Video gaming isn’t all fun and games. Just ask Mansfield Timberview School student, Miles Myers.
On Monday, Myers signed a letter of intent to play eports at Ottawa University in Kansas.
«I like baseball, but esports is where it’s at,» Myers said. «I’ve always wanted to try something different. Video games have always been my passion ever since I was little.»
Myers turned that passion into a partial scholarship to Ottawa University. He is the first student in Mansfield ISD and the first Black student to sign an esports letter of intent.
«It’s still predominantly white. It’s still predominantly male. So this is very much a non-diverse space,» Ottawa University Esports Coach Sergio Brack said. «I think Miles’ signing, especially for his school district, can show other Black individuals this is an avenue I can take.»
«Esports is honestly just for everybody,» Myers said. «It’s for the girls, it’s for the boys, anyone that really puts their mind to it.»
Brack said Myers stood out in the recruitment process.
The latest news from around North Texas.
«He has content creation and things like that,» Brack said. «That shows me he’s not here just to play video games. He wants to actively get his education. He wants to actively compete, and he wants to actively make our program better.»
In a lot of schools, esports is still a club. But Dylan Short, CEO of Exile Esports, the platform for which Myers creates streaming content, says it’s a growing field.
«I wouldn’t be surprised in the next 5 or 10 years if esports is on TV like baseball or football is today,» Short said. «The fact that kids just like Miles can go to high school, get good grades, and play video games to get a college scholarship is just kind of one of those things that is a sign of what is to come for esports in the future.»
Some gamers can make a living at it.
«Oh, 100%,» Short said. «There’s players that make anywhere from $10,000 a month to a couple million a month.»
Myers said he hopes to go pro after college.
«It’s really just staying committed to something you enjoy doing and focusing your passion, your dream,» Myers said. «Whatever you want to do in life.»
