only organization trying to build positive communities around esports. Super League Gaming, inspired by Little League baseball, aims to bring players together to compete, and meet. After school programs like Advantage Higher Education are blending esports with education. But as well as providing players with mentors, the Game Gym is also offering coaching to improve skill and gaming habits.
“If you want to learn how to play basketball you go to a camp, if you want to learn how to swim you go to a pool, if you want to learn esports, where do you go? The avenue didn’t exist, so we created it,” Hafkin said.
While there are online options like GamerSensei, ultimately players are able to gain more from physical coaching.
“There’s a reason Koreans are better than [Americans] at esports,” Hafkin said. “One of the things that holds [America] back as an esports nation is that people aren’t getting the proper education. The training you get in traditional sports isn’t applied to esports.”
There are only so many suicides to run or weights to lift in traditional sports training before an athlete’s body tells them it’s time to rest. In esports there is no physical fatigue so taking breaks becomes a lesson in mental discipline.
“Eventually your bicep won’t be able to pick up the weight anymore. In esports it’s different, it’s a mental bell curve,” Hafkin explained. “You warm up, hit your sweet spot, then there’s a downswing and you begin losing focus. A lot of kids don’t realize there is a bell curve, they get frustrated and don’t understand why.
“In traditional sports we are taught to give our bodies a rest, let them recover. We don’t teach people how to train in esports. That’s what the Game Gym is about.”