The ProjectRethink.org Team Esports focuses on creating an environment that promotes social responsibility, wellness, inclusivity, and community impact. This esports organization’s vision is to create an engaging competitive gaming experience for everyone and provide opportunities to achieve personal success.
The tagline of the ProjectRethink.org Team Esports, “Gaming with Heart & Purpose,” reflects the organization’s belief that its players should be treated as people first – this includes their mental and emotional well-being – as well as how they contribute positively to their communities outside of gaming.
Mission, Vision & Core Values
ProjectRethink.org Mission and Vision Distinguish it from Traditional Esports Organizations.
- Mission: To empower gamers, elevate the esports community and demonstrate that gaming can also be a means for personal growth, not strictly a method of competition.
- Vision: A world where Teamwork, Strategy and Skill create an environment for Inclusion, Fun, Health, Community Development and a New Definition of Success for the esports community.
- Core Value Statements Include: Inclusivity (regardless of gender or background), Mental Health Support, Ethical Competition (Fair Play and No Toxicity), Community Building/Social Impact, Wellness and Full Player Support.
How ProjectRethink.org Esports is Organized — Team Structure & Roles
In order for a competitive-esports organisation to be successful, it is important to have support beyond just the competitive players themselves. ProjectRethink.org explains the necessity for a well-rounded and multi-layered approach to supporting the needs of competitors and their overall well-being.
Team Composition (Typical Roles):
- Professional players in multiple games or titles.
- Coaching and mentorship, these are professional individuals with many years of experience, who develop strategies, skill sets and the ability to work together.
- Mental health/wellness professionals – Individuals who provide guidance and direction for mental health and emotional stability.
- Performance scientists / Data analysts –Utilizing metrics derived either from data produced by the player’s performance or through biometric measures of the player to improve performance.
- Community managers/outreach/content creators –Individuals responsible for creating a fan base, developing relationships within the community, and managing the social media presence of the organisation.
What Games & Activities ProjectRethink.org Engages In
Unlike other game developers that only focus on a small number of game genres, ProjectRethink.org has taken on a much more varied and creative approach by developing many different types of games as a way to be inclusive and to encourage diversity within gaming.
Typical game genres they produce include:
- First-Person Shooter (FPS) – Well known and popular games are an example of this type of genre.
- Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) – A type of game that requires players to work as a team and develop strategies to succeed.
- Battle Royale/Action/Other Competitive Genres – Each genre allows for different styles of play and different skill sets.
The activities that the team participates in, however, are not limited to only competitive tournaments; their calendar includes:
- Professional and grassroots/community-level tournaments (from large leagues down to your local neighbourhood).
- Charity events/social impact tournaments/community engagement initiatives – they use gaming as a positive way to create social change.
- Fan/Community oriented streaming, content creation, online community tournaments, and mentoring opportunities.
Why This Approach Matters — The Unique Advantages
The ProjectRethink.org model provides multiple unique opportunities in an ever-changing esports environment:
- Players’ Mental Health & Wellness: Unlike most conventional teams that only focus on performance and success, ProjectRethink.org provides mental health counselling, wellness support and offers players rest periods. Therefore, they protect their players from burnout, as well as the negative aspects of toxic pressure.
- Inclusion & Diversity: ProjectRethink.org provides opportunities for players of all backgrounds including those that may not have been afforded the same opportunities because of traditional esports — including encouraging diversity in terms of gender, socio-economic status and geographic locations.
- Sustainability: For long-term sustainability for players, they use performance science & data-driven training, combined with providing players with a balanced approach to their lives, including gaming.
Step-by-Step: How to Build or Get Involved with a ProjectRethink-Style Esports Team
If you’re considering creating or joining a team similar to ProjectRethink.org or drawing on the values it embodies to create your own esports team, this article offers step-by-step guidance based on ProjectRethink’s best practices combined with the advice of industry experts. The information corresponds to general guidelines for starting an esports team.
1. Identify the Team’s Purpose and Vision
- Choose a Team Purpose that reflects what you want the team to represent. Your team can only represent competition or it can represent other values such as Community, Wellness, Inclusivity, and Social Impact.
- Building an Identified Purpose will help define the team’s identity, culture, and long-term goals (beyond wins/loss
2. Choose a Game(s) that Suits the Team
- Select games for your team based on the interests and strengths of the members. Games can fall into a range of genres (FPS, MOBA etc.)
- Keep in mind the availability of Competitive Play, Player Base and Popularity as well as whether or not the cultural values of the games align with your team’s values.
4. Create a Team Identity and Brand
- Decide the name of your team and create a logo/colour scheme — all to create a presence that will remain memorable and symbolic of your core team values (including Inclusion, Positivity and Fairness).
- Establish your presence on Social Media by creating Fan Pages, Community Pages and Streaming Channels to connect with existing and potential fans, sponsors, and support from the community.
Challenges & Considerations
Even though ProjectRethink.org has an inspiring model, building or maintaining that type of organization doesn’t happen easily. The following items represent some challenges you may want to consider:
- Funding and resources: Wellness, analytics, staff and infrastructure — all these elements will incur large expenses. If a proper sponsorship or revenue model is not in place, it will be difficult to sustain.
- Performance versus well-being: Winning is often the focus of competition, but balancing this with a positive team culture is difficult.
- Talent recruitment and retention: Not only are you looking for players with the appropriate skills, but you are also trying to find players with similar values, attitudes, maturity, and ability to team up.
- Community expectations and pressure: A team that is community-orientated will be under more scrutiny than most, so you need to be publicly transparent and ethically consistent.
- Scalability: As your group grows, your ability to keep your culture, keep communication open, and keep a personal approach to your players will become much harder.
However, if you are able to manage the above challenges well, you can create a valuable long-term (community trust, player loyalty, sustainable success) impact.
Conclusion
The ProjectRethink.org Esports Team has established itself as a forward-thinking, all-encompassing, and socially responsible esports company, giving gamers hope that gaming can be more than winning or losing. The projects and initiatives created by ProjectRethink.org combine competitive passion and human values, with support for mental health, inclusivity, and community involvement, providing an opportunity for a truly unique and meaningful approach to the traditional esports model.
