The Guildhall at SMU Students score $30k in scholarships

Recently at a luncheon hosted by The Guildhall at SMU, ten students were awarded $30,000 in scholarship funding. Ten students were awarded scholarships on behalf of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS), D3Publisher and the Entertainment Software Association Foundation.

The $10,000 AIAS Academy Scholarship is awarded biannually to an incoming student who students who exemplify “the organization’s spirit and commitment to advancing the global interactive community.” The ESA Foundation Computer and Videogame Scholarship Program recognizes academic excellence of women and minorities pursuing a Master’s degree or graduate certificate at SMU with an annual scholarship of $10,000. D3Publisher honored students who have excelled academically by granting the $10,000 Shane Hensley Scholarship for Game Development Excellence this year.

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Game development a regular vocation at many American colleges

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) wants you to know that colleges are now heavily supporting curriculum that is directly or indirectly related to the vocation of video game development. According to the ESA, a record number of colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning – 254 in 37 states and the District of Columbia – now offer courses and degrees in computer and video game design, programming, and art. These include certificate programs in 3D Animation & Interactive Media to master’s degrees in Computer Graphics and Game Technology. The ESA sees the uptick of institutions offering these programs as a reflecting of the growing importance of video games on the economy and culture of the United States.

Research conducted by the ESA found that California has 46 institutions of higher learning – the most of any state – offering such courses or degrees. Other states in the top 10 are New York (21); Texas (20); Florida (19); Illinois (16); Pennsylvania (12); Massachusetts (11); Washington (9); Georgia (8); Arizona, Michigan, and Colorado (7).

“Today, video games are not only the fastest growing entertainment medium, they are also increasingly used in education and business for professional training and e-learning,” Rich Taylor, senior vice president. “These new college programs underscore the importance of the video games industry, which is well-poised to create additional employment and professional opportunities in the coming years.”

While it certainly heartening to see more schools offer these kinds of educational opportunities, it would be interesting to see some statistics from schools that have offered a game development curriculum; do graduates find jobs after college - not just intern work, but real honest-to-goodness jobs at companies of all shapes and sizes? These are the questions I want answered as a parent.

You can check out the full list of schools by visiting The ESA.

ESA Foundation hands out 30 scholarships

The ESA Foundation announced this morning that it has selected 30 student video game developers from across the nation to receive $90,000 in scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year. Those receiving these scholarships are fresh out of high school and plan to continue on to college at 26 academic institutions from California to New Jersey studying subjects from computer science to digital animation.

Since 2007, the ESA Foundation Scholarship Program has assisted women and minority students who want to work in the computer and video game industry. Scholarships are offered annually for full-time study at accredited four-year colleges and universities for students pursuing degrees in industry related subjects including video game development, computer science, digital animation, programming and software engineering.

More than 200 U.S. colleges, universities and trade schools now offer video game courses or degrees. Students interested in the 2010-2011 scholarship program, can find out more at www.theesa.com Applications for the next round of scholarships will be accepted in Jan. 2010.

Ubisoft founder to be named 2009 ESA Champion

He will not get a title belt though, but maybe a nice plaque. The ESA Foundation will honor Yves Guillemot, chairman and chief executive officer of Ubisoft, as the 2009 ESA Champion at this year’s Nite to Unite for Kids event. The annual black-tie gala will take place on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 and recognize Guillemot while raising money for the foundation’s work on behalf of children.

In 1986, Guillemot saw the potential of entertainment software and collaborated with his four brothers to create Ubisoft. More than two decades later, Yves’ business acumen has put Ubisoft into athe position of an entertainment software industry leader. Today, the company is the fourth largest independent publisher in the U.S. and the creator of such hits as Assassin’s Creed , Prince of Persia, Rayman, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon.

