In Partnership with Riverside County Esports League ViewSonic Grants First Esports Scholarship

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (August 12, 2021) – ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions and education technology, announced today its first scholarship has been awarded as part of the charitable contributions to the Riverside County Esports League. This donation will enable students to earn scholarships through their participation in the league, support development of online curriculum for esports related content, and help to provide prizes for tournament success. Julius Dimaranan, 17, of Arlington High School in Riverside, Calif. has been awarded a $1,500 scholarship. Playing competitively since early 2019, Julius is a 7-time tournament winner of Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. He will be attending Riverside Community College and will major in electrical engineering after transferring to either UC Riverside or Cal Poly Pomona.

In the course of two years, the Riverside County Esports League has hosted 25 online tournaments and three in-person tournaments in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and, more recently, Rocket League for over 200 middle and high school participants.  The Riverside County Esports League is the first California county office of education to host an esports league. With schools across the United States diving into esports with scholarship programs and competitive teams, the Riverside County Esports League is poised to grow significantly in the coming years.

"Esports provides students with valuable life skills such as teamwork and collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking and strategic planning, time management and social skills," said Jeff Muto, Business Line Director at ViewSonic. "Studies show students involved in activities are more successful in the classroom and have higher confidence levels. Esports leagues transform many students' gaming hobby into a valuable asset that can now offer students opportunities for scholarships and even careers in this growing and lucrative field."

The global esports market is valued at $612 million, with an audience of 134 million, according to SuperData* with some estimates as high as 1.084 billion.**

ViewSonic has been an early advocate for esports as a way for students to grow and connect with others. Like any sport, esports requires talent, dedication, and the right tools. ViewSonic continues to develop gaming monitors for the casual gamer to the professional and has a full line of award-winning models that deliver complete immersion and responsiveness for the ultimate gaming experience. Engineered with tournament-grade features, these monitors are designed to give students the edge needed for any gaming environment. ViewSonic is happy to be able to grant the first scholarship to Julius Dimaranan and look forward to providing many more scholarships to these talented students through their partnership with the Riverside County Esports League.

"As educators, one of the most significant things we can do for kids (especially secondary students) is to provide places and activities where they can be themselves and feel as though they belong. Esports accomplishes that for many students," said Steve Hickman, Ed. D. Educational Technology Services Coordinator for Riverside County Office of Education. "The games are important, but for scholastic esports, the opportunities to develop resilience, problem-solving, communication, and social skills, and to foster student capacity for teamwork and leadership, all while uncovering and supporting pathways to college and career, this is what makes scholastic esports so important to the Riverside County Office of Education. We are tremendously grateful to the ViewSonic Corporation for sharing our vision and enabling us to provide this timely and necessary service to the students of Riverside County."

The Riverside County Office of Education Foundation and the Riverside County Esports League are actively seeking donations to fund additional scholarship opportunities. Such financial contributions greatly assist in RCOE’s efforts to ensure that every student in Riverside County graduates from high school academically and socially prepared for college, the workforce, and civic responsibility. Please contact Ed Lewis, Foundation Director at 951-826-6345 or elewis@rcoe.us, to explore partnerships or contribute.