Gaming can be a fun way to compete, connect with friends, and build teamwork. This badge helps you understand gaming history and esports while focusing on staying healthy, safe, and kind online. It's about being a great teammate and a balanced gamer.
Why it's worth it
If you already love games, this badge helps you get more out of them: understanding where your favorite genres came from, how esports teams train and work together, and how to stay the kind of teammate other people want in their lobby. You'll also figure out a healthy balance of gaming, sleep, and moving around that you choose for yourself, and you'll find out how many real careers, from tester to event producer, grow out of play.
Start this week
- Write down the first five games you remember playing and roughly when. That's the start of your timeline.
- Start your gaming, activity, and sleep log today, even if it's just a note on paper by your bed.
- Sit down with a parent and go over your family's rules for online play, then write them down together.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Competitive Gaming counselor, and contact them with a parent copied.
Plan ahead: Requirement 3 asks you to track gaming, activity, and sleep, so start the log first. Work on the timeline and research while the days add up.
Stay safe
- Never share your real name, school, location, or photos with people you meet in games, and tell a parent right away if anyone asks to move to a private chat or meet in person.
Requirements · 7
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
Note: Before requirement 2, watch the Personal Safety Awareness "Digital Safety" video with a parent's or guardian's permission.
- Requirement 1
History of gaming
Tips for this section: Make a timeline of consoles or games you know, then fill in the gaps with research. Note examples for each genre.
Example for this section: A timeline might run from arcade cabinets and early home consoles through handhelds, online play, mobile games, and today's esports leagues. Mark a few games from each era and label their genre, like platformer, fighting, or MOBA.
- Requirement 1a
Make a timeline of how video gaming has changed since 1958, with at least one major event from each decade
- Requirement 1b
Name and define five major video game genres, with an example of each
- Requirement 1c
Explain how video gaming differs from esports, including how esports uses organized competition like teams, tournaments, rules, coaching, and spectators; name two games played both casually and in organized esports
- Requirement 1d
Name and define five major moments in esports' growth as an industry since 1990, including key tournaments, technology advances, and organizations, and discuss what you found with your counselor
- Requirement 2
Living the Scout Oath and Law online
Tips for this section: Think about how players treat each other online. Talk about how you can be a positive voice in games.
Example for this section: Think of a real moment: a teammate raged at someone for a mistake. Talk about what you did or could do, like muting, reporting, or saying "good try, next round," and how game ratings help families pick games.
- Requirement 2a
Define "toxicity in gaming," describe a real or made-up example of toxic online play, and explain how applying the Scout Oath and Law could prevent or resolve it
- Requirement 2b
List five ways to deal with bad online gaming experiences and explain which point of the Scout Oath or Law each one reflects
- Requirement 2c
Look into the ESRB rating system, write down the ratings of the games you own, compare them with your age, and tell your counselor if you think the ESRB descriptions are right
- Requirement 2d
List five ways to make online gaming a positive place for yourself and others, and demonstrate one with your troop, patrol, or family
- Requirement 3
Gamer health and balance
Tips for this section: Keep a simple log for a while of game time, activity, and sleep. Look for patterns and set a healthy goal.
Example for this section: Your log can be three columns per day: minutes gaming, minutes active, hours of sleep. Then look for patterns: "On nights I played past 10, I slept less and felt slow at practice." Set one goal you choose.
- Requirement 3a
Read two credible articles on the benefits of video gaming and two on its downsides, and make a chart showing where they agree and disagree
- Requirement 3b
Track how much you game each day for two weeks, then record and summarize the results
- Requirement 3c
Over those same two weeks, log your physical activity each day and compare it with the CDC guideline for ages 6-17: 60 minutes a day of moderate or vigorous activity
- Requirement 3d
Over those same two weeks, log your sleep each night and compare it with the CDC guideline: ages 6-12 need 9-12 hours, and ages 13-18 need 8-10 hours
- Requirement 3e
After 3b, 3c, and 3d, make a one-week balanced schedule with healthy sleep, physical activity, and agreed-on gaming time; follow it and summarize the results
- Requirement 4
Gamer safety and community
Tips for this section: Review your family's rules for online play. Never share personal information with people you meet online.
Example for this section: Explain your rules, like using a username with no real name or school, never sharing your location, and telling a parent if anyone asks to move to a private chat. Show how to block and report in a game you play.