Guillemot joins a distinguished list of entertainment software luminaries including George Lucas, Dan DeMatteo; Electronic Arts’ Bing Gordon; Toys ‘R Us’ Michael Goldstein; Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Howard Lincoln; Sega’s Isao Ogawa; Sony Computer Entertainment’s Ken Kutaragi and Electronic Boutique’s Jeffery Griffiths.

The 2009 Nite to Unite for Kids is open to everyone with tickets costing $500 each. Table sponsorships are also available. For ticket information call 800-949-3660.

ESA vs. the Chicago Transit Authority

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), challenging the CTA’s prohibition on certain computer and video game advertisements as a violation of the guarantees of free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleges that the CTA is unfairly targeting the entertainment software industry by enacting an ordinance that selectively bans advertisements of computer and video games rated “Mature 17+” (M) or “Adults Only 18+” (AO).

In January of this year, the CTA enacted Ordinance 008-147, prohibiting any advertisement that “markets or identifies a video or computer game rated “Mature 17+” (M) or “Adults Only 18+” (AO).” The ESA’s suit contends that this new ordinance is unconstitutional and restricts speech in a public forum that is otherwise open to all speakers without a compelling interest for doing so. In addition, the complaint argues that the ordinance discriminates on the basis of viewpoint and ignores less restrictive means of achieving the supposed ends of the ordinance.

Political insider Erik Huey joins the ESA

Erik Huey has joined the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade organization representing the interactive entertainment industry announced today. Huey is a former partner at Kilpatrick Stockton LLP who specializes in government relations for the entertainment, communications, and media sectors, A the ESA’s new Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Huey will assume leadership for the ESA’s federal and state government relations department, which advocates on behalf of the entertainment software industry to elected officials and regulatory agencies.

Prior to his arrival at Kilpatrick Stockton, Huey practiced with Venable LLP for a variety of entertainment, communications, and technology clients. He also worked in the Legislative and Regulatory Matters Department of BellSouth Corporation’s general counsel office in Atlanta, where he developed and coordinated telecommunications policies for the corporation’s telephone, wireless, cable, Internet, and international affiliates.

Huey is most definitely a political insider with ties to the Democratic political machine. He helped coordinate voter protection and mobilization efforts in Western Pennsylvania for the Obama Campaign during the 2008 primary and the 2008 general election. Huey had a similar role during the 2006 mid-term elections, and served as the Kerry/Edwards Campaign’s Get Out the Vote Director for Western Pennsylvania in 2004. Huey also served as an advance coordinator for the 1992 Clinton/Gore Presidential Campaign and as a summer associate under then-State Attorney Janet Reno in the Florida State Attorney’s Office’s legal division.

EA to host GLAAD panel on Homophobia in gaming

Electronic Arts passed along a quick note to let us know that it is hosting a roundtable discussion for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) called “Homophobia in Virtual Communities - Highlighting the Problem and Working Towards Sustainable Solutions.” The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place on July 18th from 11am - 1pm at its Redwood City, CA location (50 Shoreline Drive Redwood City, CA 94065).

The point of the event is to address ongoing concerns that GLAAD members and the gaming community have had concerning how companies handle cases of discrimination both from gamers and game companies. You may recall that Xbox Live has had some challenges in dealing with how it handles gamertags and harassment on its Xbox Live service. No doubt these growing pains have put the issues into the public eye.

While EA is hosting the event, plenty of other company’s organazations and indivuals will take part including Flynn DeMarco (Alias: Fruite Brute), Founder of GayGamer.net; Dan Hewitt, Senior Director of Communications & Industry Affairs for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA); Caryl Shaw, Senior Producer in the Maxis Studio (Electronic Arts); Cyn Skyberg, VP of Customer Relations at Linden Lab; and Stephen Toulouse (Gamertag: stepto), Program Manager for Policy and Enforcement on Microsoft’s XBox LIVE. the event will be moderated by GLAAD Director of Digital & Online Media, Justin Cole.

More information can be found at www.glaad.org/digitalevent.