Atlanta-based KontrolFreek, the company known for making performance thumbstick extenders and sweat-resistant grips for both PlayStation and Xbox professional players, has recently awarded $3,000 in eSports scholarships to three eSports-playing college students nation-wide. Ashish Mistry, KontrolFreek’s CEO said that the opportunity is “something that parents should be proud of.”
Image courtesy of Helena Kristiansson/ESL Flickr
Ashish also claims that he plans to renew the scholarship opportunity next year sometime in March. KontrolFreek is not the only institution to begin offering eSports scholarships.
University of California, Irvine, plans to offer $5,600 scholarships for 10 top student gamers this coming fall. They also claim to be the first public university to offer scholarships for eSports team members who will represent the school in eSports competitions with other colleges.
Image courtesy of Helena Kristiansson/ESL Flickr
Mark Deppe, the acting director of UCI’s eSports program had the following to say about the program:
“It is a chance to be the best at something that is going to be bigger than traditional sports. All the same perks that come from having the best football team or the best basketball team, we are going to see that with eSports.”
Instead of relying on taxes, the program will try to get all its funding from corporate sponsors and will charge students who will use the campus’ new gaming room. Deppe also predicts a boost for campus life and recruitment due to the university’s new program.