- Requirement 4a
Explain the benefits and risks of playing games online
- Requirement 4b
Research and list 10 ways to stay safe while gaming online
- Requirement 4c
Spend at least 30 minutes playing one of your favorite games with a parent or guardian; show them how its privacy and safety settings work, tell them what you like about the game, and let them take a turn playing
- Requirement 4d
Play a team-based or cooperative multiplayer game, online or in person, with another Scout, a friend, or someone from your community (casual or competitive is fine); show good communication, teamwork, and sportsmanship while you play, then talk with your counselor about how working together and communicating shaped your team's results and fun
- Requirement 5
Gaming technology
Tips for this section: Compare consoles, PCs, and phones for gaming. If you look into PC building, learn what each part does.
- Requirement 5a
Explain how console and PC gaming differ and list the pros and cons of each
- Requirement 5b
Play the same game on at least two platforms (any game, free ones included, on a phone, tablet, PC, laptop, or console) and describe how gameplay and performance compare
- Requirement 5c
Design your dream gaming PC on a PC builder website (for example PCPartPicker or Micro Center), listing the graphics card, CPU, motherboard, RAM, power supply, hard drive, case, and fans you'd use; talk through your picks with your counselor
- Requirement 6
Leadership and service. Choose 1 of 3
Tips for this section: Teach a group about staying safe and kind online, or watch an esports event, streamed or in person, and notice how it's run.
Example for this section: Teach your patrol a 15-minute lesson on gaming safely online: pick a username with no real name or school, never share your location, block and report toxic players, and tell a parent if anyone asks to move to a private chat. End with a quick quiz.
- Requirement 6a
Teach a group (your troop, your patrol, younger Scouts, or family members) about digital citizenship or staying safe while gaming online
- Requirement 6b
Watch a live-streamed esports event at the pro, college, or school level; take notes on how the broadcasters present it, how the players talk to each other, and how viewers interact online, then tell your counselor what you learned about how online esports competitions are organized and presented
- Requirement 6c
With another Scout, a troop member, or a family member, go to a live event featuring competitive gaming, such as an esports tournament, a convention, or a community gaming event; afterward tell your counselor what the live atmosphere was like and how it changed your thinking about competing in front of a crowd
- Requirement 7
Careers in competitive gaming
Tips for this section: Look up college esports programs, and jobs like game designer, tester, or event organizer.
- Requirement 7a
Research two colleges with varsity esports programs and record for each: gaming scholarships offered and their amounts, gaming or IT-related degrees, games the team plays, and the league or association it competes in
- Requirement 7b
Research three careers that support esports but aren't athlete roles (such as game developer, shoutcaster, data analyst, event coordinator, or IT support); for each, find the main duties, education or training needed, and how it helps the gaming or esports world
- Requirement 7c
Go to the jobs or careers section of a big game publisher's website (Blizzard, Riot, Epic, Nintendo, or similar), choose three openings that interest you, and find the education, skills, and experience each one asks for
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A school, college, or library esports program
See how a team practices, reviews matches, and communicates, plus what the coach and tech staff actually do.
How: Have an adult contact the program or library and ask whether your patrol can watch a practice or match.
Where it can lead
- Game tester (QA)Plays early versions of games to find and report bugs; a common first job in the industry.
- Game designerPlans the rules, levels, and balance that make a game fun and fair.
- Esports coach or event producerRuns team practices or the live events, streams, and brackets fans watch.
- Community managerKeeps a game's player community welcoming and handles feedback and reports.
- Computer support technicianBuilds, repairs, and maintains the PCs and networks that games run on.
Ask yourself
- What do you love most about the games you play: winning, the story, or the people?
- How do you feel after a long session compared with a short one?
- When someone online is toxic, what do you usually do, and what would you like to do?
- What did your log show you about your sleep and energy that surprised you?
- What skill from gaming, like teamwork or quick decisions, shows up in the rest of your life?
Good questions to ask your counselor or a school esports coach
- How do esports teams practice, and how is that different from just playing a lot?
- What makes someone a good teammate in a competitive match?
- How do you help players handle losing streaks or tilt?
- Which gaming jobs don't involve being a pro player?
- What should a student look for in a school or college esports program?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Make sure online play follows family rules and Scouting America's digital safety guidelines.
- Host a gaming night that emphasizes teamwork and sportsmanship.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) (opens in a new tab) — Explains game ratings and parental controls.
- School or library esports club — Supervised places to play and compete.
- Common Sense Media (opens in a new tab) — Parent and teen reviews of games, plus tips on balancing screen time.
- NetSmartz (opens in a new tab) — Short videos and tips on staying safe while gaming and chatting online.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.