Can You Write a College Essay About Video Games? How to Do It Right (With Examples)
When families hear that their student wants to write their college application essay about video games, parents often ask, “Is that really a good idea?” It’s a fair question — after all, gaming can sound frivolous compared to more traditional topics like research, service, or athletics.
Many families wonder whether an admissions officer will take a video game essay seriously.
What Admissions Counselors Really Look for in a College Essay (Hint: It’s Not the Topic)
What matters most in a college essay isn’t the subject you choose — it’s what the essay reveals about you. Admissions officers are looking for signs of a student’s character, values, and growth.
That’s why an essay about video games can work beautifully if it highlights:
Who you are — your personality and perspective
How you think — your habits of mind, curiosity, or creativity
How you’ve grown — moments of challenge, persistence, or reflection
The topic is simply the lens. What matters most is the story it helps you tell about yourself.
At Lantern, we call this the Deep-Fit™ approach: guiding students to reflect on who they are, what they value, and what they seek in a college — then identifying schools where they can thrive, and helping them show that fit in their essays.
The truth: a college essay about video games can be outstanding if it’s written with depth, reflection, and authenticity. The key is not the topic itself, but what the student’s engagement reveals about who they are, how they think, and how they have grown through gaming.
“Admissions officers don’t care about the topic — they care about what it reveals about you.”
At Lantern, we help students turn everyday passions into powerful essays.
College Essay Example: How Writing About Video Games Helped a Student Gain Acceptance to MIT, Harvard, and More
Can a video game essay really stand out at the most selective colleges? Absolutely.
Take Claire, who was admitted to every school she applied to — including MIT and Harvard. She wrote about her love of playing the platformer Ori and the Blind Forest.
What made her essay powerful was what her experiences in the game represented. She captured how failing and retrying in Ori mirrored the resilience she was building in life. She also described how the game created community — late-night challenges with friends, shared mods, and encouragement that lasted long after. Her essay wasn’t about a video game; it was about connection, persistence, and joy.
She even returned to the theme in several different essays for different schools, showing how a meaningful topic can flex across prompts while still revealing new layers of her story. Admissions officers responded because her writing offered a vivid glimpse of her personality: curious, playful, and determined — the kind of student who will contribute vibrantly to a campus community and thrive there. In fact, her success proved that even a seemingly less serious topic like gaming can strengthen a student’s application at the most selective schools.
How a Video Game Essay Can Impress College Admissions Officers
“The video game is just the lens. The real story is your growth, curiosity, and character.”
What makes a video game essay effective isn’t the gameplay itself, but the qualities a student chooses to highlight through it. When approached with reflection, these essays can showcase the same traits admissions officers look for in any strong application: resilience, curiosity, creativity, and connection. Here are six ways students have done this well.
1. Growth and Resilience Through Gaming
One powerful angle in gaming essays is persistence — the ability to fail, try again, and adapt strategies. Overcoming a difficult level or learning patience through trial and error can reveal maturity and the resilience colleges value in academics and life.
2. Identity and Self-Discovery in Play
For many students, games provide a space to explore identity, experiment with roles, or discover new perspectives. When connected to personal growth and reflection beyond the screen, these stories reveal authenticity and self-awareness — two traits admissions officers prize.
3. Creativity and Innovation Beyond the Game
From modding and in-game design to sparking interest in coding, art, or storytelling, games often ignite creativity that spills into real-world projects and extracurriculars. Essays that highlight this bridge — from play to passion — show a student’s drive to create, experiment, and innovate.
4. Intellectual Curiosity Sparked by Gaming
Some games inspire students to dig deeper into history, psychology, coding, or narrative design. Essays that highlight such curiosity demonstrate a love of learning that extends well beyond school assignments, a quality that resonates strongly with admissions officers.
5. Leadership and Collaboration in Multiplayer Worlds
Coordinating strategies in team-based games mirrors real-world collaboration. Students may describe learning how to listen, adapt, and lead peers toward a shared goal — skills that translate directly to group projects, research, and campus leadership roles.
