Officials from the ESA Foundation have announced the establishment of a new scholarship program for future video game developers and designers. The program is aimed specifically at women and minority applicants, who have traditionally been underrepresented in the development industry.
A $45,000 fund has been established and full-time undergraduate students can now apply online for a $3,000 scholarship until May 15th, 2008. Fifteen new scholarships will be offered each year for full-time study at accredited four-year colleges and universities, for fields including graphic design, computer science, animation or programming, digital entertainment or software engineering.
The ESA estimates that more than 200 colleges, universities and technical schools in the U.S. offer programs and courses in video game design, with at least 400 other institutions worldwide.
The ESA Foundation was initially created by the Entertainment Software Association to help raise charitable funds for children, via limited edition charity game packs and the annual A Nite to Unite – for Kids fundraiser.
“Positions in our industry are high-paying jobs with a remarkable potential to inspire and entertain millions of Americans. We hope these scholarships will encourage students to pursue careers in this growing and lucrative field,” said Michael Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA.
“We offer this program to help create our industry’s next generation who will boost the industry’s creative capital with new and unique approaches,” he added.
Further information can be found on the
Scholarship America website.
