Years ago, most people would have never thought that playing video games could help you get into college, let alone help you choose a career.
But now, with the video game industry accounting for millions of dollars every year, the demand for talented video game programmers and designers is growing, meaning that if you are into Wii, PS2 or World of Warcraft and have a penchant for technology you might be able to find a video game scholarship for college.
What kinds of students qualify for video game scholarships? All kinds!
There are all kinds of scholarships for video gamers. Some scholarship programs will focus on research and development, and the use of interactive technologies for educational purposes. One such scholarship in the Randy Pausch Scholarship for Game Designers, Developers and Producers, sponsored by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
This $2,500 scholarship for current students supports people pursuing degrees in programming and game design, in memory of Randy Pausch, who studied human-computer interaction and design.
Women and minority students also qualify for a number of video game scholarships. Since women and minorities have been largely under-represented amongst video gamers, scholarships like the ESA Foundation Computer & Video Game Scholarship Program award up to $3,000 per year to high school students who are planning to pursue computer and video game arts at an accredited institution.
In addition to some of the more traditional scholarship programs for video game designers, some design firms and universities put together special conferences and intensive summer programs for video game students that can serve as a stepping stone for video game scholarships.
These include the Emagination Game Design Computer Camp program for high school students and the University of Southern California Interactive Entertainment Summer Camp Scholarship (for female students).
Some universities have gone so far as to create advanced degrees in video gaming. Rochester Institute of Technology in New York State is one of the first colleges to offer both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in game design and development, and the school give generous scholarships to new students will to be pioneers in the work of video gaming education. Most scholarships can be obtain right through the RIT financial aid office.
For more information about video game scholarships, visit the profiles listed in the student scholarship search section of FinancialAidFinder.com.