A Burnaby-based esports performance consulting agency is hoping to instill important soft skills in children during Vancouver’s first esports summer camp for youth in July.
Adamas Esports, Lord Byng Secondary School and the UBC Esports Association are teaming up for a summer camp giving children a space to learn through esports coaching and collaboration.
From Monday, July 7 to Friday, July 11, children aged 10 to 16 will take part in organized esports competitions designed to promote healthy habits and positive mindsets, while also gaining industry insight through talks by gaming professionals.
The initiative is spearheaded by Adamas Esports, which has spent the last seven years helping professional video game players develop habits and strategies which optimize their performance in competitions: this includes not only teaching the mental skills to reduce pressure in high-stress situations but also giving players advice for a positive lifestyle.
Though Adamas Esports usually deals with clients on “tier one” teams — which CEO and co-founder Caleb Cousens describes as the “NHL or NFL of video games” — Cousens sees value in working with a demographic that generally engages with games in a more casual manner.
“The whole goal here is to start to use gaming as a way to impart really valuable life skills to young people, much like traditional sports have in the past,” he said.
Benefits of Esports Activities for Children
Children enrolled in traditional organized sports summer camps for soccer or basketball gain skills such as teamwork and cooperation, but many of these also extend to esports. Social benefits have been noticed by children participating in esports clubs, programs and competitions.
In May, Calgary held its second annual Alberta Esports Championship, which featured a competitor roster of players aged 10 – 18. Shadi Hanna, the Alberta Esports Association’s academic development lead, told the Calgary Herald that esports tournaments not only allow kids to “excel in something they care deeply about,” they also foster meaningful relationships, skills, and gain exposure to “career opportunities.”
Since many children currently grow up tech-savvy, Cousens says options are “virtually endless” for youth considering a career in esports. In 2024, the esports industry contributed $5.1 billion to the Canadian economy.
“This generation coming up, they’re native [to the gaming world],” he said. “We’re trying to give them transferable skills that allow them to be more marketable when they get into college and beyond.”
Many esports-related programs exist in Canadian post-secondary institutions, such as the international esports management diploma at Vancouver’s Metropolitan Community College, the esports business management diploma at Calgary’s Bow Valley College and the esports administration and entrepreneurship diploma program at Windsor’s St. Clair College.
Jacob Richardson, the sponsor teacher for Lord Byng Secondary School’s esports club, said that esports also provide students the chance to use their passions to learn skills “that they may struggle to learn in other ways.”
“Whether or not esports is a career option for a student, it can be a productive activity if you are participating in a way that is reflective and communicative,” said Richardson, who will act as a liaison facilitating during the camp.
Creating a Healthier, Cooperative Space for Children
Even without studying esports, many schools contain esports-affiliated organizations to help gain experience in the industry. Adamas Esports onboarded former UBC Esports Association League of Legends director Ming Shiu in November to handle the camp’s logistics and curriculum. According to Shiu, the association has helped with marketing and some of its executives will participate as guest speakers for the camp.
As the program manager, he said camp has received “steady” enrollment and mostly positive feedback from parents. Concerns about the camp primarily stem from a worry that children will not socially interact with each other. He said that campers get the chance to engage in cooperative free-to-play PC games such as League of Legends, VALORANT, Roblox and Fortnite, which may help ease parents’ minds.
“The focus is definitely on letting the kids just play their game, and we’ll be there to support them in terms of learning some healthy habits,” he said. “We have mindfulness and wellness sessions planned as well.”
As a father of three, Cousens understands that some parents may initially feel skeptical of camp’s format and content. However, like Shiu, he hopes that the summer camp begins a future of cultivating gaming as a more positive and healthy experience for children. He wants to extend the idea to after school programs and additional camps.
“I would love to build an industry and a sport for them to engage with as they’re growing up in a healthy, safe and balanced way,” Cousens said.
Parents interested in enrolling their child in the summer camp can register online. It costs $225 plus applicable taxes for the five-day camp, which lasts from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. from July 7 – 11. According to Cousens, the camp has capacity for up to 30 individuals.
Photo submitted by Caleb Cousens with credit to photographer Mark Whitehead.
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