/gamergatehq/ - The GamerGate Headquarters

The following are reposts from >>>/v/11787647

I will put an archive link later when that bread is done.

ID:d71a25

ESA has a youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SUDahf4qQrfoGrleb2gVQ

Interestingly, they have a video named This is our industry. We are the ESA. and their description says…

>From Pac-Man to Lara Croft, Intellivision to Xbox, and Final Fight to Final Fantasy, the Entertainment Software Association defends what makes the video game industry unique and innovative.

>the Entertainment Software Association defends what makes the video game industry unique and innovative.

This has the potential to hurt those fuckers considering their stance on Anita & the TPP, both of whom are anti-vidya and don't do anything unique or innovative.

ID:d71a25

I'm noticing a weak point in the ESA: They champion themselves over the defense of violent video game cases and how People like Jack Thompson are so stupid! but then they lost their balls when Anita pops in and they don't see the TPP as a problem.

Here is an article in which the ESA talks about Mike Gallagher reflects on how gaming won the violence debate

https://archive.fo/nAKf7

If they can make a big deal about taking down Jack Thompson, yet be in bed with Anita, Zoe Quinn, and the TPP, then that's not very good of them.

d71a25

Kristin Strobel may have some possible dirt with the ESA.

The @ESAGovAffairs welcoming the group. @kstrobel03 shared 49% of gamers are women.

https://archive.fo/q0bJF

>pic related is the first thing that pops up on their site

I would not be surprised if that was another George Soros-funded group.

d71a25

Elections may be over but nonetheless, found this from the ESA.

https://archive.fo/0t52u

>game players will have a major role in the election

Yeah, Hillary Vidya is the Devil Clinton didn't win!

d71a25

Even more shit from the ESA, this one goes back to before the events of Gamergate happened! They have a jackpot worth of digging!

#Videogame developers increasingly answering calls for equality in games

https://archive.fo/x4G3K

Article in question

https://archive.fo/x2VAE

Kristin Strobel says #girlpower over the PBS article below

https://archive.fo/cjhCO

Women significantly outnumber teenage boys in gamer demographics

https://archive.fo/n41S8

Kristin says"Gaming no longer a man's world" of the Wall Street Journal article below

https://archive.fo/DJcZc

Women Now Make Up Almost Half of Gamers

https://archive.fo/yCCgg

ITS THAT SAME FALSE STUDY THAT ADAM USED

d71a25

Christ ESA, how much more of a dirty laundry list do you have?

ESA Continues Pushing Gaming and Education for Social Change (What could possibility go wrong?)

https://archive.fo/41IVl

https://archive.fo/0ylOd

"Will Ferrell Wants to Play Video Games With You to Help Raise Money for Kids With Cancer" ("We truly do believe in the goodness of gamers and the community." Yeah, when they're good goyim)

https://archive.fo/nDnQ6

I am reminded that they're still making a gaming movie with Will Ferrell in it…what could possibly go wrong?

d71a25

Kristin Strobel links to Washington Post article talking about the false study of women playing more games than teenage boys, and namedrops Gamergate!

https://archive.fo/YpuQD

More women play video games than boys, and other surprising facts lost in the mess of Gamergate

https://archive.fo/u6yc4

Kristin Strobel links another article talking about that false study

https://archive.fo/P2rhZ

Women Game Much More than you Realize

https://archive.fo/fJf8U

THE ESA'S RABBIT HOLE KEEPS DIGGING DEEPER

d71a25

CHRIST, THESE TWEETS ARE MAKING MY BLOOD BOIL

Kristin Strobel's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/4uwym

Empowering Women in STEM Fields

https://archive.fo/jFtnG

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/Sn1OV

Video games are getting respect — as big business, entertainment, creative discipline (HAHAHAHA, respect! Yeah fucking right)

https://archive.fo/5WCXW

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/cDNT5

Girls Make Games: Educating the developers of tomorrow

https://archive.fo/kXeJG

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/RU3tQ

How Gamification is Driving Business (Gamification…Gookanon!!!!)

https://archive.fo/sAr8Q

d71a25

GOD DAMN IT HUEY, YOU DO NOTHING RIGHT! BON VOYAGE, GAME GOBLIN!

https://archive.fo/uMuuL

d71a25

Kristin says Girls who code!

https://archive.fo/Q2ib1

The no-judgment, no-grades way one middle school is teaching girls to code (What the fuck is a school without grades or judgement?)

https://archive.fo/wjxLM

Kristin says More Ohio Senators have come from Ohio than any other state (Is that a theoretical question?)

https://archive.fo/keOvr

More senators have come from Ohio than any other state (Kasich creams over the mention of Ohio in the distance)

https://archive.fo/cDsme

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/QHNEz

Entertainment Software Association promises to work with the White House to prevent cyberattacks

https://archive.fo/9cKfN

WASN'T ONE OF THE THINGS THE ESRB AND ESA USUALLY SAY IS WITHOUT US, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD DO THE REGULATING THEMSELVES?

d71a25

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://archive.fo/ub6Jr

Dept. of Ed Launches Summits Aimed at Improving Technology Use in Schools

https://archive.fo/zY6sw

ALSO WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE RETWEETING KRISTIN?

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://archive.fo/NTB4e

ESA's E3 College Game Competition Launches In March(Site is off-line, wonder why. Whatever, thanks Wayback!)

https://archive.fo/vgbFn

ANOTHER POSSIBLE DIG? THAT ARTICLE LED ME TO ENTERTAINMENT CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION

>theres a GIF file on the ECA's website*

>Dorito Pope

>Kotaku

>Polygon

>Edge

>Gamasatura

>Leigh Alexander

>IGN

>Electric Playground

CODE RED! CODE RED! THERE ARE CONNECTIONS! GET TO DIGGING, NOW!

*http://www.theeca.com/

https://archive.fo/FYsEz

*the site and archive was not in the original posting, added for convenience sake of digging.

ECA HAS A TWITTER! BUT LIKE ANITA, IT'S PROTECTED

https://twitter.com/ecaofoh

ECA'S CEO

https://twitter.com/halhalpin

DIG AND ARCHIVE MORE OF THEIR TRACKS BEFORE THEY COVER IT UP AND GET AWAY!

AND TO THINK THERE WAS NOTHING TO FIND WITH THE ESRB…

>>329616

>>329617

>>329618

reposts thanks to d71a25 digging, from the /v/ thread.

Archive of the thread where the reposts are from.

https://archive.is/hJ8iD

Just another reposting.

>Previous thread: Found Patricia Vance, the president of the ESRB & key member of IARC, with US congressmen on ESA's tweet.

https://archive.fo/lMe38

reposting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgmbOJN0LrU

sorry I don't know how to make into webm.

reposting

>Kristin is in some kind of contest with The Hill…

>HERES WHERE IARC REARS THEIR UGLY HEAD IN. DID I FORGET TO MENTION THEY HAVE A TWITTER? OH YES, THEY HAVE ONE.

https://twitter.com/iarcratings

>Here's an article talking about IARC from Washington Post, jesus fuck it's stupid

>Should you download that app for your kid? It’s a hard question to answer. (Seriously, good luck regulating the internet and digital market)

https://archive.fo/lUnjU

reposting (kristin strobel)

Besides the baffling women-friendly tech group, there was a article of literal celebs into tech and they don't even mention Vin Diesel (Chronicles of Riddick and playing some tabletop games.)

https://archive.fo/EDB6Q

reposting

Oh this is just too good, 18 coolest women in Silicon Valley. (Kristin isn't in there but lets look anyway)

https://archive.fo/rusmI

Want to know who I found on there?

REDDIT!

>Ellen Pao, Reddit

>Ellen Pao is the interim CEO of Reddit, and she's taking a stand against gender discrimination in the workplace. Previously a partner at venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Pao sued for $16 million in lost wages and future earnings, claiming her gender was a major factor in her not being promoted to general or senior partner, and that it played a significant role in her termination.

>Pao lost the case on all counts, but she filed to appeal and is still in debate with Kleiner Perkins over legal costs. Her highly publicized trial brought important issues of gender and diversity in Silicon Valley to the surface, sparking much-needed discussion of the issues.

reposting

Kristen retweets a Huffington Post article about the top 10 reasons women should be in tech (Lemme guess, diversity, inclusion, sexism, misogynisy, too much of a sausage party, etc.)

https://archive.fo/Kxkas

>1. More women in tech means a broader diversity of perspectives and opinions, and it's well proven that diverse teams outperform more homogeneous ones in innovative environments.

>2. Greater diversity can promote better inclusivity, creating a more engaging and welcoming work environment and better long-term staff retention.

>3. More diversity in the tech industry will lead to better creative problem-solving and innovation on the big societal issues we're facing today.

>4. Women are proven early adopters of tech – we have a vested interest in helping shape the tools that we are clearly eager to use.

