ESA Cheers For Pirates' Prison Sentences

The Entertainment Software Association issued a press release today that for once wasn't scolding a U.S. state for pursuing unconstitutional game legislation. Instead, they take a moment to applaud the sentencing of two convicted software pirates - Kevin Fuchs of New York and Kifah Maswadi of Florida, both of whom received prison terms for their efforts at taking away money from hardworking developers and publishers.

“We commend the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of North Carolina and the Eastern District of Virginia and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their work in bringing these criminals to justice,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA... “These decisions illustrate, once again, that game piracy will not be tolerated and the extent at which these criminals will be prosecuted. The ESA and its members will continue to support law enforcement’s efforts to protect the intellectual property of our industry.”

It's just another friendly way of saying don't f*** with the ESA.

ESA Snags Former RIAA Exec As New Counsel, Stiffer Enforcement Coming?

Kenneth Doroshow, former executive at the Recording Industry Association of America and senior counsel to the United States Department of Justice, has been named the Entertainment Software Association’s new General Counsel, the association announced today.

Doroshow, who start his new position at the ESA in September, replacing Gail Markels who was let go when the ESA's New York office was shuttered in March.

“The ESA continues to attract and recruit the brightest individuals. Ken has remarkable expertise in the protection of intellectual property and an excellent understanding of the increasingly connected, dynamic, and innovative entertainment environment we live in,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “The computer and video game industry will be well-protected with Ken’s guidance and I know he will help facilitate our growth to even greater heights.”

One can't help but wonder if Doroshow's appointment, the announcement of which comes on the heels of some pretty draconian piracy enforcement in the UK, could signal a change in the approach the world's software associations, including the Entertainment Software Association, is taking in their anti-piracy efforts.

Failed California Game Law Costs State $282K

The Entertainment Software Association would like to remind the citizens of the United States that letting their politicians run around pursuing unconstitutional video game laws is a very costly affair. Just as they did with Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan before, the ESA has issued a press release detailing just how much California's failed game law is costing the taxpayers. $282,794 to be exact, and as the ESA points out, this is at a time when CA is facing a $15 million billion budget gap, firing 10,000 state employees and seeking to cut wages for the rest.

The California game law was terminated in federal court last year. The state, never the brightest of the bunch, is currently pursuing an appeal.

Peter Moore - Bring The Gamers Back To E3

Sega US boss Simon Jeffery wasn't the only big name in the industry who felt that this year's E3 Expo lacked a certain livelihood. Former Microsoft tattoo bearer and current EA Sports head man Peter Moore says that last week's event was "soulless and lacking an epicenter". All is not lost though. In a post on his official blog late last night, Moore assures us that the problems can be fixed, and that getting the fans involved is the key.

We’re confident that we can work with the ESA to make this right. There are important meetings ahead that we think will be substantive and be productive in finding the right path forward.

Let’s invite the community. With the right planning, involving our biggest fans in E3 would bring back some of the raw passion the event has lost.

Sega Thinks E3 Felt Like A Hospital Corridor

And the post-E3 soul-searching continues! Latest to be asked for his $0.02 is the man with the soothing voice, Sega US boss Simon Jeffery. Who, for all the work he managed to get done during the week, still thinks the event could do with a little more...pizazz.

E3 was a strange beast this year. We had an extremely strong product showing, had some great meetings, and got our messaging over pretty strongly – all at an event that had all the atmosphere of a large hospital corridor...we’d like to see something that represents the fun, dynamic nature of the industry a little better without going back to the insanity that was E3 of old.

It's OK, Simon. We miss the booth crumpet as well.

‘E3 felt like a hospital corridor’ [MCV]

E3 09 Opening Its Doors to the Public?

The only thing there was more of at E3 than games were complaints about E3's new, tidy, business-like format. Everyone from company execs to game developers to the working press seemed to have something unhappy to say about the show.

Coasting right there along with the complaints was a building buzz that next year's E3 was going to have to undergo some mammoth changes. Just how mammoth? According to a number of well connected sources I spoke with during the show, there's considerable thought going into opening the doors, this time officially, to the public at next year's big event.

