Some California colleges are offering credits for playing video games

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The video game industry has made its way towards the top of the entertainment industry around the world. Now, some colleges are beginning to get on board, offering programs that give students actual college credits for participating in esports.

Colleges in California are leading this charge to bring video games some legitimacy in academia. According to MSN, several California colleges, including Cal State and the University of California, have begun implementing legitimate gaming programs across their various campuses.

Dina Ibrahim, an academic advisor at SF State, has been one of the leaders of the movement to establish education surrounding the video game industry. In a CSU “Esports Unconference”, Ibrahim spoke about the need to establish video game programs, saying, “Higher ed needs to evolve or die. We need to be teaching students relevant skills, that’s going to get them jobs in a rapidly changing landscape.”

Ibrahim has developed a livestream broadcasting class at SF State, where she teaches students how to market a brand and develop live stream content on streaming platforms like Twitch. The course culminates with students developing a legitimate video game tournament that will be livestreamed. And yes, the students receive actual credit for the class.

For so long, video games have been looked at as a waste of time or a mindless hobby that won’t really lead to anything, when nothing could be further from the truth. The rise of video game popularity has led to thousands if not millions of new jobs through the various aspects of the market.

The creation of programs like the ones being developed on these California campuses is a great way to give students the skills to succeed in an evolving landscape of digital media.

It will also give a great deal of legitimacy to colleges around the country who, in my opinion, have been way too focused on traditional aspects of education instead of evolving to be able to better serve their students.

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