>5. Some of the earliest pioneers of computing were women – from Ada Lovelace in 19th century to Grace Hopper in the mid-20th century – there's a long lineage of amazing women who have already blazed trails for us in the tech world.

>6. Working in the tech industry offers more flexible hours than other industries, which means better work-life balance for all.

>7. Tech jobs are lucrative and exciting. There really is no ceiling, and women are missing out!

>8. There's a huge shortfall between the number of people that traditional computer science and other post-secondary tech programs are pumping out, and the growing number of tech jobs available. Because women generally only occupy about 25 per cent of the jobs in tech, there's a incredible opportunity for more women to step up and start filling in this gap.

>9. The next two industries that are primed to be taken over by tech are healthcare and education – women have traditionally played leading roles in these industries, and must continue to a play a leading role as the tech revolution happens takes shape.

>10. We need more women in tech today to inspire the current generation of girls and young women to follow our leads for the tech industry tomorrow.

Ubisoft makes an appearance in her retweets.

reposting

Now here's the ESA talking about How can universities prepare the next wave of game developers? (Considering how many colleges are full of liberal-arts and pussies and trigger warnings, and all that, I think you know)

Also Huey speaks in this.

https://archive.fo/hrwbz

>The aim of the event was to examine what the video game industry looks like and how important California is to the industry’s present and future, as well as the role universities will play in training the next generation of workers.

>how important California is to the industry's present and future

NUKE CALIFORNIA

>“California is the spiritual home of our industry,” Huey said. “This industry really started here with Pong. We really are the bridge between the tech community in Northern California and the entertainment community in Hollywood.”

BON VOYAGE! GAME GOBLIN!

reposting

Kristin's tweet to article below. Holy shit, could they not sound any more fucking racist

https://archive.fo/RQiNa

How Coding Camps for Girls of Color Hope to Impact the Tech Industry

https://archive.fo/9Sg3j

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/kvYhs

Minority youth develop community-enhancing video games

https://archive.fo/FYED2

>Entertainment Software Association, Hispanic Heritage Foundation award grants to 20 youths

THE WALL CAN'T BE BUILT FAST ENOUGH, FUCKING ESA AND SPICS

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/PmBKh

Adult women are now the largest demographic in gaming (This bullshit again)

https://archive.fo/HLfA4

reposting

IT'S RUBIO! AGAIN!

Kristin's tweet

https://archive.fo/WBHSW

GOP's Rubio says 'Minecraft' can prepare kids for future

https://archive.fo/EzJCN

reposting

>Kristin unironically retweeted a Buzzfeed article

>Microsoft talking about gender imbalance

>more Huffington Post

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/MhN6x

Number Of Adult Female Gamers Surpasses Teen Boys

https://archive.fo/FI6X1

HOW MANY TIMES IS SHE GONNA POST THAT DEBUNKED STATEMENT? JESUS!

reposting

Kristin says More Women in Gaming to the article below

https://archive.fo/0G3wq

EA's Peter Moore sees explosion of women in game development

https://archive.fo/oOGAP

YOU AREN'T GOING TO GET ANY OF THEM TO JOIN UNTIL YOU TELL ANITA AND HER CRONIES TO FUCK OFF! DON'T BELIEVE EA'S LIES!

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/ZbqaE

Report: More women want to become video game designers

https://archive.fo/UgQbx

WHICH IS IT? DO YOU WANT MORE WOMEN TO JOIN VIDYA OR NOT? CAN'T EAT YOUR OWN CAKE AND EAT IT!

Also California appears again, this time LA.

>that Leia We can do it! poster

>after Fisher got the Donald Trump curse for talking shit about him

reposting

Kritin's tweet to the article below

https://archive.fo/AyZiT

Move over Messi: Women are getting 'In the Game' with 'FIFA '16'

https://archive.fo/e6iWj

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/RIxO4

Teaching girls to write the rules at video game coding camp (Look at that, PBS! This is why you got defunded.)

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/oEvjh

'#ILookLikeAnEngineer:' How a Kirkland company is helping to change STEM stereotypes

https://archive.fo/x2spw

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/4YpTJ

Debunking common myths about video gamers (Oh this is gonna be good, 1 year after Gamergate happened and she tweeted an article during Gamergate's infacy throwing them under the bus)

https://archive.fo/RGdfr

>retweet of Boehner

Didn't Boehner do something stupid?

reposting

Kristin tweets about ESA's digital living project

https://archive.fo/osuzs

Kristin retweets about the project

https://archive.fo/FrNOU

Whoever that anon was comparing the ESA to the CIA…I see what you mean.

reposting

Curveball coming your way! From October 2015:

ESA Denounces U.N. Report For Misinformation About Video Games

https://archive.fo/qCBHk

>The United Nations recently released a report denouncing harassment and misogyny in the world of video games. The report comes from the organization’s Broadband Commission for Digital Development’s Working Group on Broadband and Gender, and is titled “Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls: A World-Wide Wake-Up Call (PDF).”

>Unfortunately, the U.N.’s report is not without problems. The parts that discuss video games are particularly frustrating, and the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) has come out strongly against that content. “This is an uninformed, misguided and unfortunate report. If the overall issue was not so serious, it would be laughable that the U.N. is citing this work. It is willful ignorance to utilize such incredibly outlandish and outdated data,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA.

All right! Is the ESA gonna say anything about the stupid sexism and racism bullshit-

>The specific passage Gallagher refers to is this: “Recent research on how violent video games are turning children, mostly boys, into ‘killing zombies’ are also a part of mainstreaming violence. And while the presentation and analysis of this research is beyond the scope of this paper, the links to the core roots of the problem are very much in evidence and cannot be overlooked.” The passage is unsupported by valid research and cites outdated opinion pieces that are even worse. This comes closely on the heels of the American Association of Pediatrics’ report, which suffered from many of the same issues, all of which have been addressed by notable psychologists and researchers.

>“ESA strongly supports empowering women and minorities and creating an inclusive digital environment that welcomes all perspectives. However, the U.N. does this important issue a great disservice and undercuts its credibility by spreading ridiculous stereotypes and false opinions.”

THE ESA WILL ALWAYS GO AGAINST THE MUH VIOLENT VIDYA GAMES CROWD BUT WILL NOT DO SHIT WITH ANITA'S DISHONESTY!

reposting

BEFORE JOINING THE ESA in 2008, KENNETH DOROSHOW (HIS REAL NAME) WAS PART OF THE RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA! YES, THE SAME RIAA WHO ABUSES THE DMCA AND COPYRIGHT!

https://archive.fo/DbSYW

HE EVEN GETS A MENTION IN THE SONY EMAIL HACK FROM WIKILEAKS

https://archive.fo/r9OJi

>All – As referenced in my email below, attached is a supplemental analysis addressing whether the ITC might be a viable forum to bring a site blocking action under existing law. In short, while the ITC remains a viable forum, an action in the ITC would require the Commission (and the Federal Circuit on appeal) to resolve a number of novel issues in our favor. As such, the ITC appears to be a more complex and uncertain approach than the federal court approaches we have discussed.

I am attaching the supplemental Rule 19 and “no fault” analyses again so you have them in one place. Ken Doroshow will circulate the final supplemental analysis (a memo on the interplay of the DMCA and the Communications Act) by tomorrow.

I ALREADY SAID IT BEFORE PREVIOUS THREAD, BUT I HAVE TO SAY IT AGAIN: IT'S HAPPENING! HOW DEEP DOES THE RABBIT HOLE GO?!

reposting

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://archive.fo/oHk9L

GamesBeat 2015 will have a big focus on diversity and gaming’s women leaders

https://archive.fo/My2zx

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://archive.fo/xtP7i

Digital Living Project encourages girls to dream of high-tech futures

https://archive.fo/U1Qvg

KENNETH IS NO LONGER AT THE ESA AS OF 2012, HE IS NOW AT JENNER & BLOCK, A US LAW FIRM! BUT THERE SHOULD STILL BE SOME DIGGING AS TO WHAT HAPPENED DURING HIS TIME LIKE KRISTIN STROBEL.

https://archive.fo/j3ILU

>For the past decade, Mr. Doroshow has been at the forefront of legal issues confronting the entertainment industry in the Internet age. As ESA’s chief legal officer from 2008 to 2011, Mr. Doroshow was responsible for oversight and management of all legal affairs of the organization, including global anti-piracy enforcement on behalf of association members, public policy development and advocacy, litigation, corporate governance, copyright and trademark portfolios, and ethics and compliance. Notably, with Jenner & Block Partner Paul M. Smith, Mr. Doroshow led the legal team that won a landmark decision in 2011 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, et al., that video games are entitled to First Amendment protection.

>At the RIAA from 2005 to 2008, Mr. Doroshow played a leading role in the design and implementation of the recording industry’s strategies for the protection and enforcement of sound recording copyrights, including numerous groundbreaking lawsuits throughout the country involving peer-to-peer software, Usenet services, satellite radio, link sites, search engines and transnational anti-piracy enforcement.

