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White Plains, New York - 17 November 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Christian Pineda, 13-year-old gamer:

"My name is Christian Pineda. I am 13 years old. I'm in eighth grade and I started Super League because my dad found it and I needed to do a Minecraft tournament. And I wanted to do Minecraft at a movie theater just seemed to really cool. The main thing I like about Super League is. Well it's two things, one, I get to play with my friends, two, they are sponsored by Nickelodeon so I got onto Nickelodeon channel which is, Yes!"

HANDOUT SUPER LEAGUE GAMING - MUST CREDIT SUPER LEAGUE GAMING

White Plains, New York - 7 November 2018

2. Various of kids playing computer games

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White Plains, New York - 17 November 2018

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Frankie Capello, 11-year-old gamer:

"You're actually sitting next to each other and you're talking and when you're talking you basically are getting the better experience with your friends and it's so, like, I love like talking with my friends doing this."

HANDOUT SUPER LEAGUE GAMING - MUST CREDIT SUPER LEAGUE GAMING

White Plains, New York - 7 November 2018

4. Frankie Capello with fellow gamers

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White Plains, New York - 17 November 2018

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Alon Rothschild, Capello's father:

"It seems very competitive. You know it seems to be right on their level really right now for their ages. So I guess it goes according to like what you said with the Little League. Kind of like you know like a minor league type system first before going to real esports. But no I. It's been a great experience it really has. I'm glad we signed him up for it when we did and that we continue to come."

HANDOUT SUPER LEAGUE GAMING - MUST CREDIT SUPER LEAGUE GAMING

White Plains, New York - 7 November 2018

6. Various of young players at gaming event held at movie theater

Christian Pineda plays a lot of video games, but he's best at "Minecraft." Hunched over a laptop in the front row of a half-full movie theater last month, the 13-year-old eagerly showed off why.

Pineda claims to be shy at school, but here, he's a vocal leader on a New York team of nearly 20 esports competitors, some as young as 6 years old. With a spot in the league finals on the line, Pineda tapped away at his keyboard and excitedly discussed tactics with teammates.

The group was strategizing over pickaxes and archers, not pitchers and catchers, but the focus on teamwork and communication could have come straight from the bench at a youth baseball game. At Super League Gaming, that's the goal.

Super League is trying to bring structure to an industry devoid of it at the youth level. The league was founded in 2015 and has teams in 16 cities for its three gaming titles _ "Minecraft" for younger players, and "League of Legends" and "Clash Royale" for players as old as their mid-30s.

The hope is that Super League can close a major gap in the esports ecosystem for competitive young gamers, particularly in the U.S. The industry is set to eclipse $1 billion soon, and there are more professional opportunities than ever. Pros in the North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS) averaged over $300,000 in salary this season, and many colleges now provide esports scholarships to talented gamers. Fallback careers in coaching or game design are increasingly in demand, too.

Just like Little League, it's not strictly about churning out elite talent. It also creates an in-person sense of community around gaming, one that allows parents to watch and even coach, if they're up for it. Some parents have concerns about their kids spending too much time on screens, but at least with Super League, gaming happens in a social, supervised space. Parents might not understand exactly what they're watching, but they do feel like they're bonding over an activity kids might otherwise be doing alone in a basement or bedroom.

"It's one of the best decisions we've made," said Alon Rothschild, who drives his 11-year-old son, Frankie Capello, over an hour from Staten Island to compete with the New York Fury's "Minecraft" team.

The co-ed league provides players with uniforms, tech support and access to its digital platform, which allows players to log into Super League competitions from anywhere. Gamers can use the platform any time to find opponents appropriate for their skill level, but it's the in-person events that really pull kids in.

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