I can see the coaching backfire. I’d think it would be the fastest way to make sure your kids hate video games going forward.
“I can see the coaching backfire. I’d think it would be the fastest way to make sure your kids hate video games going forward.”
I really doubt it. Kids want to know how to get better at these games to beat their friends and other players. My 12yo son used to WATCH a Youtuber Ali-A play the videogame Minecraft to learn new game techniques. These experts are rockstars in the videogame universe. Welcome to the 21st century of eSports.
LOL, I saw “coaches to help improve play” as I’m not familiar with Fortnite so didn’t see that. So here I’m thinking kids are needing coaching on how to play. Just play. It scared me a little bit. LOL. (watching my grandson who is 2 play with his cars as I write).
Gosh, I really need to proofread my posts. What I meant to type was: As he described it, it was very much like a video game. They give you ear phones and they give the left and right ear different instructions which you have to then use your left and right hand to accomplish.
He also had to finally memorize the multiplication tables to take the regular part of the OCS test. Don’t ask.
I don’t know that watching video game tournaments is any worse than watching football. At least no one gets injured.
There was a big article last week in our paper about e sports and people gathering to watch the Philadelphia team compete in the world championships. I don’t understand that but whatever 
However, this article to me sounded like they were just hiring a coach for a kid playing fortnite for mostly fun. Like hiring a coach to help you get better at PacMan in our day. Must be showing my age.
As my grandmother used to say, “A fool and his money are soon parted.”
Can I hire out my son?
Just kidding…
I know at some point he was “ranked” highly in some video game, and people did offer him money to play. He said it was a fairly significant amount, but I have no idea how much.
I’m glad my kids weren’t “particularly good” at anything… meaning really competitive level sports, for example.
I didn’t pay for SAT tutors, and I certainly wouldn’t pay to improve their gaming skills.
I hated all the time our son spent playing and developing games but, last year, he adapted a piece of AI gaming software to improve robot navigation for the Army. They are sending him to grad school next year to pursue R&D in this area. If it keeps him out of the sandbox, I’m all for it.
I hear you @ChoatieMom! I’m happy my kiddo is not stationed overseas for the forseeable future.
I remember being amused to discover that my older son, who I thought spent an inordinate amount of time in high school playing computer games, was actually busy winning an award from a gaming magazine for the mods he was working on. Who knew?!
I believe the gaming S did when he was in HS and currently still does helps him be a better drone pilot. He’s also great at programming but I don’t think it’s necessarily from playing all those countless hours of video games.
Fortnite is the sign of the times and gaming is not going away. This is a first for me to hear about paid coaching for Fortnite because most kids will watch the best gamers on YouTube and learn from them. Even Vegas has esports rooms dedicated to Fortnite tournaments. All a lot famous athletes from football to basketball play Fortnite so the sphere of influence is huge on the kids. It’s addictive and a huge money maker with the extras, like skins, they sell. Oh, and I forgot to mention the dances! They’re fun and contests are held
to come up with new ones.