www.esafoundation.org

As we head into the holiday season – a time spent with family and focused on giving– the ESA Foundation (ESAF) extends our thanks to everyone who attended this year’s “Nite to Unite – for Kids” (NTU).

Your support will help ESAF enable our grantees to reinforce math and science skills, enliven history, increase civic participation, and prepare students for college, among other projects. Moreover, your generosity demonstrates the video game industry’s commitment to making a positive impact in our communities. We hope to see you again next year at our 17th annual NTU gala!

In addition to NTU, ESAF and our 2013 grantees engaged in several exciting activities this fall.

In November, ESAF announced our 2013-2014 scholarship program winners, awarding 30 students a total of $90,000 to pursue video game-related degrees. You can read more about these outstanding students below. This edition of the ESAF newsletter will also highlight the Lewis and Clark Foundation, whose engaging and historically accurate 3D computer role-playing game, Meriwether, puts students in the shoes of Meriwether Lewis as he and William Clark travel west to the Pacific coast.

For more news and updates on ESAF programming and grantees’ activities, please follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Happy Holidays,

Jenny Lai
Vice President, ESA Foundation

Scholarships for the Next Generation of Industry Innovators

ESAF recently awarded scholarships to 30 women and minority students pursuing video game-related degrees during the 2013-2014 academic year.

Hailing from 16 states across the country, this year’s scholarship recipients attend a wide range of accredited four-year colleges and universities, including California Polytechnic State University, Champlain College, DePaul University, DigiPen Institute of Technology, Indiana State University, Johns Hopkins University, Parsons The New School for Design, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Idaho, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Washington.

These students are also enrolled in a diverse array of degree programs, including game design and development, simulation arts and sciences, game art and animation, visual effects, computer science and engineering, and graphic design.

The annual scholarship program encourages diversity in the computer and video game industry and supports the development of its future leaders. Since the program’s inception, ESAF has awarded more than 170 scholarships to students, helping them attain their academic aspirations and career goals.

“I come from a low-income family and I never had the opportunity to truly pursue computer science because of many issues,” said Michelle Lam, a 2013-2014 ESAF scholarship winner and first-year computer software student at California Polytechnic State University. “Two of my brothers are attending college at the same time as me, which places a [financial] burden on my parents who’ve struggled to ensure that my family could live comfortably. I was so shocked and excited when I received the [scholarship acceptance] email that I started crying.”

Grantee Spotlight: Lewis and Clark Foundation

On November 2, thousands of computer and video game fans from across the nation will participate in Extra Life, a 25-hour video game marathon that supports Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH).

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France – more than doubling the size of the United States. With approximately 827,000 square miles of new, uncharted territory, Jefferson commissioned an expedition led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark to explore and map the vast unknown wilderness of our young nation.

In early 2014, thanks to the pioneering work of the Lewis and Clark Foundation, students will be able to experience the Lewis and Clark Expedition firsthand through Meriwether, a historically accurate role-playing game. As Meriwether Lewis, players lead a 33-person group – the “Corps of Discovery” – on a trek from Washington, D.C. to the Pacific coast. Interacting with American Indians, surviving harsh winters, fighting starvation, and navigating the perilous American wild, players must overcome obstacles similar to those faced by Lewis and Clark as they made their historic journey more than two hundred years ago.

With the help of historians, consultants, and video game designers, the Lewis and Clark Foundation hopes to teach students about Lewis and Clark’s expedition through immersive digital storytelling. As adecision-based game, Meriwether allows players to not only explore the western United States, but also to learn about Meriwether Lewis’ relationships with the individuals comprising his expedition party. Every decision the player makes shapes Lewis’ character, increasing his capabilities as a leader, soldier, scientist, and thinker. Leveraging these complex personality traits and character interactions allows players to more fully connect with and learn about the historical figures who were part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

“In a role-playing game, you spend a great deal of time conversing with minor characters in detail, often about everyday topics. When the Lewis and Clark story is told through traditional media, like books or movies, those types of interactions often get left out,” says Josh DeBonis, designer of Meriwether. “But through Meriwether, players can actually engage with those characters and more deeply understand their dynamic personalities and motivations.”

For more information about Meriwether, check out the game’s official trailer.