BESIDES BROWN VS. ENTERTAINMENT MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION, JENNER & BLOCK WERE ALSO INVOLVED IN LAWERENCE VS. TEXAS, THE BANKRUPTCY OF LEHMAN BROTHERS, AND THE NEAR BANKRUPTCY OF GENERAL MOTORS

reposting

Kristen's tweet to the article below

https://archive.fo/VQJi2

4 Myths About Video Games, Busted

https://archive.fo/fwOIA

Lets review them, shall we?

>1. Games make you violent — busted

Well, no shit.

>2. The average gamer is a teenage boy — busted

Ayayaya, they keep doing that dumb Horny teenagers bullshit.

>3. Games are for nerds — busted

Boy how I wish that wasn't the case seeing what it's become.

>4. Games make you dumb — busted

Well…I would disagree on that, Street Fighter V exists.

Now is there anything that says Games make you sexist - busted so we can put the damn thing to rest?

>[crickets chirping]

Oh…I see how it is.

reposting (I will post the archived thread link when that thread is done)

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://archive.fo/QzxLw

Can the Woman Behind Halo 5 Save the Xbox? (Spoilers: No, they can't)

https://archive.fo/MGLBp

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://archive.fo/ZdyVq

Virtual Reality Gaming Could Be the Key to Getting More Girls to Code

https://archive.fo/Mxnwn

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://archive.fo/iqFZT

White House honors Philly teen video game developer

https://archive.fo/WXZDj

Megan McCall mentions the ESA, says With @ESAGovAffairs celebrating 6th grade students certified in @EverFi at Hostos Lincoln in the Bronx! (They're really trying to get gaming into schools.)

https://archive.fo/PkR00

Rich Taylor says Great piece highlights the work of the @ESA_Foundation and @HHFoundation LOFT Fellowship students. Give it a read.

https://archive.fo/pezgz

Minority students bring social justice apps, video games to Capitol

https://archive.fo/6TRV4

WHY THE FUCK IS A HISPANIC GROUP IN SUPPORT WITH THE ESA? WASN'T THE ESA'S MAIN THING WAS PREACHING FOR DIVERSITY IN RACE & SEX? WHAT'S WITH THE FAVORITISM? WHY DO THEY NEVER TALK ABOUT THE JAPANESE? NO, THERES MORE DEVELOPERS THAN SHIGERU MIYAMOTO AND YU SUZUKI! WHY DO YOU NOT MENTION OTHER RACES? YOU'RE NOT HELPING YOUR CAUSE, ESA!

AND THAT ARTICLE IS FULL OF THE PROPAGANDA WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING AGAINST! SO THE ESA IS OK WITH THAT!

ESA HAS ANOTHER TWITTER ACCOUNT HANDLER: THEIR FOUNDATION! DIG INTO THAT, THERES PROBABLY SOME INFO THEY'LL TRY TO SCRUB AWAY

https://twitter.com/ESA_Foundation

reposting

More of the ESA's digital living project, can it get any more CIA?

https://archive.fo/wDUFX

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://archive.fo/mj0Ty

Feds to hand down rules for software tinkering (AKA CISA)

https://archive.fo/BPsgk

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://archive.fo/qsTte

There's A Breed Of New Strong Female Character In Gaming (If by strong female characters you mean whiny bitches who make Heather Mason look like Rambo)

https://archive.fo/wp8s2

>Halo shilling

>Destiny shilling

>another follower found on Kristen's twitter

>said follower retweets Joe Biden who, just like Hillary Clinton, went against video games

>VR is for girls shilling

reposting

ANOTHER POTENTIAL CONNECTION FOUND: THE VIDEO GAME VOTER NETWORK! A POLITICAL GROUP JUST LIKE THE ECA! SPONSORED BY THE ESA! GET TO DIGGIN'!

https://videogamevoters.org

https://archive.fo/bPRQq

>VGVN is sponsored by the Entertainment Software Association, a trade group representing America’s video game publishers.

AND THEY SAID POLITICS WASN'T RELEVANT TO VIDEO GAMES!

reposting

EVEN KRISTIN SAYS THERES A CORRELATION BETWEEN VIDEO GAMES AND POLITICS

https://archive.fo/D2Uxu

Gamers and politics, there's a correlation

https://archive.fo/nNxen

>Video game voters network posts propaganda.

AND WHOEVER SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE SAUDIS & THE ESA BEING CONNECTED, BE MORE SUSPICIOUS BECAUSE KRISTIN TALKS ABOUT SAUDI WOMEN AND VIDEO GAMES

https://archive.fo/x3T4A

For Young Saudi Women, Video Games Offer Self-Expression

https://archive.fo/MXTiE

Hispanic Heritage Foundation brought someone from the Phoenix Perry / Nina Freeman wing of Zoe's clique to meet with Mike Echols, head of Cyber and Critical Infrastructure for DHS.

http://www.fednews.com/calendarEvent.php?cType=TW&eventdate=2014-10-02&eventid=575170 https://archive.is/5vlWk

Their 990 claims they only have $25,000 in assets but they seem to be very well connected.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160908052443/http://hinojosa.house.gov/press-release/hinojosa-exxon-mobil-ceo-tillerson-presented-prestigious-hispanic-heritage-foundation https://archive.is/rXanp

https://web.archive.org/web/20151210154027/http://anheuser-busch.com/index.php/nfl-hispanic-heritage-foundation-and-bud-light-launch-nfl-hispanic-heritage-leadership-awards/ https://archive.is/JGpzc

http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/18735-Allianz-Life-to-Extend-Partnership-with-the-Hispanic-Heritage-Foundation https://archive.is/WNNQe

Hispanic Heritage Foundation was established by the Reagan White House in 1987.

http://loftinnovation.org/about-us/ https://archive.is/ABbxj

>>329648

From that fednews link, https://archive.is/5vlWk

> of the 2013 ESA-LOFT Video Game Innovation Fellowship

First I heard of ESA-LOFT, so this is their site.

http://www.loftcsl.org/esa_loft_fellowship

https://archive.fo/tgrrv

Aside from the "affirmative action for now for teens and early adulthood" tone.

>Who's Eligible:

>Underrepresented youth between the ages of 15-25

And what appears to be gamification and social justice via tech that doesn't actually do anything meaningful type of bullshit.

>How to Apply:

>Submit an application which includes an idea, video game, or mobile application, which addresses a social issue in a positive manner.

>Submit a 1 minute video via YouTube answering the statement "The reason I chose this social issue is…"

This next part tells me they don't seem to really understand vidya. At least vidya that is NOT being used as low craftmanship, lazy gamification tool or propaganda.

>Tips:

>While it is not required, your application can only become stronger with the addition of sketches, demos, screenshots, and/or gameplay videos. All of our fellows from last year had some or all of those media types.

From what I've seen, to even get a chance of say an internship at a working game studio those things mentioned are not optional, but a bare minimum depending on what area you want to get into. Ie: coders need to show an ability to code something or a demo that shows their ability, graphic artist needs a portfolio or demo reel, composers needs to have their music reel and so on.

reposting

And with that out of the way, let's begin on the next dig…

STARTING WITH HUEY!

https://archive.fo/N8ouU

>Erik Huey, a former partner at Kilpatrick Stockton LLP who specializes in government relations for the entertainment, communications, and media sectors, joined the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) as its new Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, the ESA announced today. For nearly two decades, Huey has contributed to policy debates involving issues such as protecting domestic film production, combating digital theft of copyrighted content, and preserving artists’ First Amendment rights.

>Prior to his arrival at Kilpatrick Stockton, Huey practiced with Venable LLP for a variety of entertainment, communications, and technology clients. He also worked in the Legislative and Regulatory Matters Department of BellSouth Corporation’s general counsel office in Atlanta, where he developed and coordinated telecommunications policies for the corporation’s telephone, wireless, cable, Internet, and international affiliates.

>Huey helped coordinate voter protection and mobilization efforts in Western Pennsylvania for the Obama Campaign for Change during the 2008 primary and general elections. Huey had a similar role during the 2006 mid-term elections, and served as the Kerry/Edwards Campaign’s “Get Out the Vote” Director for Western Pennsylvania in 2004. Huey also served as an advance coordinator for the 1992 Clinton/Gore Presidential Campaign and as a summer associate under then-State Attorney Janet Reno in the Florida State Attorney’s Office’s legal division.

EVEN MORE POLITICS COME INTO PLAY

reposting

Here is where Huey is interviewed about the ESA.

https://archive.fo/IqlDg

Your job is interesting, but confusing. In simple terms, how would you describe it?

>“Entertainment Software Association is a trade association for the video game industry. Our members are the companies that make video games. So, it’s Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Disney, Warner Bros, Epic… We have 38 members — household names, but also smaller video game companies, as well.”

