EA and Vancouver Film School (VFS) jointly announced Sasha Dunfee as the recipient of the $25,000 EA Game Design Scholarship to attend the institute. The largest private post-secondary entertainment arts institution, VFS asked scholarship applicants to submit videogame concept proposals this past January. Eighteen-year old Dunfee impressed the scholarship committee with his maturity and creativity, as well as his technical talent.

Dunfee, who was born in Thailand and graduated from Centennial Secondary School in Coquitlam, has had a lifelong interest in design, but is fairly new to working with games. “I only really got into video game design about three years ago with the release of Half-Life 2,” he says. “I find level design to be a fantastic and rewarding way of creative expression. This is a great opportunity for me, and it is an honour to have been selected out of what I am sure was a very talented entry pool.”

The Game Design program at VFS began its 2007 session at the end of June. Dunfee and his classmates have had the privilege of being taught by industry professionals, helping to foster the growth of some of the best new gaming talent in the industry.

Benjamin Colling, Director of Admissions & Student Services at VFS, says, “Having EA sponsor one of our incoming Game Design students presents an opportunity that is difficult to achieve for many Canadians. To have this opportunity go to a young, local recent high school graduate excites VFS, and it allows EA to make a meaningful investment in the youth of today that can literally change the life of the recipient.”

Graduates of the one-year program Game Design program at VFS are employed at nearly every major gaming studio in Canada, including scholarship sponsor, EA.

Dunfee is blogging about his experience at VFS on his personal blog.