And while growing the game is a crucial aspect of the Learn, Play, Score platform, Wilson said BGCSM's partnership with the Red Wings is about much more than hockey. He said the Esports Lounge and the floor hockey program are building blocks to help children in metro Detroit achieve lifetime success.
"At the end of the day, our mission is about economic mobility," Wilson said. "Esports Lounges like this give us a hook to get kids in the door so we can expose them to all those different components of career and entrepreneurship. Once you get them here, you can introduce them to gaming, but you also teach them to build their own games, how to monetize their brand as a gamer and all those other components."
According to Wilson, even the exposure to the construction of the Esports Lounge and the setup for the event could have an immense effect on a child's career perspective, and that's one of the things he appreciates most about the partnership with the Red Wings and The Children's Foundation.
"I love this collective impact of the Boys & Girls Clubs, The Children's Foundation, the Detroit Red Wings all coming together. It really shows the power that you can have when you come together around a common focus," he said. "Youth have seen the rooms being set up for the press conference, they've seen the construction of the physical space. That's exposure.
"You never know what sticks in a young person's mind. When you find your passion, you're drawn to it. This partnership really is having that impact, which is going to go long-term. We're building a relationship with the Red Wings at every level. That's where the power and the impact comes in."