Reached for comment earlier today, the Entertainment Software Association had this to say:

Holy Smoke, There Will Be E3 2009!

Even if this year's E3 wasn't exactly all that and a bag of chips, there will be another one. And you know what? It will be next year. That's right negative humanoids, the Entertainment Software Association is plotting E3 2009. Says an ESA rep:

As we do every year, we’re beginning the process of surveying exhibitors and attendees to determine potential changes to the Summit. Once this is completed and shared with the ESA’s Board of Directors, we will make an announcement about the specifics of the 2009 E3 Media & Business Summit, which will occur.

Maybe they'll move it back to Santa Monica again to keep everyone on their toes. Or how about Pasadena? Bring it to Orange County!

E3 to return in '09 [GameSpot via Go Nintendo]

New York Gov Signs Video Game Law

New York Governor David Paterson signed a video game bill into law yesterday that requires parental controls on all consoles, pushes game rating enforcement and launches a state-backed study of video games and violence.

The bill takes effect in 2010.

"The state has ignored legal precedent, common sense and the wishes of many New Yorkers in enacting this unnecessary bill," said Richard Taylor, senior VP of communications and research for the Entertainment Software Association. "This government intrusion will cost taxpayers money and impose unconstitutional mandates for activities and technologies that are already voluntarily in place. It also unfairly singles out the videogame industry over all other forms of media."

ESA: This Is The "Golden Age" Of Gaming

"When a phenomenon is occurring, it's impossible to pinpoint the arrival of a new era," said ESA president Mike Gallagher, delivering a keynote address at the 2008 E3 Media and business summit.

"No one rings a bell saying the world has changed."

Though we can never look back on history and decide at what point, or even in what year, the television, for example, became an accepted part of our culture, Gallagher feels that history will show that the present era is the one in which video games became a recognized and accepted part of our cultural and economic landscape.

"With this new level of acceptance comes respect... and that's a loaded word," Gallagher said.

ESA Prez Gallagher: Industry Must Not Abandon Its Base

The industry must not forget the audience that made it what it is, warned ESA president Mike Gallagher during his keynote address at the 2008 E3 Media and Business Summit.

Gallagher looked back on the ways that the video game industry has grown and expanded in recent years, with games reaching a broad range of new audiences and finding uses in healthcare, education, and all-ages entertainment. At the same time, he laid out five key tenets essential to the industry's continued growth, and the core gamer was at the top of this list.

"First and foremost, we must remember our base," Gallagher said. "We must never forget our core customers. Avid gamers have been with us from the start, and we must remember that as we expand our offerings."

Activision Left The ESA Because, Well, They're Just Too Damn Big

So, Why did Activision leave the ESA? People have been searching for one for weeks now, and now, Bobby Kotick (pictured, presumably while filming a commercial for Nautica) has the answer. And that answer is: we're special. So special. Kotick says that "We have our own issues that are not the industry's issues...Our challenges are sufficiently different from other publishers' issues that we need our own point person". Translation: they make so much money from World of Warcraft (as well as Asian markets) that they feel the ESA aren't up to the job. Instead, the company will be handling government relations on their own, with an announcement on who'll be entrusted with that job to be made "soon".

Why Activision left the ESA [Variety]

Minnesota Pays For Unconstitutional Game Law

The Entertainment Software Association wants Minnesotans to be outraged, and maybe they should be. After the state pursued an obviously unconstitutional video game law in 2006 that sought to penalize minors who purchase or rent M or AO rated video games, the ESA was forced to challenge the law. They were successful, and the state had to pony up $65,000 in legal fees to the ESA for their effort.

"Minnesota's citizens should be outraged at paying the bill for this flawed plan. Minnesota's public officials ignored legal precedent and instead pursued a political agenda that ultimately cost taxpayers money," said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "Courts across the United States have ruled consistently that video games are entitled to the same First Amendment protections as other forms of art, such as music and literature."

Crave's ESA Departure Due To Impending Acquisition

Crave Entertainment president Michael Maas has commented on the publisher's recent exit from the Entertainment Software Association, adding that the publisher still plans to present at the E3 Media and Business Summit.

