E-sports is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States and is expected to become a $1 billion industry in the near future. One of the main consumers of this sector are high school students, who are known as some of the biggest video game advocates in the nation. 

With more students pursuing their gaming passions outside of school, some districts are looking to bring that passion into the classroom - including the Downey Unified School District. 

On December 4, Downey is sponsoring the first-ever high school e-sports tournament in LA County. Alyssa Talavera and Jose Cisneros are two of 130 participants from Warren and Downey High School. 

"I don't remember what age I started," Talavera said. "But I remember I would play video games with my dad and my brothers."

The school-sponsored program brings students together in teams of five to compete in a popular game called Overwatch. The ultimate prize gives students the chance to earn college credit in game design, a field many participants hope to enter down the line. 

"I'm finishing up college applications," Cisneros said. "I'm applying for computer science, hoping to get into programming, maybe join a start-up."

According to the Pew Research Center more than 70 percent of Americans play video games regularly, and nearly 97 percent of teens have played at least once. Downey Unified is hoping to help their teens turn that hobby into a future career. 

In addition to broadening their horizons, the program has also helped to redefine some of the negative stereotypes about gamers.

"It's definitely like looked down upon, like people think it just was like nerds without social lives," Cisneros said. 

Instead, Downey USD and their partner group Carrot, hope that programs like these will empower all students to follow their passions and reach higher to pursue their dreams.