Video Games on College Application

Applying to College
1

<p>Today, me and a friend argued for almost 4 hours about why video games would/would not look good on a college application. I personally DON'T play video games that much but i understand the basis of it. I DO play sports, I play soccer on a varsity level at my high school. My friend brought up some very valid points, especially on leadership and determination. I will list the points that we each make and I will let you guys decide if it would/wouldn't help. Most of the times we were arguing about what sports had that video games didn't...</p>

<p>Few Notes:
- He plays very strategical online games.
- He does use VOIP(Voice Over Internet Protocol I believe...) such as ventrillo to strategize.
- He was sponsored to play DOTA, I forgot the full name but if you google the abbreviated name you can find out the longer name.
- He is talking about competitive gaming, where results REALLY matter.</p>

<p>Why Gaming would look good on a college application. (His Arguments)
1.- Hours of practice (Sometimeas up to 18 hours a day(Breaks Of course!))
2.- Leadership (Talking about Strategy over VOIP)
-- He says that there is more leadership in games than there are in sports since in sports its hard to communicate over the whole field...
-- He also says since you are shouting, and " therefore there is no way, you can lead without letting the other side know what you are doing."
3.- Teamwork (Accommodate for not only your own actions but your teams actions)
4.- Strategic thinking (Ways to counter an attack, Plan an attack)
-- Discussions before a game on what each person should do, etc...
5.- Must follow team training schedule (Competitive Online Gaming Of cource!)
-- Supposedly 1 person missing = no practice?
6.- Game is ever so slightly updating (New strategies or Game Updates)
-- Must think of ways to adapt
7.- Time management (Manage between school, games, eating, etc...)
-- Have to schedules your schedule to the team's schedule.</p>

<p>Why Gaming would NOT look good on a college application.(My Arguments)
- Way too much time spent in a virtual world.
Sadly I can't think of anymore. Which is why I decided to ask you guys... </p>

<p>Before you say start stating obvious reasons, compare the same reasons to sports (Or other games that do matter in a college application like chess).</p>

2

<p>if you like football, play football
if you like chess, play chess
if you want to be a leader, start a school club</p>

<p>nuff said</p>

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<p>i understand that this is a controversial subject but the basis of both arguments is essentially the same. isn't a sport simply a sort of "virtual world" as you described. football is a world on the field where two sides have opposite goals? the only difference is that your high school team has a football team not a gaming team. football requires physical training while video games require a different kind of training. There was a thread a while back about a guy asking if he should put his leadership position in his guild (he plays world of warcraft, a MMORPG) on his application because he actually had to do a lot of work organizing and communicating with many other players. Personally, i think its fine. You don't HAVE to put video games on your application because it will sound like you ran out of other things to say, but if your positions were legitimate and you feel that you did a lot of work, i think you should definitely write it. Like I said, it's essentially the same as sports except sports have more respect because it takes physical strength and more people watch it on tv. they're both extracurriculars, does football help make you smarter? most will argue not necessarily, and the same is true with video games. they're simply ways to express one's self outside of academics. the only trouble is that adcoms will not know about the team work required in video games unless it is clearly explained.</p>

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<p>I personally wouldn't recommend putting down video games. I do understand that there are professional gamers out there, but it gets into a region that would be alien to the admission officers, who focus on ECs, school and research. Video games may sometimes require the skills that you claim they do, but the operations of these skills are entirely different from real life. Video game allows a player to be anonymous and it requires mainly fast finger movement. so putting down video games will bring about a different perspective than they are used to, which might cause some skepticism</p>

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<p>I'd like to know what kind of video games these are. If it really is as strategic as he says, maybe they might give him a chance if he explains it thoroughly. </p>

<p>I do a modest amount of gaming myself, but I think most admission committees would view gaming as wasting time on something that isn't real, and gamers are solitary people who spend all their time in their rooms in some escapist fantasy. Both beliefs may be untrue, and there are a number of comparisons you can make between sports and video games, but I wouldn't risk challenging these preconceptions in something as important as your college application.</p>

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<p>Little off the topic ,but in korea video game is consider as sports lol It's called E-Sport And it has definetely huge market. I'm personally watching Starcraft for 9 years, and I think it's really fun to watch. Sometimes it's better than watching football,soccer..etc. Popular players easily earn 6 figures. So it's definetely big deal in Korea.</p>

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<p>Xmas Writes "if you like football, play football
if you like chess, play chess
if you want to be a leader, start a school club
nuff said"</p>

<p>Does that have anything to relate to this topic? I'm asking if it is a valid statement to put video games on your college application as a EC.</p>

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<p>nooob you make some very valid points, I guess what I am asking is why are sports necessarily more looked at in college applications than gaming. Is it purely based on population, since more people play sports competitively than online games?</p>

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<p>Cavalier - You write "I do a modest amount of gaming myself, but I think most admission committees would view gaming as wasting time on something that isn't real" </p>

<p>I'm pretty sure my friend would argue why sports can count as EC and a online game can't, and then he will go on and on about how online games require more leadership and teamwork than an actual sport. So i guess what I am asking is if gaming is a valid point, although less people are informed about competitive online gaming.</p>

<p>PS: Sorry for 3 posts, I'm just too anxious to reply to all your posts so fast!</p>

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<p>My son just finished his essay with WoW as his main theme, I guess you'd call it. He spoke of the interpersonal aspects of the game and went into some detail about the expectations of your guildmates regarding performance and adherance to rules, etc and how that mirrors wider society.</p>

