A DeSoto nonprofit is using esports to engage at-risk young people

A DeSoto nonprofit dedicated to getting young people involved in esports will start what it calls an “Esports Learning Center” at a Roanoke halfway house for juvenile offenders, the foundation said in a news release this week.
The center at McFadden Ranch, which is operated by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, will be equipped with personal computers, gaming chairs, keyboards, mice, headsets and monitors, according to Esposure4All, the nonprofit arm of the DeSoto-based esports tech company Esposure. On its website, the company touts its experiential learning system, which it says is “focused on developing the next generation of esports professionals and competitive gamers.”
“This initiative with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is truly just the beginning. Esposure4All is here to open doors and empower youth to see opportunities in the emerging world of esports,” Brittney Seals, Esposure4All’s executive director, said in a news release. “We’re excited to build on this launch effort by providing ongoing educational resources to TJJD and additional partners in the future.”
Marketa Johnson, the superintendent of McFadden Ranch, said in the release that the experience would allow young people to explore opportunities in the esports industry. “One of our main goals is to help our youth develop a better vision for their future.”
Esports has become a growing business in North Texas in recent years, even as the COVID-19 pandemic kept many esports venues empty. The city of Arlington, which transformed its convention center into a gaming venue in 2018, has more recently been using its esports stadium as a mass vaccination site.