For those who have obsessively played their favorite game for years at the cost of real-world productivity, here’s your chance to turn all that time spent into something you can actually use: a $15,000-a-year scholarship.
The University of Silicon Valley (via Icy Veins) is looking to reward players who have spent hundreds of hours accomplishing the most demanding of in-game feats through its new Max Achievement Scholarship program.
“The Max Achievement Scholarship recognizes students who have demonstrated extraordinary mastery, persistence, and systems thinking through the completion of rare and demanding achievements in digital gaming environments,” the scholarship’s website states. “This merit-based scholarship rewards the same qualities that drive academic excellence: disciplined practice, strategic problem-solving, and pursuit of mastery beyond minimum requirements.”
To qualify for the scholarship, players need to have completed specific achievements in order to prove mastery in one or more of the 50+ games listed on the scholarship’s website. There are two different scholarship tiers, Legendary and Mastery, which reward up to $5,000 or $2,500 respectively per school term.
The list spans a broad range of games and genres, ranging from MMORPGs like World of Warcraft to strategy games like Civilization 6. Multiple soulslikes are on the list, including Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, as are roguelikes such as Spelunky 2, Vampire Survivors, Hades, and Dead Cells. Minecraft is on the list, as is No Man’s Sky, Valheim, and more.
But just because your favorite game is on the list doesn’t mean the requirements will be easy. While many boil down to some variation of 100% completion, others require some real dedication, such as raising all skills to 99 in Old-School Runescape, earning every possible achievement across the entire Dark Souls trilogy, finishing an Ironman Legend run on XCOM 2, or completing all 115 advancements in Minecraft.
For those who are more generalist in their video game pursuits, there are a few qualifying challenges related to specific platforms. Those playing on PlayStation can qualify for the Legendary Tier by unlocking 10 or more Platinum trophies, of which at least three have to be “Ultra-rare” with less than 1% of players having earned the trophy. Xbox players can do the same by having more than 100,000 Gamerscore with 10 titles above a 90% achievement completion rate. Steam players need to earn 100% achievements in five different games that a global average of less than 5% of players have. While there is no Legendary Tier accomplishment for Nintendo Switch players, earning 100% map and shrine completion in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will qualify for the Mastery Tier.
Each accomplishment on the list comes paired with an “educational rationale” that shows how earning that particular achievement translates to the real world. In the case of achieving 100% in Stardew Valley, the educational rationale is “long-term planning and relationship management,” while earning an S-Rank on all Cuphead bosses on Expert difficulty proves “precision under pressure.”
If your game of choice isn’t on the list, players can actually submit an in-game accomplishment with documentation of its rarity alongside an explanation of the mastery involved for review. The University of Silicon Valley will award 10-15 Max Achievement Scholarships in its inaugural year, with plans to expand it in the future based on applicant quality and program success. In addition to proof of their video game feats of strength, candidates will also need to submit a 500-750 word essay reflecting on what their digital pursuits taught them about learning, persistence, or problem-solving.
“The Max Achievement Scholarship honors students who have demonstrated exceptional persistence, systems thinking, and creative problem-solving–even in digital worlds,” The University of Silicon Valley states. “These are the same cognitive skills that fuel innovation, entrepreneurship, and polymathic excellence. If you’ve earned it in-game, it can count toward your future.”