Douglas Johnson began his sophomore year at the State University of New York at Oswego last week in an enviable position. He made the dean’s list his freshman year and expects to graduate early with a double major in psychology and public justice. Even better, his family back in Watertown, N.Y., didn’t have to take out any loans this fall, thanks to a scholarship that covers about half of his tuition.

And for that he has Glissa, the Traitor — a zombie elf — to thank.

“Friends and parents had told me to look for scholarships in everything,” Mr. Johnson, 18, recalled. “But I was surprised that there is a scholarship just for Magic players.”

Last year, Mr. Johnson received one of the first two grants given by Gamers Helping Gamers, a nonprofit organization founded by a group of successful young New Yorkers to assist a very specific group of students: those who play the fantasy trading card game Magic: The Gathering.

A cousin to role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, Magic pits two players in strategic combat, each armed with colorful cards representing creatures, spells and magical lands. In a twist that has turned the game into a global phenomenon and its publisher, Wizards of the Coast, into a juggernaut, players collect and trade cards to customize their decks. Magic is fundamentally a game of skill, but a stronger hand might be one $3.99 booster pack away.