>“We are the government affairs and public relations arm of the industry. I run governmental affairs at the state, federal and local level for the industry. We look out for the interests of our industry. We try to pass all good laws and stop all bad laws, at the state and federal level. I interface with elected officials and give our industry’s perspective. So, we are an advocacy arm, to insure elected officials understand the needs of the industry and the member companies.”

Video games, as a whole, are getting lots of negative publicity. Do you think it’s more press-driven, or politicians feeding the press?

>“Sensationalism sells. It’s rhetorically lazy journalism: Let’s go after video games. A lot of times, there’s a potential agenda. I think some of it’s press-driven. They can always find an elected official who will say these things. It’s a lot juicier than bringing on a guest who’ll say video games and real-world violence have no correlation, and what you’re talking about is distracting from the real issues. Let’s talk about those.”

ONCE AGAIN DODGING THE SEXISM QUESTION!

In the early ’90s. when Mortal Kombat created an uproar about violence, did that bring about the ESA?

>“The Lieberman Commission, said, ‘You’ve got to do something, an industry, or we’re going to visit a solution upon you,’ and that’s when the ESA and ESRP were formed as a trade association.”

The game is a mature-rated digital download. Are you concerned there’s a lack of a gatekeeper to prevent minors from purchasing mature-rated material online? (Referring to Telltale's The Walking Dead)

>“Compliance is easier in our retail program. We’ve got this partnership with all the retail stores, Best Buy, GameStop, Wal-Mart and Mom & Pop stores. We reach out to our retailers. Online, you have to have a means to pay, and you can’t really have a credit card in your name until you’re 18. There’s some things you can do. It’s incumbent upon the parent to monitor your child and blocking M-rated content. The online version is going to be rated the same way as the disk version. As a parent, if you want to set your console to not play M-rated games, you can do that.”

Other than Washington D.C., where will you be appearing next?

>“I’ve got to run to the airport, because tonight’s the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. We’re hosting an After Party. I speak at E3, our big trade show in Los Angeles. I’m on the Advisory Board of Games For Change.”

reposting

GUESS WHO I FOUND MORE OF? HUEY!!!!

Huey's Game for Change page

https://archive.fo/JDYKd

Huey's Game for Change page (10th anniversary)

https://archive.fo/GUdlx

HUEY EVEN HAS A TWITTER! (HE DOESN'T SEEM TO USE IT ANYMORE)

https://twitter.com/ErikAtESA

HE EVEN FOLLOWS MICHELLE OBAMA AND NEXON OF AMERICA!

Huey retweets BlackGirlsCode (Again, could the ESA not sound anymore racist with the bias towards spics and blacks?)

https://tweetsave.com/erikatesa/status/172436886768463872

GOOK ANOOOOOOOONNNNN!!!!!!!!!

reposting

I'll come back to Huey later, in the meantime, let's go back to Kristin's Twitter.

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/673950878450233344

How Women Will Save Gaming

https://archive.fo/zu2Tx

GAMERGATE GETS ANOTHER NAME DROP!

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/676464487529119744

Video games have no place in the gun debate (OK, what about the sexism debate? No? Not gonna acknowledge that? OK…)

https://archive.fo/2riRW

reposting

Looking at that Video games have no place in the gun debate article, I found Rich Taylor on there and I thought he wrote for the Washington Post, but it was just a letter to the editor (Which is still pretty damn convenient how him and the ESA quickly jump into the video game's defense when it comes to violence and guns, but keep quiet on sexism.)

When I went to look up Rich Taylor, I found his Linkedin and…

JUST LIKE HUEY WHO WORKED FOR THE RIAA, RICH TAYLOR WORKED FOR THE MPAA AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-taylor-8530264

SO NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE HUEY FROM THE RIAA & LAW FIRM, BUT YOU ALSO GOT RICH FROM THE MPAA! AND WE KNOW DAMN WELL HOW FULL OF SHIT THE MPAA IS WHEN IT COMES TO RATINGS OF THEIR OWN AND OTHER CONTROVERSY IN HOLLYWOOD! THEY EVEN HAVE A DOCUMENTARY MADE CALLED THIS MOVIE IS NOT YET RATED!

IS THIS WHO YOU WANT TO RATE YOUR GAMES? TO DECIDE WHAT'S OK AND WHAT'S NOT?!

reposting

THIS JUST GOT EVEN MORE INTERESTING! I LOOKED AT THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ESA WHO I HAVEN'T REALLY TOUCHED: ANA MOLINA AND STANLEY PIERRE-LOUIS

Ana Molina

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-molina-a785025

>Sr. Account Executive of East West Financial Services (September 1990 – February 2001)

Stanley Pierre-Louis

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanley-pierre-louis-761b1a83

>worked with the RIAA from September 1999 - December 2005

>worked with Viacom from June 2007 - April 2015 (Those who remember the DMCAs on Youtube should know them)

reposting

Now let's try to put the pieces of the ESA members together with the information we have on them at the moment, a recap if you will.

Michael D. Gallagher

>president of the ESA

>formerly chief technology advisor to George W. Bush

Stanley Pierre-Louis

>Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the ESA

>formerly worked for the RIAA & Viacom

Ana Molina

>Chief Financial Officer of the ESA

>formerly a senior account executive of East West Financial Services

Rich Taylor

>Senior Vice President of Communications & Industry Affairs for ESA

>formerly Senior Vice President of the MPAA

Erik "Huey"

>Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at ESA

>helped coordinate voter protection and mobilization efforts in Western Pennsylvania for the Obama Campaign during the 2008 primary and general elections

>had a similar role during the 2006 mid-term elections

>served as the Kerry/Edwards Campaign’s “Get Out the Vote” Director for Western Pennsylvania in 2004

>served as an advance coordinator for the 1992 Clinton/Gore Presidential Campaign

>follows Michelle Obama

They also own the Video Game Voter Network, a political group.

reposting cont'd

AND THIS IS THE SAME ORGANIZATION THAT CLAIMS ITSELF TO BE NON-PARTISAN AND DEFENDS VIDEO GAMES FROM THE EVILS OF POLITICS

THIS IS ALSO THE SAME ORGANIZATION WHO ESTABLISHED THE ESRB, THE ONES WHO DECIDE WHAT GAMES GET RATED WHAT IN NORTH AMERICA AND ARE ALSO TRYING TO PUSH IARC, A MORE AUTOMATED AND GLOBAL RATING SYSTEM TO BE USED ON DIGITAL STOREFRONTS

reposting

Here's a fun game to play: Since there are influences of the RIAA & MPAA in the ESA who control the ESRB, see how many of the MPAA & RIAA products you can find that violate the ESRB's advertising policy. Chances are they would be breaking a lot of their own rules

https://archive.is/EZtuG

Archived link for the original posts that are labeleled ==reposting==

from >>329625 to >>329663.

https://archive.is/3LEjq

>>329665

I'm not sure why that text formatting did not come through when posted. Goddamit cockmonkey fix your shit.

red texting

Reposting again. From a newer thread. Will post the archived link at the end of that bread.

ALSO FOUND ANOTHER DUMB MOVE MADE BY THE ESA 2 YEARS AGO!

ESA Says Preserving Old Games is Illegal Because it's 'Hacking'

https://archive.fo/Trmha

>The Entertainment Software Association wants to prevent the preservation of old games because it believes the process of restoring them is illegal 'hacking'.

>The Electronic Frontier Foundation is asking the Copyright Office to give academics, museums, and archivists an exemption from Section 1201 and some legal protection to preserve older video games and keep them playable.

>However, according to the EFF, the ESA, MPAA and RIAA have contacted the Copyright Office to oppose the exemption, saying it will send a message that “hacking—an activity closely associated with piracy in the minds of the marketplace—is lawful” and undermines “the fundamental copyright principles on which our copyright laws are based.”

>The ESA also proposes to reject research bodies from exemption, essentially barring them from modifying consoles as tools for research. The ESA suggest that researchers should use cloud computing to conduct their research, rather than hacked PlayStation consoles.

