Video gaming has snowballed into a juggernaut ever since Ryan Rockwell first beat “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” as a teenager in the 1990s.
That’s a great and terrible thing, said Rockwell, creative director at Gamers HQ.
On the one hand, esports are now a multibillion industry, and there is no shortage of ways to get into the profession. But on the other, most teens’ perceptions of gaming nowadays might be in the often toxic and anonymized channels of online gaming, a far cry from the local network parties Rockwell knows are better at creating communities and building friendships.
So the Topeka native is setting out to fix that.
Working with Highland Park High School social worker Fred Willer, Rockwell is hoping to start esports and gaming communities at each of the local high schools, using the Gamers HQ gaming lounge, 2027 S.W. Gage Blvd. in Topeka, as a hub for it all.
“When I grew up here, I wasn’t really aware of anything going on, if there was anything going on, in terms of gaming,” Rockwell said. “So now that we have this massive room full of stuff, I wanted to take the extra initiative to bring awareness to kids that there are things to do in this industry, and that they can make their own communities.”
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Helping Topeka high schools launch local gaming, esports communities
While esports has blossomed into competitive professional and collegiate-level leagues and teams, high schools aren’t quite there — yet, said Willer.
It can be difficult for schools on tight budgets to afford the necessary computers, consoles and setups needed to host teams, but that’s why he loved Rockwell’s idea to have Gamers HQ step in to provide a space and equipment for students from local schools.
“There’s a real lack of things for kids to do in Topeka, and we wanted to create a a space in the community where they could come have fun and enjoy themselves,” Willer said.
So far, Gamer HQ has hosted students from Highland Park and Topeka West high schools, with other schools in the area working on getting involved.
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“I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm right now in getting in and networking within each individual school,” Willer said. “The challenge is in building out the network to individual schools.”
While Rockwell’s dream is to eventually set up intra-school tournaments, perhaps at end-of-year showcase at a venue like the Stormont Vail Events Center, his main hope is to help the students take charge and develop their own gaming communities.
“My dream is to get kids out here, and to get introverted kids to take some of these leadership roles,” he said. “That they can see there’s an entire world they can develop with their own hands, and that they have the power to make whatever they want with it. All they have to do is say, this is what we want to do, and we’ll help get them there.”
With local esports organizations, gaming can be more than winning
Rockwell, through his extensive experience in various sectors of the gaming industry, also hopes to impart in teens that the gaming industry can be much more than being good at a particular video game. Through his connections, Rockwell has even helped bring in the director of content for the Kansas City Pioneers, an esports organization, to speak with students about his career.
“In eSports, you have not only players, but accountants, content managers, announcers, event organizers — all of these roles that help create the structure that you can get involved in that don’t revolve around you being good at the game,” Rockwell said.
Eventually, Rockwell’s goal is to form connections not just in Topeka but around the state and region, potentially creating regular tournaments and intra-district competitions.
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But more than anything, he and Willer want to create a space for teens to find friends and a shared passion.
“I want the space here to become too small,” Rockwell said. “I want kids and parents to know that there are so many more opportunities in gaming beyond playing games, and we’re here to help them get involved in all of it. Whether you want to learn how games are made or how content is developed or how to create and organize events, we want to be there for kids.”
Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at 785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.