Students pursuing careers in computer and videogame development at 21 academic institutions across the country are getting a financial boost from the ESA Foundation. The Foundation has awarded 30 scholarships for the 2010-2011 school year to women and minority students enrolled in programs ranging from computer science to 3D animation. The scholarships were fully funded by the annual Nite to Unite charity fundraiser, which takes place in San Francisco every October.
"The video game industry is pleased to foster opportunities for gifted youth to use their creativity, innovation and passion to create games that entertain, inspire and educate," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "The ESA is proud to help advance the careers of aspiring game developers and enhance the diversity of our industry by offering scholarships to women and minority students."
Since 2007, the Foundation's scholarship program has provided financial assistance to women and minority students preparing for careers in video game development, including those studying graphic design, computer science, animation, programming, digital entertainment or software engineering. Scholarships are offered each year for full-time study at accredited four-year colleges and universities. Up to 30 scholarships of $3,000 each are awarded annually, 15 to graduating high school seniors and 15 to current college students.
This year, more than 300 U.S. colleges, universities and trade schools are offering video game courses or degrees. This vast range of educational options comes at an ideal time for students, as the entertainment software industry continues to show strong growth and an increasing need for a diverse pool of developers to meet consumers' demands for a wide range of creative works.
The ESA Foundation was created by the American entertainment software industry to provide opportunities that can make a difference in the lives of America's youth. The Foundation is fully supported by proceeds from their limited edition charity game pack's sales and "Nite to Unite – For Kids," its annual fund-raiser, which has raised more than $11 million in the last 12 years. For more information about the ESA Foundation, please visit www.theESA.com/foundation.
John Gaudiosi has been covering videogames for the past 17 years for outlets like The Washington Post, CNET, Wired Magazine and CBS.com. He has focused on the convergence of entertainment and videogames for outlets like Video Business, Home Media Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Gamerlive.TV and is also a freelance game columnist for Reuters and writes for outlets like Playboy Magazine, NVISION Magazine, GamePro Magazine, Official PlayStation Magazine, EGM Now, Maxim.com, AOL GameDaily.com, GeForce.com, and Yahoo! Games. John also serves as the video game expert for NBC in Washington D.C. John was named one of the Top 50 Game Journalists in the world by Next-Gen.biz in 2007. He is the co-author of Scholastic Books' How to Get into Videogames, Prima Publishing's Madden: Twenty Years of Videogame Football and Electronic Arts: The Official History.