REMINDER THIS SAME ORGANIZATION WANTED THE TPP TO PASS AND CLAIMS TO CHAMPION FOR VIDEO GAME RIGHTS

>>329666

Satan, Codemonkey-senpai will never notice you unless you're /leftypol/ or /islam/.

reposting again

Now back to Kristin's tweets

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/676787408109740032

Why the Government Is All About Fun, Games and Funding Games

https://archive.fo/qNSfE

>government-funded games

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/684051765021511684

Lara Croft Has Company: More Female Hereos Appear in Big-Budget Games

https://archive.fo/uMELa

>Ass Cred

>Horizon Zero Dawn

>ReCore

>Mattress Girl Edge

>Dishonored 2

>nothing about Japan as usual

wowitsfuckingnothing.png

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/677526843759730693

Women Gamers Rule World Of Video Games: Why Are They Dominating The Industry? (This false bullshit. I would accept it if they talked about Japan but as usual, they don't)

https://archive.fo/38hBE

Kristin's tweet to article below

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/684804615993475072

Amy Poehler's Smart Girls and 'The Sims' partner to inspire girls with gaming (Seriously, this women in gaming shit is out of hand)

https://archive.fo/OA4LM

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/692080982959247361

Women outnumber men in the top game design school's graduate program (Somehow, I doubt that. Also "Striving to make more diverse games." Yeah right)

https://archive.fo/p0BWE

reposting

>>11804064

Interesting of you to say that, because I found a huge client list of Advantage Presentation Services…

https://archive.fo/OQgTW

Look who is in there

>Church of Scientology FSO

>Church of Scientology of Sacramento

>Entertainment Software Association

reposting

Kristin & the ESA retweet a Democract in California on creating more gender diverse, inclusive environment.

https://tweetsave.com/ianad57/status/699716889132429314

Kristin tweets about the article below

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/700098661087387648

Women Are Seen As Better Coders - But Only If Their Gender Isn't Known

https://archive.fo/eUsDq

Gamasutra article Rated and Willing: Where Game Rating Boards Differ (This is from 2005, during the GTA:SA Hot Coffee controversy)

https://archive.fo/1M4mo

>Regardless which country is monitoring the classifications, the raters are unanimous in their advice to game developers and publishers: “Remember, we're on your side!”

>“I know they'd much rather not have to deal with us at all,” says ELSPA's Laurie Hall, “but we're not the enemy. We are here to make sure they satisfy consumer, retailer, and legal requirements.”

>The ESRB's Pat Vance stresses that the submission process ought to be taken very seriously. “We're here to protect the publishers and developers as much as we're here to inform their customers,” she stresses. “This is not an adversarial relationship, although I often think developers consider us to be their adversary. We're not. We're here to make sure that the content they create is accurately labeled … so that everyone doesn't find themselves in a situation where there are consumer complaints or where there are surprises that take everybody—including the publishers and developers—down with them.”

ESA Foundation mentions EA & Humble Bundle (If I already talked about this, ignore)

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/700776729732714496

https://archive.fo/uFgbr

Kristin's tweet to the article below

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/703311049332822016

How 'The Sims' And Amy Poehler Are Helping Close The STEM Gender Gap

https://archive.fo/2NXTZ

reposting

Kristin, Rich, and the ESA retweet Ling Ling Chang saying I'm grateful to have the support of leaders like @ESAGovAffairs and @EverFi who recognize the importance of #GirlsinSTEM

https://tweetsave.com/l2changca/status/718492176204705793

Kristin retweets women and democracy

https://tweetsave.com/womendemocracy/status/723344699243655168

https://tweetsave.com/donasarkar/status/723510931724984321

Kristin general retweets

https://tweetsave.com/michellefdecker/status/723570672845217793

https://tweetsave.com/kstrobel03/status/724265670813339648

Kristin retweets Washington post about Demographic profile of US video gamers (Source by the ESA…yeah.)

https://tweetsave.com/wpmediainsights/status/730747055526838272

Here is where the ESA supported SOPA (And eventually dropped it), you'll find familiar faces

https://archive.fo/MtibA (Gamasutra)

https://archive.fo/9Izvc (Jason "Dragon's Crown is for pedophiles" Schreier)

https://archive.fo/HZU4s (Erik Kain)

https://archive.fo/wwDWP

https://archive.fo/JI8qk

reposting

ESA at Republican National Convention featuring Mike Gallagher and EA's Craig Hagen

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/755876959805173760

OK…looks like I'm done on Kristin Strobel's Twitter. The last thing she has done is retweet Video Game Voter Network over a senator trying to pull a fast one with an anti-gaming bill. I got some book marks saved earlier from her Twitter last night that I may not have posted but that was before I used Tweetsave.

reposting

Mostly ESA's own twitter account.

Entertainment Software Association Applauds Passage of Customs Re-authorization Bill

Tweet

https://archive.fo/2iaop

Article

https://archive.fo/gsVPG

Great news! Georgia's video game tax incentive has been extended.

https://archive.fo/k34AT

Today is the first speech by U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Danny Marti!

https://archive.fo/ur1G8

The ESA applauds the Senate for confirming Daniel Marti as the US Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator.

https://archive.fo/s6DB5

Get to know one of our ESA Digital Living Project students in this infographic!

https://archive.fo/pFVvE

We are proud to be a supporter of the @WashKastles. Go Kastles!

https://archive.fo/3Uv4I

Thank you @ericgarcetti for helping officially open #E32014!

https://archive.fo/aat8S

ESA retweets Rick Perry

https://archive.fo/H86DM

Senate Legend Dee hangs out at the Senate Healthy Aging Expo.

https://archive.fo/8wmZt

.@AmyKlobuchar (D-MN), speaks to the #AtlanticTechEd audience about #STEM Education. (Another Democrat)

https://archive.fo/FsktG

We're hosting a video game lounge at the #CapFileParty tonight! #WHCD

https://archive.fo/28OFh

reposting

In any case, let's continue…back to Huey

"Entertainment software is bigger than music and movies combined" (Funny considering that the ESA has two guys from the MPAA, RIAA, & Viacom)

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/745987457431240705

ESA's Erik Huey checks out the Olivia Thomas' game at the #WhiteHouseScienceFair.

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/720342864018874368

Huey: We need to strengthen the pipeline into STEM jobs. #TechinDC @BusinessForward

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/454324654900264960

Senior Vice President Erik Huey featured on @NPR @Marketplace

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/494539202814828544

Article in question (Video game lobby answers 'call of duty' on the Hill)

https://archive.fo/ZLZ6J

Reminder: ESA's Erik Huey is speaking at the @WhiteHouse today and we'll be tweeting his remarks. Join us at 2 p.m. #TechInDC

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/454311483217051648

Watch the ESA's Erik Huey speak at the San Francisco Chronicle symposium on violence in media.

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/454311483217051648

Symposium on Gun Violence in the media

https://vimeo.com/62463049

ESA Senior VP Erik Huey kicks off the Tech in Education forum.

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/334657587347877889

I forgot to mention that Kristin also retweeted Paul Ryan.

reposting

Found a Lobbying Spending Database, the ESA was on there.

https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000025695&year=2016

reposting

Rewinding back to the 2016 elections, hopefully theres more sources to confirm the already suspicious "Non-Partison" organization with Huey supporting Democrats

The Democratic National Convention Is A Great Place To Be A Lobbyist

https://archive.fo/3NON1

>Super PACs funded by mega-donors, meanwhile, were even more visible at the convention hall than they were in 2012. NextGen California, a super PAC funded by the billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, hosted a bar for select VIPs and delegates on the ground floor. On the suite level, House Majority PAC and Senate Majority PAC, the two main Democratic Party super PACs working to elect congressional candidates, provided a curtained-off private space for VIPs to relax, eat, watch the convention and even play video games. Why video games? The private space was sponsored by the Entertainment Software Alliance, the lobbying arm of the gaming industry.

>There were other outside events throughout the week sponsored by corporations and trade associations. Railroad companies CSX and BNSF, Professional Aviation Specialists and the lobbying firm McGuireWoods Consulting sponsored a transportation industry event. NextGen Climate, Anheuser Busch, Geico and Southwest Airlines sponsored a Latino Leaders Lunch.

>A long list of corporations sponsored the popular Distilled Spirits Council party. (Who doesn’t like free alcohol?) The majority of the sponsors were not from the alcohol industry. They included the Entertainment Software Association, Ford, McGuireWoods Consulting, Boeing, Quicken Loans and Monsanto. The Wall Street Journal was also a sponsor.

Senate Races Flooded With Never-Before-Seen Sums Of Super PAC Cash

https://archive.fo/F7kCq

>The Entertainment Software Association, the lobbying arm of the video game industry, donated $100,000 to endorse a hang-out space at the Democratic National Convention.

George Soros' Media Matters back in 2011 talks about Conflict Of Interest In Politico's Policymaker Awards?

https://archive.fo/gyW4v

>Just about everyone hates these bills … but the entertainment industry loves them. And among the sponsors of the Politico awards gala is the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the video game industry's chief lobbying group. According to disclosure records, the ESA has spent thousands of dollars this year lobbying in support of PIPA, designated S.968. (For the individual filings, click here, here, here, and here.) ESA has also donated $1,000 to Smith each election cycle going back to 2008. They donated $2,400 to Leahy in 2010.

reposting

181 Clinton Foundation donors who lobbied Hillary's State Department

https://archive.fo/f7Cze

>Entertainment Software Association is on there

>they gave between $10,000 - $25,000

>Microsoft is the top donor as expected

>they actually donated money to the harpy who shrieked at them during the GTA:SA hot coffee scandal, is friends with Joseph Lieberman, and fucking hates video games

reposting

https://archive.fo/YLPoF

>look up more of the ESA

>find Center for American progress

>Entertainment Software Association is on the list AGAIN

>$5,000 to $49,999

>look up who owns Center for America progress

>pic fucking related

reposting

May as well continue the dig, this whole thing is just…jesus.

