Esports & Education - Esports are now sanctioned as a high school activity in South Dakota, providing students with skills like leadership, teamwork, and communication [14][15] - 80% of students participating in school-sanctioned esports have never been involved in other extracurricular activities, indicating esports reaches a different demographic [15][16] - Esports offer an inclusive environment regardless of age, background, or ability [17] Family & Connection - The speaker connected with her children through playing Fortnite, learning about their world and strengthening their bond [4][5][6][7][8] - Playing video games together can help parents understand and navigate the online spaces their children occupy, addressing concerns about communication with strangers [18][19] - Video games can serve as a tool for connection, even in situations like introducing children to a new partner [20][21] Personal Experience & Community - The speaker co-led South Dakota's first all-ages free esports competition in Sioux Falls [32] - The journey into esports began with a desire to connect with her sons, leading to unexpected opportunities and community involvement [33][34] - Stories about esports are often about connection, not just solitary gaming [30]

[Music] [Applause] You are not paying attention in school. You are starting to fall behind. These are some of the things my mom mentioned before she decided to take away my video games.I can remember feeling frustrated. I felt like she didn't understand how much I was actually learning from playing video games. I knew that there is no way that my mom was going to buy into this idea.So, I knew that to find evidence to support my thinking about the unorganized skills learned by playing video games. To be clea ...

RT Gammichan (@gammichan)@blknoiz06 I definitely think part of the reason I was a smart kid was that I played video games. Reading all those jrpg dialogue boxes absolutely expanded my vocabulary, just for one example. ...