California State University, Dominguez Hills

1000 E. Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747

For decades now, there have been negative connotations connected to gamers and video games; however, organizations such as the California State University of Dominguez Hills Esports Association are curving those opinions into a more positive one.
 
On January 5th, the CSUDH Esports Association team was a featured competitor for a Valorant Charity Pro-Am Gaming Tournament that was held at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. Apart from taking first place, this event raised over forty-thousand dollars for charities including: 1000 Dreams, Boys & Girls Club of Hollywood, LanFest, Paws Your Game, StackUp, and Starlight Children’s Foundation.  
 
“I never thought that I’d ever play video games for a charitable event,” said Shan. Shan is part of the CSUDH Esports team that took the championship home from this event. “Events such as this one really curves the negative opinions of video games into a more optimistic one. Not only that, but there are premium use cases that you can implement into the real world. There is a lot of networking at these events. Most of our live events have sponsors who are actively seeking potential employees,” said Shan.
 
Thomas, a student and Esports athlete from CSUDH said, “Playing video games has helped me become more vocal with others. Playing on this team really helped me develop good communication skills and teamwork.”
 
According to a study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and colleagues at Paris Descartes University, the association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children’s mental health, cognitive, and social skills, found that playing video games may have positive effects on young children.
 
Ruben Caputo, CSUDH Esports Academic Advisor and team general manager, stated “With the support of our Partners in ViewSonic Gaming, they have made an experience like this for our students one to remember.”