'House of Cards' star snags White House Correspondents' invite

https://archive.fo/ADMNe

>Robin Wright, who plays a fictional vice president’s wife in Netflix’s “House of Cards,” is headed to Washington to mix it up with real-life politicians at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

>The Golden Globe winner — who stars as the sinister VP’s equally conniving wife Claire Underwood, in the acclaimed political drama — will celebrate the annual black tie shindig with Capitol File magazine and the Entertainment Software Association. The bash will take place at the private residence of the British Ambassador Peter Westmacott and Lady Westmacott next Friday, the night before the dinner.

>According to an invitation, the pre-party will be an “exclusive gathering” that will bring together “global dignitaries, celebrities, elected officials, and bold faced names.”

>The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner will be held May 3 at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Transforming Education Beyond Common Core: Crony Capitalists Promote Gaming in the Classroom

https://archive.fo/JI0O7

>In New York City, the Games for Learning keynote speaker, Michael Gallagher, President and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers, acknowledged the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation, and the sponsorship of Glass Labs (Games, Learning, and Assessment Lab, which ESA co-founded). According to the company bio, since Gallagher joined the organization in 2007, “ESA has heightened awareness and appreciation of the value of video games as next-generation teaching tools.”

First Winners of Governor General's Innovation Awards

https://archive.fo/AXVMP

>Drawn from all sectors of society, and authorized by the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, nominating partners seek out, gather and submit nominations on behalf of their members, clients, partners and associates. Nominating partners include organizations that currently deliver innovation-related awards programs and other organizations that work to support and promote innovation across Canada. In addition to providing a consistent and sustainable flow of nominations on an annual basis, partners assist in promoting the program and generating visibility across the country. The nominating partners have been selected on the basis of the following considerations:

>Reputation: publicly recognized as well-respected and credible National significance: by their nature, pre-eminent, high-profile and "top of their field" Sustainability: in their institutional, financial and operational activities Non-partisan Integrity of governance and decision-making processes (and, if currently bestowing awards, integrity and neutrality in the nominations and selection processes.)

>List of Nominating Partners (as of April 2016)

>Entertainment Software Association of Canada

Holy Cybersuit! Online fantasy worlds are attracting a new type of player: lawyers.

https://archive.fo/b4xjO

>Kiblinger says he has repeatedly gotten threatening letters from the Entertainment Software Association suggesting he is selling goods he doesn’t own. The trade group declined to comment, but Kiblinger asserts his customers have as much right to their imaginary castles as the company that created them does.

Suite Talk: New shop in town

https://archive.fo/eZ8ko

>GAMING ORGANIZATION GETS A NEW LEADER

>The Entertainment Consumers Association, a nonprofit organization for gamers, is beefing up its government affairs shop with the addition of Jennifer Mercurio as the shop’s new leader.

Previously, Mercurio was an attorney at the Entertainment Software Association, the game publishers’ trade association, where she worked on legal and legislative matters. In her new position, she will direct the association’s government relations and advocacy efforts.

>“We’re so pleased to welcome Jenn aboard,” Hal Halpin, president of the association, said in a statement.

>“We worked together in the past when I ran the IEMA [Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association] and she was one of two big guns leading the charge for the ESA’s state-level legislative affairs, and I couldn’t have been more impressed. Her track record in successfully lobbying against anti-games legislation, and being a part of the team that overturned the few bills that passed, speaks for itself.”

>Mercurio echoed those sentiments. “The timing for consumer representation is perfect, and while the challenges may indeed be formidable, I think having the constituents at the table will change the legislative dynamic — it could, in fact, represent a paradigm shift,” she said.

reposting

Oh dear…

ESA's Mike Gallagher, EA's Craig Hagen and Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence @gopconvention

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/755911259892097024

reposting

Now then, here it goes…

I found the ESA being a platinum sponsor of SIEGE along with Tripwire Interactive (Killing Floor) & Hi-Rez Studios (Tribes)

SIEGE 2016 Sessions

https://archive.fo/bgsy2

Entertainment Software Association Joins Local Leaders to Analyze Explosive Growth of Video Game Industry, Explore its Future

https://archive.fo/WXVtG

I find it interesting that Tripwire Interactive is on there considering that during Killing Floor 2's…beta testing for lack of better word, people have been complaining about Tripwire handing the banhammer to those who would dare try to act all sexist and typical PC jumbo and if I recall correctly, someone at Tripwire blew a gasket over someone asking a simple question about females in swimsuits & the guy was like Nooo thats sexist and unfitting! We'll never do that! (Ironic of them talking about realism in a zombie game that has a guy in a chicken costume, a terminator chicken costume, a santa suit, and the grim reaper itself)

SIEGE itself is an event by the Georgia Games Developer Association

https://ggda.org/

And I found a page that mentions the IGDA Leadership Track (And a Global Game Jam is trending)

https://archive.fo/t0Biq

Archived link for the original posts that are labeleled

reposting

from >>329667 to >>329686

https://archive.is/KBxwn

I'm not the digger on these, just repostan for posterity and backup.

Reposting

Ah, how could I forget these parts in the previous thread:

ESA has donated between $10,000 - $25,000 to Hillary Clinton (Which doesn't help considering that Huey himself has been contributing to the Democrats since 1992 and follows Michelle Obama)

https://archive.fo/f7Cze

ESA Lobbying money went up during the Bush years and doubled in the Obama years

https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000025695&year=2016

ESA has been sponsoring the Democratic National Convention during the 2016 election

https://archive.fo/3NON1

https://archive.fo/F7kCq

George Soros' Media Matters group talked about the ESA supporting PIPA

https://archive.fo/gyW4v

The biggest bombshell in particular is the ESA showing up as a donator list for Center for American Progress who is owned by Podesta….fucking John Podesta.

https://archive.fo/YLPoF

reposting

>>11810559 (You)

Honestly, I think we need to put a hold on ESRBusted until we get something working. I've already talked about the dumb cover changes and how overprotective the ESA is with the rules while they have guys who formerly worked for the MPAA & RIAA (And we know how totally trustworthy they are when it comes to ratings & advertisements)

It's a very huge hypocrisy that they even have these rules to begin with while allowing content that would otherwise violate it get pushed in movies & music.

And let's not forget about the ESRB responding to CensoredGaming.

reposting

Possibly not related to the ESA, but remember when I talked about DiGRA in Japan? Well, I found someone: Masanobu Endō

>Masanobu Endō ( 遠藤 雅伸 Endō Masanobu, born February 23, 1959 in Shibuya, Tokyo , Japan ) is a game designer , president of Game Studio and Mobile & Game Studio and the director of Digital Games Research Association Japan . He graduated from the Yokohama Suiran High School and from the Department of Information & Image Science at the Chiba University . Personal history In 1981, Endō joined Namco . During his time with the company, in 1982 he created the wildly popular shoot 'em up game Xevious , single-handedly designing, programming and drawing the graphics for the game. Later he produced games such as The Tower of Druaga and Grobda . After that he became independent, founding his own company called the Game Studio , where he continued to produce games in the Babylonian Castle Saga such as The Return of Ishtar , The Quest of Ki , The Destiny of Gilgamesh (aka The Blue Crystal Rod). In addition, he produced Family Circuit and Tenkaichi Bushi Keru Nagūru for Namco, Kidō Senshi Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble fo

reposting

Here are some ESA related digs. I found their names on the Contact Us page

Richard Dillio: Answers inquires on ESA membership, also the Director, Membership and Research at Entertainment Software Association

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-dillio-73882542

>Manager of Research at ESA from October 2014 - May 2016

>Lead Writer at iVEDiX Inc. from June 2013 - October 2014

>Graduate Assistant at Rochester Institute of Technology from September 2012 - May 2013

>Fire Controlman at the US Navy from August 1999 - August 2005

>US Navy

reposting

HOLY SHIT, THE ESA RESPONDED TO THE SARKEESIAN TWEET THAT WAS ON THEIR TWITTER BEFORE THEY DELETED IT!

https://archive.fo/0lPts

>The way it was explained to me, the tweet in question was not approved to be posted by the representatives of the ESA, but found a way to slip through the cracks. The swift deletion of the tweet was not a way to withdraw from criticism or close discussion, but rather to take the only action available when an unapproved message has been posted.

reposting

I was digging on Dan Hewitt and oh boy, here comes the Mike "Like the cock? You're in for a shock" Pence memes

EA hosts event about LGBT issues in games

https://archive.fo/563Jr

>Speakers and delegates at the event will include Gordon Bellamy of Tencent, Matt Bromberg general manager of BioWare Austin and Dan Hewitt of the ESA.

EA addresses LGBT issues in gaming in first ever 'Full Spectrum' event

https://archive.fo/DEtmm

>"It's a white, dudely industry," Kixeye executive producer Caryl Shaw explained, referencing her developer colleagues. "In general it is a very hard place for women to get in. I think that that's gonna change."

