<p>Would it be possible to use playing a video game professionally as an EC? It isn't as big as DOTA or LoL, but it still is a decent size (About 10000 people total). I'm not the highest level yet, but I am at a decent, mid level. I have invested a few thousand hours in to this game. Would this be a good EC, or would it show that I am someone who slacks off and just play video games instead of studying?</p>
<p>Of course! Princeton can’t get enough of kids who have spent thousands of hours playing video games! If you also do online poker, watch a lot of TV and are current about all the most popular Youtube videos, you should be sure to mention this as well. </p>
<p>Seriously though, if you’ve ever seen the videos of that former Stanford admissions officer as she goes through different kids’ applications, one of them mentions videos games as an activity and she questions his judgment about telling Stanford this. Your move.</p>
<p>@Falcon1: frankly the professional video gamer world has expanded. There literally are people who earn six figs doing this full time. That being said, I’m not sure that those people exude the type of drive and intellectual curiosity that is valued by colleges such as S or P.</p>
<p>Do schools want an applicant who they think will be a recluse, holed up in their room playing video games…or, do they want somebody who gets out to the campus and is engaged in activites?</p>
<p>Maybe if you were able to tie it into a community service thing “video gaming to raise funds for _____”</p>
<p>OP, what exactly do you mean when you say you play this game professionally?</p>
<p>If it’s something like my son plays, League of Legends, it’s actually a sport that people watch. For the world championship, people apparently go and pay to watch these championships and apparently the winners get paid. It seems crazy to me, but I guess it’s similar to people getting paid for work in fantasy sports. My son watches the championships. He’s not at the level where he gets paid; I don’t let him play that much! </p>
<p>I think it depends on the school and the major as far as talking about it. I think it’s USC’s Interactive Entertainment major that specifically asks about games and their influence in your life.</p>
<p>I am not sure what major at Princeton would relate-possibly engineering, cs, or architecture?</p>
<p>I know video games are becoming a bigger thing, but the fact of the matter is that video game-playing still has a negative connotation. It’s your call, but I would advise against it. </p>
<p>Colleges look at your EC’s to determine: </p>
<ol>
<li>What has this student done outside of the classroom?</li>
<li>What is this student passionate about?</li>
<li>Will this student continue his or her involvement with those activities while in college?</li>
<li>Has this student taken on any leadership roles?</li>
<li>Has this student made their high school or the people around them a better place? </li>
</ol>
<p>Colleges want active, passionate students; they are looking for students who will make their campus a better place. If you list a solitary activity – no matter what it is – colleges cannot glean information about the last two questions, and IMHO, they are the most important questions. So, whether it’s video gaming, reading, TV watching or another solo activity, I would NOT put it down as an EC unless you have absolutely done nothing else with your time.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, admissions officers are behind the times on this. In no way are multiplayer games (such as the League of Legends) a solitary, passive activity similar to watching YouTube. In fact, these games are often referred to as e-sports because training for and playing these games involves the same type of teamwork, leadership, strategy and perseverance as being on an athletic team. These are very complex strategy games that require a substantial intellectual effort (similar to chess) and a great deal of teamwork. Yes, there are national and international competitions, including ones at the collegiate level (look up IvyLoL - many top schools have teams). USCIS recognizes e-sports players as athletes for the purposes of issuing visas. Robert Morris University in Illinois recently made headlines for recognizing League of Legends as a varsity sport and offering scholarships to top players. </p>
<p>I am sure that ten years from now e-sports will be a perfectly respectable activity on a college application, same as any varsity sport. At this point though, admissions committees don’t seem to have enough understanding of this activity to treat it seriously enough, and I wouldn’t mention it as an EC. </p>
<p>In short:
- If you got paid for playing video games, it is a job not an EC
- If you helped with programming or arranging tournaments or leagues, it would be an EC even if you are not highly ranked
- If you did neither, it is doubtful it is worth listing as an EC or a job
At best, it could be an essay topic for you, how you met new people and so on while playing video games.</p>
<p>What game is it? It depends on how you presented it. I wrote about League in a UC essay, but I did it tactfully.</p>
<p>See, Fleur007 and I know WHY you would want to list this as an EC. But Falcon has probably never so much as touched Super Mario and probably doesn’t know what iOS is. Sadly, your admissions officer is likely a Falcon here.</p>
<p>In other words, you NEED to explain what gaming has done for you, which makes it a questionable EC. Namely, you need to have the ability to explain it. If you don’t, I’d recommend against it.</p>
<p>I presented LoL as a hobby that has seriously helped me become more cooperative. I explained how getting matched with 4 random strangers, all anonymous, can change people and how certain behaviors lead to success, outside of skill and luck (and those damn nerfs.) This is a huge supplement to what I plan to do in my future–working in a lab with a team. It’s not about the game–it’s how you’ve grown from playing.</p>
<p>And depending on what you’ve done, you can develop your time with it further. Have you created a tournament using it to raise funds? Perhaps you manage a team? A website?</p>
<p>With adequate explanation, gaming is a way to definitely set yourself apart and provide some perspective on a growing community to the admissions officers.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>^^You mean Falcon as in Captain Falcon?</p>