Maas told Kotaku that Crave left the ESA because the company is being sold. Music distribution firm Handleman Company currently owns Crave, after purchasing it for $72 million in 2005.

"Crave’s departure from ESA at this juncture is not a statement against the value provided by our longstanding membership, but rather was motivated by our need to focus on the impending sale of our company," said Maas. We will be re-evaluating our decision, hopefully in the near future. Crave still supports the goals and aims of ESA."

Maas' comments echo the statements of support for the organization's goals stated by other publishers who have left the ESA, a list that now includes Activision, Vivendi, LucasArts and id. Yesterday, the ESA commented on Crave's departure, and today the organization updated its official member list to reflect this most recent exit.

ESA Responds To Crave Departure

The latest publisher to duck out in a string of recent departures from the Entertainment Software Association was reported last night to be Crave Entertainment, publisher of titles including Brunswick Pro Bowling and Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2. Today, the ESA has confirmed Crave's exit with an official statement.

“We can confirm that Crave has decided not to renew its membership in the ESA," said Rich Taylor, the ESA's senior VP of communications and research. "We value each member of our association, but respect their decision. In conversations with Crave, representatives stated that they value their longstanding membership with the ESA and remain committed to the values and goals of the association."

Rumor: Yet Another Publisher Leaves The ESA

Bringing us to a total of five publishers who have left the industry trade group over the past few weeks. First it was Activision and Vivendi, then Lucasarts, then id, and now , according to GamePolitics, it's...Crave Entertainment. Granted, as the publisher of such titles as Brunswick Pro Bowling and Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2 it's hardly as severe a blow to the group as the departure of, say, Activision, but it does at least add to the list of companies with better things to do than be part of the ESA. No official explanation has been provided by Crave as to why they've left, but if one were to turn up tomorrow citing the increasing cost of membership fees, we'd at least try and act surprised.

BREAKING: Another ESA Departure as Crave Leaves Game Publishers Trade Group [GamePolitics]

Employers Turning To Games For Training

A study released today by the Entertainment Software Association finds that seventy percent of major employers in the U.S. utilize some form of gaming technology in their training programs. From simple quizzes to complex tool manipulation, more and more employers are integrating interactive entertainment into their education regiment, with 78% of organizations not currently employing such methods stating they plan to offer it within the next five years.

Employers find that using games to train not only reduces costs and increases efficiency, employees retain training through interactive means more than they would a simple slide presentation or training videos (known in wage-slave parlance as "Nap Time").

Interesting number, for sure, but the statistics I really want to see is how much interactive gaming goes on in the workplace that employers are completely unaware of. Of course that would require cameras in the bathrooms to monitor DS and PSP usage, which is still unfortunately illegal. Hit the jump for more numbers!

ESA Spent $700,000 Last Quarter, And They Did It All For You

Whenever we mention the letters "ESA" around here, I see most people whining on about how E3 isn't what it used to be. Great, it's not. We're all upset. But organising E3 isn't the only thing the ESA do. Most of the time, they're lobbying politicians. Meeting, greeting, contributing financially, that kind of thing. And they do a lot of it. For example, CNN have found that for the first quarter of 2008, the ESA spent $714,000 lobbying Washington, on issues like piracy, IP protection, fighting anti-gaming legislation, that kind of thing. If you've ever wondered where all that money publishers pay to be a part of the group goes, that's where it goes. Whether it does anything or not, well, that's another matter for another day.

Video game makers spent $714K to lobby in 1Q [CNN, via Ars Technica] [Pic]

The ESA are in a pickle. E3 ain't what it used to be, and high-profile members like Activision, Lucasarts and id have up and left the organisation. Can things get any worse? You bet! Hal Halpin, boss of the Entertainment Consumers Association, has told the Washington Post that he knows of a further two companies planning on leaving the ESA, while adding that there are "several others that are unhappy but remain with the organization". Like a marriage gone bad. "Pass the salt, would you dear", etc etc.

Fewer Players in the Gaming Group [Washington Post]