Your parents always told you how playing on your Xbox was a waste of time, distracting you from your all-important homework duties.
However, nowadays it seems being a skilled Fortnite gamer could well land you a university place which should in turn help towards securing the sort of career your mum and dad would be proud of.
Not only is Fortnite a fun and addictive eSport, it also requires strong abilities in logic and creativity if you want to succeed. This is something Ashland University in the US has picked up on.
The Ohio based university has this week announced a brand new scholarship for particularly talented players, with try outs for the Ashland Eagles starting in Fall 2018 (that’s Autumn to us Brits).
Scholarships will be worth up to $4,000 in tuition and are available for both existing and prospective students. These lucky students will also get the chance to compete on a team representing Ashland University.
As well as Fortnite, this program will also include coaching for Overwatch, Rocket League, Counter-Strike and League of Legends.
Don’t go buying your college sweater just yet though. As well as level of player skill, applicants will also be assessed on their academic record. So you will have had to have squeezed in a few maths classes in between your gaming sessions.
Check out more about why the shooting game is gripping gamers everywhere below:
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Incoming head coach Josh Buchanan – whose background is in StarCraft II eSports – told Variety:
I think ‘Fortnite’ has a lot of room for players to get creative,
There’s a lot of teamwork in [t[the game’s core building mechanic]hat’s really untapped. A lot of players kind of do fancy stuff, and it looks cool, but it might not be the most efficient.
I think it’s a game that, due to how creative you can be, there’s a lot of potential to get really, really skilled in the game.
Buchanan also spoke about the appeal of this fitness intensive program:
As part of the program, you’re going to have coaches and a staff dedicated to helping you succeed — not only in the game but also in your academics,
Helping to make sure that you have a good social life, and that your physical fitness is on point.
All of our athletes are going to have access to our fitness facilities and trainers.
And Ashland is known for putting a lot of focus on the individual and having a lot of one-on-one sessions with professors, or small group sessions, to really make sure that we’re personally invested in the students’ success.
Sigh. If only they had a scholarship for playing The Sims all weekend long back in my uni days. My crushing student debts would be looking very different indeed.
If you reckon you have a talent for the burgeoning world of eSports, check out the following recruitment form.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.