Gaming scholarship

Scholar applicants to list gaming expertise and tournament experience for first NZ eSports university grantapplicants  

New Zealand eSports Federation president Ben Lenihan said viewer numbers for some eSports events in the United States are tipped to overtake audience figures for traditional sports like American football within the next two years.

Hoping to secure New Zealand's first university eSports scholarship Jayden Yeoman spends up to 40 hours a week on a virtual battlefield.  

The focus of the school leaver's dedication is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game that pits two teams of combatants against each other.  

The teenager's gaming skill will form part of an application to Waikato University, which is asking eSports enthusiasts to list their gaming expertise for its first $5000 eSports scholarship - part of the university's wider plans to be an eSports industry leader.

The scholarship is a "massive step forward" in helping young New Zealanders achieve that, he said.

"There's a stereotype of the gamer sitting in the basement never seeing the sun but I don't think that's a fair one. There's some real positives coming out of gaming as opposed to social media, which appears to have almost entirely negative connotations. I think it's important not to get one type of screen time mixed up with another type of screen time." 

Those applying have to outline their eSports performance, including tournament history, but Calvert said they want the recipient to demonstrate success in their wider studies, and be an ambassador of health and wellbeing.

"We want people... who will succeed academically and who might go on to careers in eSports, but who also acknowledge the importance of staying fit and healthy."

Yeoman, 18, intends to apply for the scholarship to study computer science. His parents support his eSports passion: "They've always supported me as long as I put the effort in at school."

"There are genuine career paths for people in eSports. It would be almost negligent not to engage with it," Waikato University director of student services Mike Calvert said. "We're confident that we are the first and only university in New Zealand to be offering such a scholarship for esports."

This year, Queensland University of Technology became the first Australian university to offer an eSports scholarship - five are on offer for exceptional League of Legends players - and scholarships are increasingly popular in the United States, reflecting its status as the world's fastest growing sport.