Some say the rights of people who play video games are coming under attack, and one newly founded group of lobbyists is doing all that it can to build support for its grassroots effort to fight for the right to game.
The Entertainment Consumers Association, founded in late 2006 by Hal Halpin, aims to protect the rights of people who play video games by fighting anti-game legislation and building support for its cause. The group recently announced a hefty list of discounts and rewards for college-aged gamers to attract the sought-after demographic to the advocacy group.
"It is our intention to provide a whole host of services and benefits, including advocacy where we lobby against anti-games and anti-gamer legislation around the country and on Capitol Hill," Halpin said. "There are discounts on game-related rentals, magazine subscriptions, hotel stays, and in that regard, we're similar to AAA in that you pay a fixed annual membership fee, $19.99, and receive back value that could exceed over $200."
That membership fee is now available at a discounted rate, $14.99, as part of the group's recent effort to recruit more college students into involvement with the group, Halpin said.
As a relatively new advocacy group, Halpin said it has been an important mission of The ECA to get as many people involved as possible to build more power and send a message to legislatures.
The first step, he said, is making gamers aware that there is a power that needs to be fought.
"One of the biggest challenges we have is in making gamers understand that their rights are being regularly threatened," he said. "Politicians want to make selling games akin to selling alcohol, tobacco, or firearms rather than continue treating games as media and selling them like music or movies."-á
One section of The ECA's Web site tracks the progress anti-game legislation is making across the country. At the top of their list is a bill in Indiana that would call for the blocking of sales of video games to minors. The Web site reports that since that time the bill has been watered down to say that it would now call for a study of the availability of certain games to minors.
The report refers to Senate Bill 238, which was debated in Indianapolis in February. The Indiana Statehouse heard arguments from legislators working to build harsher penalties and strict fines for retail stores that sell some video games to minors, or adults looking to play the games with minors. They also debated the effects playing video games could have on children. Currently, the bill has been moved to the House and is awaiting further discussion.
At the Federal level, The ECA is working to fight against a bill that would require the ESRB, the group responsible for rating video games, to play through each game in its entirety before assigning a rating, according to the Web site.
Halpin said The ECA is not just working against anti-video game legislation, but the group is also having to work to bridge a generation gap that creates prejudice against games and gamers.
"People over the age of 40 didn't grow up with games as media, as an entertainment alternative," he said. "They only saw them as toys, and as such continue to not appreciate games, nor give them the respect that they deserve. Gaming is a $10 billion business in the U.S. alone and one of the most lucrative industries for college graduates, essentially participated in actively by generation X and Y."-á
Jason Della Rocca is the executive director of the International Game Developers Association, a group that also has become active in the fight for gamers' rights. He said having a lobby group such as the ECA to represent video-game players is important because the rights and reputations of game players come under attack on a daily basis.
"Politicians, the mass media and watchdog groups rarely shine a positive light on games, and often paint game players negatively," he said.
Having an advocacy group helps to shed light on many of the issues facing gamers, Della Rocca said. Among the rights that need defending by the group, he pointed out, the freedom of choice, the value of games and the impact and reach of games and gamers.
In general, he said, bringing more awareness to a form of art and entertainment that is enjoyed regularly by more than half the country's citizenship is very important.
"Politicians need to realize that video games are enjoyed by millions of people of very diverse range of ages, cultures and age," Della Rocca said, "Gamers are not just kids or boys. With the average age of a gamer in the 30-year range, gamers can have a collective impact when it comes time to vote."
Halpin said he agrees. Politicians need to be aware that gaming is a medium, and as such isn't altogether different than enjoying any other form of entertainment. And like other forms of entertainment, Halpin said gaming has a fan base that is willing to stand up for the rights of its games.
"Just because people wouldn't label themselves as gamers per se, does not mean they're ambivalent to the government's attempts to infringe their rights to game," Halpin said.
And the formation of this lobby group is just the first step in giving video game players a chance to be heard, he said.
"With the formation of the ECA, gamers can, for the first time, become an active part of the fight and help turn the tide."
Current discounts and freebies offered to students by The ECA:
- Chance to win a new PlayStation 3 console
- Discounts off of 1up Network
- 2 free issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly offered from Ziff Davis
- 5-10 percent off of any Hyatt Hotels in the United States
- Free copy of new feature-length film "Gamers" as supplies last
- Free resume uploads to ECA's job board site, GameJobs.com
- 30-day free trial to GameFly, the leading online video game rental service, to the first 1,000 registered members
- Discounts on consumer shows such as GameCon, VGEXPO and other trade events, conferences and concerts
- WarCry free 30 day trial membership in WarCry Choice for each member
- New York Comic Con 2007, 2008 show will give 20% off to all ECA members
- Career Discover Series offers 10 percent discount off of admission to ECA members
- Hardcore Gamer MagazineGäó will offer a discount price off of the 12-month subscription cost of $24.99 to ECA members for $12.99
- A free ECA t-shirt
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