<p>He wanted to use this topic, and I felt that if he wrote well, answered the prompt etc, then he should go for it. I think gaming is pretty widely enjoyed, even by people in academia. If the candidate has good grades and test scores, the adcoms will know that he doesn't just sit around and play computer games, you know?</p>

<p>I wouldn't put gaming down as an extracurricular activity, but perhaps it would make an interesting "supplemental materials" answer - you know - those things that say "If there is something else you'd like us to know about you..."</p>

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<p>I agree whole heartedly with mamacol on this one. I think it is PERFECT to add as a supplemental answer -- even as the primary essay on the common app if done well. I do think there are some very valid skills in some of this gaming world and we cannot deny that it is a hugely lucrative field for those who develop these games. My daughter, a freshman, has a friend who has created a couple of different Apps for the iphone. one of which is VERY good and gives him 99 cents a download! the point being: I think just a random mention under EC's probably isn't enough to give the activity merit, but put in a larger context it could be very compelling. And that's the magic word in admissions: Compelling.</p>

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<p>I would not put down video games on your application because society has just not adapted to the way video games works yet. As captain of the tennis team and a former raiding guild leader (cool, I know), I would say that leading a guild is way more difficult than a team (our team is one of the best in state by the way). You deal with such a wide variety of ethics, morals, and personalities, that getting everyone on the same page and coordinating different aspects is very time-consuming, as well as characteristic of a leader in real life. I was actually considering doing my essay on WoW, until I quit playing, because it relates so much to my major, but I was worried that adcoms would think I am a freak (I'm applying to low Ivies/equivs).</p>

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<p>For one of MIT's questions I answered I play video games lol.</p>

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<p>I wrote my main essay on my experiences in the video game industry. I used to be involved in just gaming, but I have started focusing more on the online journalism and game design aspects.</p>

<p>I think video gaming is a VERY VALID topic for college apps.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Video game allows a player to be anonymous and it requires mainly fast finger movement. so putting down video games will bring about a different perspective than they are used to, which might cause some skepticism

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You are right that putting down video games indicates a different perspective. In fact, my entire main essay is about the different perspective I can bring to the campus (not stated that explicitly of course) having been involved in video games.</p>

<p>And there is definitely far more than fast-clicking to games, from massively multiplayer games to real-time strategy.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I'd like to know what kind of video games these are. If it really is as strategic as he says, maybe they might give him a chance if he explains it thoroughly.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>DOTA = A real-time strategy game (RTS). They can be thought of as super fast chess games. </p>

<p>
[quote]
Both beliefs may be untrue, and there are a number of comparisons you can make between sports and video games, but I wouldn't risk challenging these preconceptions in something as important as your college application.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>To me, there is an advantage in challenging misconceptions in a college app. You want to make your admissions reader think "Hmmm, well I'd never thought of it that way." </p>

<p>
[quote]
I agree whole heartedly with mamacol on this one. I think it is PERFECT to add as a supplemental answer -- even as the primary essay on the common app if done well. I do think there are some very valid skills in some of this gaming world and we cannot deny that it is a hugely lucrative field for those who develop these games.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yes!</p>

<p>
[quote]
I would not put down video games on your application because society has just not adapted to the way video games works yet.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Oh I'd say society has. Just look at some recent sales figures of video games.</p>

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<p>DOTA isn't as much finger movements more so as it is strategy. Now if you want to talk about ladder/melee in WC3, then you may have a point.</p>

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<p>lol this is a funny topic. If he explains the video gaming thoroughly, it could be useful, but otherwise no. I personally think that is just too "nerdy". I think colleges would want kids that would be involved in the community. They don't want kids who are locked up in their dorms all day long, playing video games...</p>

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<p>if they did MLG or WCG or were sponsored (which I think you said he was), I'd put it down. Definitely gonna have to explain its upsides thoroughly. DotA (which btw is a great song by Basshunter :D) stands for Defense of the Ancients.</p>

<p>Oh, btw, Halo 3 >>> WoW</p>

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<p>
[quote]
I think colleges would want kids that would be involved in the community. They don't want kids who are locked up in their dorms all day long, playing video games...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>This is definitely the downside to using video games in your college application. You will need to emphasize other things in other parts of your app to counterbalance this.</p>

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<p>I think using video games as a main point in an essay is not looked upon highly. I do not think that being a guild leader in wow is the same as a sports captain/band section leader/class president, especially if your guild is not in the top __% nationally. </p>

<p>This is coming from someone who got very into WOW for a while as well as WC3. I was a guild leader of a few guilds in WOW and a few clans in WC3. In WOW before the new expansion, my guild pretty much cleared all 70 instances (through Black Temple/Hyjal if you know WOW). It does not take much brain power or skill to do this imo. It requires spending many hours per week on the game. I look back on the days that I played WOW as wasting my time, and nothing but. The colleges almost assume that a 17-18 year old plays a lot of video games, whether it be WOW or a game on the PS3. I do not think WOW is any different. Also, there is no way for them to make sure you were telling the truth when you said your guild was ranked number 5 nationally and you are the guild leader (which would be impressive), so I do not think they really care at all what you do in a virtual gaming life. </p>

<p>This of course is just my opinion. But I think colleges will either completely ignore your 'leadership' in video games or look down upon it, because they think that you are trying to make up for not participating in the opportunities within your community/high school.</p>

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<p>I think your friend is stretching his argument....that's my gut feeling.</p>