FUCK. YOU.

>As Entertainment Software Association VP of media and events Dan Hewitt reminded attendees during the first panel, the game industry is an (annual) $24 billion business that spans 50 percent of American homes, and the average gamer is 31-years-old. So why are we still seeing such an underrepresentation of diversity in gaming, despite a diversity of gamers?

Robert Joachim & Daniel Hewitt get married

https://archive.fo/XDhQg

>Mr. Hewitt, 40, is the vice president for media relations and event management at the Entertainment Software Association, a trade association in Washington for the video game industry. He graduated from Catholic University of America.

>He is the son of Margaret S. Hewitt of Ravenna, Ohio, and the late Thomas E. Hewitt, who lived in California, Md. His mother is a collections specialist at PartsSource, a medical device and service supplier in Aurora, Ohio. Mr. Hewitt’s father was an analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency at what was then called Bolling Air Force Base, in Washington.

>The couple met in 2007 while two-stepping at a country and western bar in Washington.

reposting

HERES ONE FOR DiGRA!

The Great Art Upgrade – DiGRA 2013

https://archive.fo/pXmNs

>This talk was delivered as keynote for the Art History of Games conference, that took place during DiGRA 2013. While the infamous Can Games Be Art? question is now being carefully avoided like an inappropriate text you sent while drunk, some references and questions may still be valuable to the world beyond the small group of scholars that gathered in that hotel basement in Atlanta. It’s a minimally edited transcript/note dump, please forgive the informal tone.

>Another landmark was last year’s exhibition “The Art of Videogames” at the Smithsonian Museum. Game people were too busy celebrating this recognition to wonder whether or not this was a just populist publicity stunt to refresh the museum’s image and the industry’s. The show was in fact “generously” supported by Entertainment Software Association.

reposting

GOD DAMN IT DOES THE ESA FIND WAYS TO PISS ME OFF

Hispanic Heritage Foundation and the Entertainment Software Association Announce 2016 LOFT Video Game Innovation Fellows

https://archive.fo/ofKj7

>Twenty minority youth travel to Washington, DC, to present to the White House, Congress and influencers while receiving grants for developing original games for social innovation.

>Washington, D.C. – November 11, 2016 – Today, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) announced the 2016 ESA LOFT (Leaders on the Fast Track) Video Game Innovation Fellows. The Fellows, who are minorities age 15-25, were selected for the original video games and apps they developed to address social issues in their communities. The Fellows [will] present[ed] their ideas to the White House, U.S. Congress, and national community leaders on Thursday, November 17, and Friday, November 18.

>“Congratulations to this year’s Fellows for their vision, creativity and social impact,” said Jose Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO, Hispanic Heritage Foundation. “Through this creative partnership with the ESA, we engage youth on their terms through video games and apps to make a positive social impact,” said Tijerino. “We believe there is a link from playing a video game to developing a game, computer coding, cybersecurity and other workforce gap areas America is desperately trying to fill. It is also important that minority youth are encouraged to be content creators, not just consumers.”

>“The ESA LOFT Video Game Innovation Fellowship underscores the fact that games are a valuable tool for positive change in our society,” said Rich Taylor, senior vice president of communications and iIndustry affairs at ESA. “We are proud to offer an opportunity that will help foster and promote creative thinking and innovation in minority communities, and cultivate future innovators of our industry, through the unique platform only video games can provide.”

>This is the fifth year of the ESA LOFT Video Game Innovation Fellowship and past awardees will be invited to attend the activities as well as connect with this year’s Fellows for mentoring, to share ideas and collaboration. To see the Fellows’ games, visit LOFTinnovation.org. To be updated with the activities, follow #ESALOFTFellowship.

>ESA offers services to interactive entertainment software publishers, including conducting business and consumer research, providing legal and policy analysis and advocacy on First Amendment, intellectual property and technology/e-commerce issues, managing a global anti-piracy program, owning and operating E3, and representing video game industry interests in federal and state government relations. For more information, please visit www.theESA.com or follow us on Twitter at @RichatESA or @ESAGovAffairs.

>About the Latinos on the Fast Track Program

>LOFT is HHF’s award-winning, leadership, and workforce development program focused on America’s priority fields including STEM, entrepreneurship, education, and innovation. Tens of thousands of students and young professionals are connected to each other; prepared through trainings, priority-field-tailored symposia, workshops, and Charlas; and hundreds are placed into internships, mentorships, fellowships and full-time positions with Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. Join and follow LOFT on Twitter – @LOFTInstitute and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/hhfloft/. Visit www.HispanicHeritage.org for info on HHF.

reposting

Governor Cuomo’s Veto of New York Digital Media Incentives

https://archive.fo/0HJV9

>Washington, D.C. – November 30, 2016 – The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today issued the following statement in response to Governor Cuomo’s veto of incentives for digital media production in New York. In his veto statement, Governor Cuomo expressly stated support for New York’s video game industry, but was unable to approve the measure because of budgetary concerns facing the state.

>“The video game industry naturally is disappointed in Governor Cuomo’s veto of the tax incentive bill for digital media,” said Erik Huey, senior vice president of government relations at ESA, the trade association that represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “However, his support for the video game industry and the creative tech jobs our industry can bring to New York was clear in his accompanying statement. This is a jobs bill for all of New York, but especially upstate, where several key game development clusters are beginning to take root. We look forward to continuing to work with the Governor and legislative leaders to build this incentive into the 2017 budget and to gaining the Governor’s approval next year.”

>New York has 26 colleges and universities that offer video game design programs, majors or degrees, including three in the Princeton Review’s ranking of the best schools for video game design. It is home to 219 video game development studios and publishers in every region of the state, employing more than 4,600 workers. While New York ranks fourth among states in terms of numbers of companies and employees, the Empire State ranks only 22nd among U.S. states in terms of industry growth between 2013 and 2016.

>ESA offers a wide range of services to interactive entertainment software publishers, including conducting business and consumer research, providing legal and policy analysis and advocacy on First Amendment, intellectual property and technology/e-commerce issues, managing a global content protection program, owning and operating E3 and representing video game industry interests in federal and state government relations. For more information, visit ESA’s website or follow us on Twitter at @RichatESA or @ESAGovAffairs.

reposting

>>11811461

So am I reading this right, in that Cuomo vetoed something that would give more money to corrupt shmucks?

(refering to previous post)

reposting

>>11811557

Essentially.

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2015/S7485

>Title of Bill: An act to amend the tax law and the economic development law, in

relation to the creation of the empire state music production credit

and the empire state digital gaming media production credit; to repeal

subdivision 11 of section 352 of the economic development law relating

thereto; and providing for the repeal of certain provisions upon

expiration thereof

>purpose: To remake the digital media gaming and music credits adopted in Part K

of the Revenue bill in last year's budget, into a "below-the-line"

production credit This will allow both the industries to accurately

calculate the benefits of the programs, allow the State to better

monitor the credits, and to ease access to the incentives. Both

industries are of the opinion that the credits as currently in statute

are unworkable and are actually serving as a deterrent to growth for

New York companies.

reposting

>poke around ESA's YT channel

>find a video of Rich Taylor discusses the 2014 ESA LOFT Video Game Innovation Fellows

>Hispanic Heritage mentioned again

reposting

It's not DiGRA but it sounds like them because I found Center for Digital Games Research by finding this on the ESA's site

https://archive.fo/PH9Y8

Oddly enough, no link to the article but it exists.

>Debra Lieberman

I wonder if is related to Joeseph Liberman…probably not. Anyways, that article then takes me to the site itself

https://archive.fo/G8mQ8

Unicef is one of the sponsers. So far, can't seem to think of anything to add…there was an article about Center for Digital Games Research in 2015.

https://archive.fo/f2QY9

Going back to the Center for Digital Games Research website, I went on their Sponsors and Partners page

https://archive.fo/rosbJ

I clicked on Games for Health Program to see if they had anything but their domain expired…so I took it to their Twitter [@gamesforhealth] to see who their followers were. Found some familiar faces there, even Kojima!

reposting

While I haven't anything too juicy on Games for Health's front besides the ESA Foundation being on there along with other prominent figures & familiar faces, I just realized that the ESA hosts an annual event at San Francisco pls nuke called Nite to Unite which is basically their charity event.

https://archive.fo/KIhAJ

>Each year, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Foundation brings together more than 600 members of the video game community to raise funds for scholarships and other critical education and digital learning programs at Nite to Unite (NTU).

>It is a night to celebrate the many ways video games drive positive change in our society and transform kids’ lives. A night to honor leaders and visionaries who are making a profound difference through video games. And, a night to raise funds in support of scholarships for the next generation of game makers and charitable organizations leveraging the power of interactive software.

