'My son wouldn't leave his bed now he's an esports star'

'My son wouldn't leave his bed now he's an esports star' Image source, BBC/Simon Thake Image caption, Deborah Berry said esports had brought "peace" to her her son Joshua By Simon Thake Reporting from in Rotherham Joshua Berry sits alone in his preferred corner at the back of the classroom. "It's a little bit away from people," explains the teenager who was diagnosed as autistic from a young age. In front of him is a large computer screen showing a racing car on the starting grid.

He leans back in the gaming chair and picks up a control pad. This is not your typical English or maths class but an esports lesson - a subject that has transformed the 18-year-old's life. Image source, BBC/Simon Thake Image caption, Joshua returned to education at the Nexus Multi Academy through their esports sessions Allowing her son more gaming time was not an easy decision for mum Deborah Berry, yet his recent 12th-place finish at the Esports World Cup in Paris has demonstrated his talent.

"All I heard was too much screen time for young people is wrong," she said. "Yet I actually saw how it was benefiting him and brought him some peace in a world that he wasn't feeling very peaceful and calm in." The mother of two recalls the "dark days" when her son suffered from "emotional based school avoidance". Despite an educational health care plan and a place at a Rotherham special school, she said "it didn't work".

"It was heartbreaking to see your child in such distress. "He ended up having chronic mental health issues and on a dynamic support register, which was basically extreme support for young people who potentially could become inpatients." Image source, supplied Image caption, Deborah described Joshua as having "chronic mental health issues" when he was younger Earlier this year Berry was able to reintegrate into formal education and life began to change. He enrolled with Nexus Multi Academy Trust, a South Yorkshire-based organisation that operates special schools and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision.

As part of the trust's offer, he joined Enterprise Works, its employability programme for young people with SEND. Alongside the usual curriculum, students are offered training in areas such as catering, construction, horticulture and crucially for Berry, esports, which uses competitive video gaming to help young people develop digital skills, communication and confidence. Oliver Connolly, the esports teacher at Nexus, said the subject offered students a route back into education.

"We have students who might not be in education or training or employment, who have just completely disengaged from education," he said. Image source, BBC/Simon Thake Image caption, Oliver Connolly is the esports teacher at Nexus Multi Academy "We use this as a tool to get them re-engaged in something that they're actually really interested in." Berry said he started gaming "to get away from life". His speciality is Trackmania, an arcade racing game that has taken him to tournaments around the world.

He credits his "hand-eye coordination" for his success. In 2025, the teenager competed at his first Local Area Network esports event. It meant leaving the comfort of his bedroom to play in person rather than online.

The experience gave him the confidence to travel abroad, where he placed third in a competition in Germany. Figure caption, Rotherham autism journey leads to esports glory His mum recalled: "It was the moment when I kind of realised that this is big and how skilled and good he was at it. "Suddenly, I'm walking through this venue and there's all these sort of strangers who know Joshua, from all over the world.

"I'm like, I've got a celebrity child here." But beyond the competitions, esports is opening up doors. Nana Nyarko, who leads the esports course at Sheffield Hallam University, said the subject had opened higher education to students who might not otherwise have considered it. He said graduates were now working in the industry and in some cases, teaching esports in schools.

For Berry, the World Cup in Paris demonstrated the genuine opportunity to earn a living in esports, while for his mum it was a chance to see her son flourish. "I think I will always have that knot in my stomach because of the dark place he got to, but I'm absolutely 100% proud of how much he's grown." Get in touch Your Voice

Source: BBC