The Guildhall, ESA Foundation Announce $10K Diversity Scholarship

Gradate game school The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University and The ESA Foundation, a charitable arm of the Entertainment Software Association, have announced they are creating a new scholarship that will be used to help attract women and minorities into school’s game development program. The scholarship, in the amount of $10,000, will be for students applying to SMU’s master’s program in video game development, and, according to a press release, will “specifically target women and minority students.” “We applaud the ESA Foundation’s efforts to expand diversity in the game industry,” said Dr. Peter Raad, executive director and founder of The Guildhall in a prepared statement. “ESAF shares our goals to reach out to more women and minorities and show them what a great future they can have in the game industry if given the chance.” “The video game industry needs a talented and diverse workforce if we want to continue seeing the phenomenal growth and high-caliber entertainment we enjoy now,” said Jenny Lai, executive director of the ESA Foundation. “We’re pleased to partner with The Guildhall at SMU and look forward to seeing the great talent that this scholarship can help create.” SMU offers both a master’s degree and a graduate professional certificate of interactive technology in digital game development, with specializations in art creation, level design, and software development. For more information, visit The Guildhall's web site.