6. Relationships and Community Building Through Gaming
Gaming can strengthen bonds with friends and family members, or open doors to global communities where students mentor others and forge cross-cultural friendships. Essays that emphasize connection and empathy highlight a student’s ability to contribute meaningfully to a campus community.
At their core, these themes are universal qualities colleges look for: resilience, creativity, growth, and meaningful connections. The video game is simply the lens through which a student’s story is told.
Reflection is what transforms any topic into a strong college essay.
Common Mistakes in College Essays About Video Games
Not every essay about gaming will shine. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid:
Focusing Only on the Game Mechanics or Plot
Admissions officers don’t need to know every detail of how the game works or how you navigated its intricacies; they need to know you.
Framing Gaming Only as Escape
If the essay frames gaming only as avoidance of real life, without balance or reflection, it risks sounding shallow.
Overloading on Jargon
Writing as if the reader already knows the game can alienate your audience. Keep the focus on universal lessons and personal growth.
“The difference between a flat essay and a compelling one is reflection.”
Skipping Reflection
An essay that lists achievements or hours played without connecting them to resilience, curiosity, or creativity misses the chance to show depth.
Remember: admissions officers don’t care what you write about — they care what your essay shows about you.
Should You Write Your College Essay About Video Games?
Not every student should write about gaming. If video games haven’t shaped your growth, values, or perspective in a meaningful way, gaming may not be the strongest foundation for a college essay.
In those cases, another topic — one more connected to your authentic experiences — will make a stronger impression. The best essays come from genuine reflection, not from trying to choose what seems impressive.
This is an element of Deep-Fit™ — our broader approach that helps students reflect on their identity, values, and goals, then connect those insights to both college choices and essays.
Final Thoughts: Writing a Strong College Essay About Video Games
Students don’t need to shy away from writing a college essay about video games. With careful thought, a gaming essay could be one of the most distinctive and memorable parts of a college application. The key is depth — showing how gaming connects to curiosity, resilience, or community.
As Claire’s case shows, even a topic parents may worry about can become the essay that helps a student stand out at the most selective schools.
At Lantern, we guide students from reflection to results.
Want to Go Deeper?
A video game essay is just one example of how a personal or unusual topic can shine when written with reflection and authenticity. If you’re looking for more inspiration, these resources may help:
What ChatGPT Can Teach Us About How to Write a Strong College Application — Insights on authenticity and finding your voice.
How to Write a Standout College Essay for Engineering Applications — Tailored guidance for aspiring engineers.
How to Write a Standout College Essay for Computer Science (CS) Applications — Advice for students applying in CS and related fields.
No matter the subject — gaming, music, research, or something entirely unexpected — the strongest essays reveal who you are, how you think, and how you’ll contribute to a campus community.
Interested in STEM pathways?
Here are some of our most read STEM-related articles:
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Best for: high school students exploring multiple STEM interests.
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How Liberal Arts Engineering Degrees Prepare Students for an AI Future — Explores the rise of interdisciplinary engineering programs that combine technical expertise with the creativity and adaptability needed in an AI-driven world.
Best for: students who want an education that bridges engineering and the liberal arts, equipping them with the versatility to thrive in an AI-driven future.
For Aspiring Engineers: Understanding the Value of ABET Accreditation — Breaks down when ABET accreditation matters, what it signals to employers, and how it affects students’ career readiness.
Best for: families comparing engineering programs during the college search.
Preparing for an Engineering Career: A Conversation with Dr. Rob Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics — Insights from one of the most innovative leaders in robotics on how students can prepare for engineering careers in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.
Best for: ambitious STEM students inspired by robotics, innovation, and leadership.
Beyond Essays: Choosing Meaningful Activities
Just as a video game essay can reveal curiosity, resilience, and creativity, activities outside the classroom can develop and showcase those same qualities in ways admissions officers value.
What High School Extracurricular Activities Matter Most on Your College Application — Discover how to select meaningful activities that reflect personal growth and authenticity — whether sparked by gaming, coding, research, or something entirely outside of STEM.
Best for: students and families asking “what really counts” when it comes to activities.
For additional resources, explore our full blog of insights.
At Lantern, we help students uncover authentic essay topics. If you’d like guidance on making your student’s application shine, please be in touch.
