The NYU Game Center, in collaboration with the international game festival IndieCade, will be offering a $25,000 scholarship program for its MFA program in game design, according to a recent announcement from the Game Center.
Students are eligible for the scholarship if they have created a game that has been selected for inclusion in IndieCade. Students who are interested in applying must complete an essay explaining why they deserve the scholarship. Once the essay is completed, students submit with their application to the MFA program. One candidate will be selected each year.
“We’re very interested in creating revolutionary games,” Game Center coordinator Dylan McKenzie said. “We feel that IndieCade is one of the best organizations for finding that and highlighting it, so we definitely thought it made sense to pair up with them.”
Stephanie Barish, president of IndieCade, said the NYU Game Center has been a partner of the festival for many years.
“Faculty and student games have been official selections, nominees and award-winning IndieCade games over the long course of our history,” Barish said. “We are delighted that NYU Game Center has recognized the caliber and promise of IndieCade participants with the opportunity for this scholarship.”
NYU’s Game Center, part of the Tisch School of the Arts, was established in 2008. The MFA program is now in its second year. The Game Center also offers a minor in game design for undergraduates. McKenzie said the growth of the center is exceeding his expectations.
“There’s so much to be gained when you’re here,” McKenzie said. “The students are doing a lot to shape the curriculum, so it’s been a shared experience.”
McKenzie also said the time was right for the growth of the center because video games are becoming more culturally relevant.
“People as a culture, not just game players, are starting to see that video games have more to offer than male power fantasies or pop culture,” McKenzie said. “There’s really expression going on there. Also, game creators no longer require an expensive computer, which means the democratization of the means of production.”
Shoshana Kessock, a student in the MFA program, said the scholarship would open new roads for IndieCade participants.
“For those that have shown or won at IndieCade, it’s a really great opportunity to come to the Game Center and continue their education in design,”
Kessock said.
A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, October 9 print edition. Billy Richling is a deputy news editor. Email him at [email protected].
