Sophomore Dylan Heger To Talk On TEDxYouth
Connor Strange
Staff Writer
A rare opportunity presented itself to sophomore Dylan Heger in the form of TEDTalks, the international nonprofit organization with the slogan of “ideas worth spreading”.
Heger has no shame about showing that he is an avid gamer. When speech teacher Erin Konecky approached him with the opportunity to apply for TEDxYouth, he utilized his knowledge of video games to come up with his idea.
“The perspective of gamers should change from the stereotypical to a more modern one,” Heger said. “I asked Mrs. Cico what she thought of them, and she thinks of them as teenagers who still live at home and they go to their basement, sit on their beanbag chair and play video games. But that’s not how most gamers are.”
Heger believes that the “Mom’s basement” stereotype needs to be done away with. He describes his play environment as something akin to an office cubicle more than anything else. Additionally, he points to the adults that use video games as a means of relaxation after a long day of work, or even adults employed in the video game industry.
His topic was deemed “worth spreading”, and he was accepted for the speech. The chance to take on TED will reap a long line of once-in-a-lifetime benefits for the sophomore student.
“I’m incredibly excited for Dylan,” Konecky said. “This is a huge opportunity to meet people, but more than anything it will give him real world public speaking experience. And TEDTalks is a well-known global organization. Just to be able to put that on his resume will be huge.”
Heger will spend a good part of his summer preparing for the speech, including several practice and planning dates. When he finally gives the oration at Lincoln High School on Aug. 16, he might just show that gaming means a lot more than most people think.
