"Parents who think that video games are an academic distraction, take heart: pounding on the controller can now help pay for college.
Last fall, Robert Morris University in Chicago became the first college in the US to make competitive gaming or “e-sports” a varsity sport, and offer athletic scholarships for players. “My parents were always telling me to get off the Xbox,” says Jonathan Lindahl, a freshman e-sports player at Robert Morris. “So I’m really rubbing it in their faces.”
At Robert Morris, video game scholarships can be worth up to half of tuition and housing, or $19,000. What’s more, since the NCAA doesn’t regulate e-sports, they’re not bound by the rules of amateurism. A couple of Robert Morris players, for example, recently played in a semi-pro tournament and each earned around $1,000. Want to get paid as a college athlete? Stay on the Xbox."
Read the rest of the story in Time Magazine: http://time.com/3756140/video-games-varsity/
