Your child can get a $4,000 college scholarship just for playing video games

Who says playing video games can't be homework?

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 04: Jake Austin Walker plays Fallout 4 at the Fallout 4 Video Game Preview Lounge at Chateau Marmont on November 4, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Bethesda)

Teens can earn scholarships to college for being a member of an asparagus club, making a prom dress out of duct tape and even being prepared for a zombie apocalypse. Now you can add being a top player at this year's buzziest video game, "Fortnite," to the list. 

The Webby award-winning game has grown in popularity over the past year and had a huge moment when gamers found out rap superstar Drake was playing the game live, so we're not too surprised to see "Fortnite" making headlines.  

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The college that is giving away the first-ever "Fortnite: Battle Royale" scholarship is a small school called Ashland University, in Ashland, Ohio. According to Forbes, students who are picked for the scholarship will receive $4,000 and be placed on a team of four.

The university will join 66 other colleges and universities that belong to the National Association of Collegiate Esports, where students compete against each other playing video games, much like they would in any collegiate sports team. 

Students recruited to the Ashland University team will train and compete in a new gaming center on campus and will begin competing in the fall of 2018. 

While this could be a publicity stunt for such a small university (about 4,600 students), scholarships for students to compete in other eSport games like "Fortnite" are not completely uncommon. A few universities already offer scholarships for top players of games like "League of Legends" and "Overwatch." 

Ashland University hasn't made any announcements on when tryouts for its "Fortnite team" will happen, but if you're a video game-loving teen, we suggest you start practicing now. 


About the Author:

Jack is a Digital Content Editor with a degree in creative writing and French from Western Michigan University. He specializes in writing about movies, food and the latest TV shows.