After this week’s Storybricks drama and today’s brutal cutbacks of customer service and forum support, the company formerly known as SOE could really use some good PR, and it might just be getting some in the form of its annual Gamers In Real Life scholarship.
For the past seven years, the studio has awarded a college scholarship and internship to one worthy applicant in its pursuit of supporting women in game design; this year, Daybreak will split that award in half for two applicants, one in art and design and one in programming and engineering. While entry to the competition is not restricted by gender, in past years the program has focused on encouraging and promoting women in the games industry, even requiring applicants to submit essays on the state of women in video games. This year, though Daybreak says the scholarship “aims to be the first step towards empowering bright careers for young women in the video game industry” by way of “helping to create more opportunities for women in game design,” the applications require only design materials and essays that discuss the college student’s “unique perspective.”
[Source: Daybreak press release, application]
