Beyond the Game: CSU Esports Builds New Paths Through Partnership

It started out as a simple social media post.

What followed was the chance to make the impact of a lifetime.

This past summer, Cleveland State University’s esports team connected with Grafton Correctional Institution after learning that residents had limited opportunities to compete against one another on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 consoles.

According to CSU esports director P.J. Farrell, the team decided to spring into action. Farrell offered to bring some of CSU’s players to the facility to teach residents new skills and, most importantly, demonstrate how esports can break down barriers that traditional athletics cannot. 

“First and foremost, we love teaching sportsmanship through competition. Games they're playing like Mario Kart, Smash Ultimate, and NBA 2K can all be played individually, but also as a team, we'd like to show and focus on not only improving the individual on their skills but also show them how to work together as a team, which is where a lot of our success has stemmed from,” he said.

“Outside of the game, we're also teaching real life skills, like resilience, communication, and strategy. We're hoping this experience will be beneficial to both parties who can learn from one another.”

Farrell stressed that esports is currently one of the only sports, although nontraditional, that levels the playing field. It’s coed, transcends physical disabilities, allowing anyone to play, and connects students to one another regardless of background.

He hopes his players get to see how fortunate they are to be able to compete in a sport they all love and how they can do it against anyone at any time. 

“Connection is one of the most important parts of esports and the community can exist in person and online, but for players who are incarcerated, that isn't an option,” said Farrell. “We want to connect with them to expand their local, in-person community and give them an opportunity to meet new, exciting players, that are just as passionate for the games as they are.”

After learning about the opportunity, the players were excited. Farrell is considering making the visits a few times a year and bringing in different teams as well.

“Something I love about esports and gaming is its ability to teach failure in a safe way; I'm an educator, I've taught high school for 20 years, and failure has always been the best way, in my experience, to teach lessons to young people, but gaming teaches it effectively, and safely,” he said.

“We would like to use this opportunity to show that esports is bigger than all of us, and that being a part of the community is what makes it so special.”