>The 2017 NTU honorees are Sid Meier, legendary video game industry luminary and creator of the game Civilization, which has inspired generations of players to pursue careers in game development, and Jeromy Adams, who created the enormously successful Extra Life - an extraordinary organization that has mobilized a community of gamers to raise more than $22 million for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

If you look below the description, you'll see sponsors on there. I saw Jenner & Block on there. Remember thats the company Kenneth Doroshow is working at right now and the winner of Brown Vs. Entertainment Merchants Association.

Moving on the ESA's About page, theres another description about the foundation itself.

https://archive.fo/YSkSs

>More than fifteen years ago, the video game industry’s pioneers had a vision. They wanted to show that the interactive technologies at the center of their work had the power to solve social and global issues. From their vision, the ESA Foundation was born. Since then, the ESA Foundation has amplified the reputation and innovation of the video game industry by supporting students, schools and charities that are improving the lives of kids and expanding their horizons by harnessing the unique power of interactive software. With philanthropic support from both the public and the technology and video game industries, ESA Foundation awards scholarships to aspiring game developers, encourages inclusivity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields, and helps organizations use video games to advance good causes.

Moving on to "Building a pipeline of future video game professionals…"

>Since 2007, to encourage diversity in STEM-fields and the video game industry and support the development of its future leaders, ESA Foundation has helped 263 women and minority students across the U.S. follow their dream of earning a video game-related degree, while also creating a pipeline of skilled job candidates for our growing industry.

I'm already not getting good vibes from that, 2007 and diversity in the same breath…

reposting

OK, so I move on to the sponsorship tab, find the same companies on the front page of the site (Save for Nexon, hello gookanon.)

https://archive.fo/sM1E7

Something caught my eye while looking on that page, someone to contact if one were to become a sponsor for the event, Anastasia Staten. Another member of the ESA.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiastaten

>Executive Director, ESA Foundation

>Serve as the primary driver of the mission, fundraising and operations of ESA Foundation. Responsible for cultivation of partnerships and alliances to promote the Foundation’s positive impact on young people and to enhance the image of the video game industry through its philanthropic efforts.

>Vice President, Philanthropic Services

>American Humane

>Director of Major Gifts and Special Events for People For the American Way/People For the American Way Foundation

>before I got any further down, I had to look up what People For The American Way was

>Major donors to PFAW include George Soros' Open Society Institute

>the group itself is founded by a jew

GOD DAMN IT /pol/

>ok back to the Linkedin

>Finance Director for Ohio Democrat Party

>Finance Consultant/Officer/Director for Political/Campaign Experience

>Served as political liaison to DNC, DSCC, DCCC, the White House and the presidential campaign

>Finance Director for Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee/Marc Guthrie for Congress

FUCKING DEMOCRATS AGAIN

reposting

I JUST REALIZED SEGA ISN'T ON THE ESA MEMBER LIST!

>find anything related to SEGA and the ESA

>they actually fucking left the ESA in 2015

>A pair of publishers have left the Entertainment Software Association's membership ranks. Since March, both Sega of America and Daybreak Game Company have parted ways with the North American gaming industry trade group after undergoing significant upheaval.

>Sega's troubles became evident in January, when parent company Sega Sammy Holdings instituted a round of layoffs and a voluntary retirement program in light of declining sales and profits. Sega of America in particular saw its longtime San Francisco headquarters relocated to Southern California. Not having to pay membership dues to the ESA will save the publisher some money, as will the decision to forego its usual E3 booth this year. A Sega representative confirmed the publisher's absence from the show floor in May, attributing it to the restructure and relocation.

https://archive.fo/qrOpR

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! A VIDEO GAME COMPANY FOUNDED BY JEWS LEAVES BEHIND THE ESA WHO ARE FULL OF FUCKED UP SHIT

reposting

>>11812889

>With a $10,000 prize at stake, 28 teams of college students participated in the Social Connection GameJam put on by AARP and the Entertainment Software Association at E3. A panel of celebrity and industry all-stars judged the three finalists whose games aimed to create strong social connections for game players over 50. Watch how it all unfolded!

Let's see what AARP is…

>get the info off wiki

All right, lets go to their website.

https://archive.fo/Gjafk

>find an old article from 2003 talking about the fearless 50

>Steven Spielberg

>Judah Folkman

>Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

>GEORGE SOROS

>Soros plans to give away most of his fortune during his lifetime. He's worth $7 billion, and has already donated $4 billion to his causes. Sample projects: Poland's Solidarity movement, Internet access for former Soviet Bloc countries, a water filtration plant for the city of Sarajevo, and strengthening public defenders' offices in the U.S. A survivor of the Nazi occupation of Hungary, Soros studied economics in London, came to the U.S. in 1956, and made his billions as a fund manager. Says his biographer, Michael T. Kaufman: "No one since Carnegie and Rockefeller has come near to Soros as a philanthropist. He doesn't stroke his ego with his charity. He simply desires to improve things."

>more fucking jews

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, THE RIDER NEVER ENDS

reposting

>>11812967

Looking up more info on AARP, they donated money to various Democrats like Obama & Moveon.org (George Soros)

http://www.campaignmoney.com/finance.asp?pg=2&type=io&criteria=aarp&ra=68377&rc=155&prevpage=1&cycle=08

Jews mourned their losses over Leonard Davis

https://archive.fo/h6aMs

>After moving to Palm Beach in 1984, Mr. Davis led a drive to build the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and for 20 years backed two regular classical music programs there. He also served on the boards of several Jewish organizations, was a founding member of the National Holocaust Museum in Washington and established the Institute for the Study of International Relations at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

https://archive.fo/7mPBa

>The officers, Board of Directors, and staff of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County mark with great sadness the passing of Leonard Davis, a pillar of Jewish life in the Palm Beaches. His unwavering support of the Jewish people and our community will forever serve as a valued inspiration and example to all who knew and loved him and for generations to come. We extend our deepest sympathy to his sons, Alan and Michael, and to the entire family. Eugene J. Ribakoff, President Jeffrey L. Klein, Exec. V.P.

They're also in favor of Gun-Control

https://media.8ch.net/file_store/f2de73628c80f7aa20f62ebc45628e0330d9d9e57839da612b37f85bd4ffccb2.pdf/12_legal07.pdf

reposting

Wait, I thought SEGA left behind the ESA…

reposting

Also I found a pretty useful site for digging thats just like Linkedin cause I found me new members of the ESA!

>Dorian Rehfeld

>Julie Wynn

http://relationshipscience.com/anastasia-staten-p25974564

reposting

ATEC Undergrad's Artistic Pursuits Lead to Game Industry Scholarship

https://archive.fo/pjvr1

>“Institutions like UT Dallas rightly recognize the value in preparing students for careers in the video game industry, meeting a rising demand among students and eventual employers,” said Anastasia Staten, executive director of the foundation. “The ESA Foundation is committed to supporting this growth and has provided nearly 300 women and minority students with scholarships to pursue video game-related degrees, giving them not only the opportunity to follow their dreams, but also creating a pipeline of skilled and well-educated job candidates for the video game industry and other careers in STEM-related fields.”

ESA Announces New Foundation Executive Director

Association hires Anastasia Staten to lead video game industry’s philanthropic efforts

https://archive.fo/0MmZy

https://archive.fo/wS578 (Might use this site for digging info, if theres any at all."

>April 12, 2016 – WASHINGTON, DC –The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) welcomed Anastasia Staten as the new Executive Director of the ESA Foundation, the charitable and philanthropic organization for the U.S. video game industry.

>“Anastasia’s exceptional track record of nonprofit leadership, successful fundraising, and effective marketing and communications makes her an ideal choice to lead the ESA Foundation,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA. “Her expertise and vision will allow the ESA Foundation to enhance its support for individuals and organizations using videos games to improve the lives and expand the horizons of America’s youth.”

>As Executive Director, Staten will manage the ESA Foundation’s fundraising and daily operations, as well as cultivate partnerships to expand and promote the Foundation’s positive social impact. She will oversee the Foundation’s grant and scholarship programs, which support exceptional programs and students leveraging videos games to innovatively improve their communities and shape the future of the video game industry. In addition, she will spearhead Nite to Unite, the video game industry’s annual gala supporting the ESA Foundation.

>With more than 15 years of experience spanning fundraising, communications, and politics, Staten joins the ESA Foundation from the American Humane Association, where she served as the Vice President of Philanthropic Services. In this role, she was accountable for setting and achieving fundraising goals, managing donor operations, and overseeing the organization’s fundraising campaigns.

>Previously, Staten spent more than eight years as the Senior Director of Constituency Relations and Membership at the Foundation Fighting Blindness. There, she raised institutional visibility and launched lucrative monthly giving and donor acquisition programs, resulting in unprecedented growth for the Foundation.

>Prior to her career in nonprofit philanthropy, Staten worked in politics in her home state of Ohio.

>Staten studied International Relations at The Ohio State University and is a member of a number of professional organizations, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Nonprofit Technology Network, the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, and the National Association of Professional Women.

Good thing they don't mention that her role in politics was helping out the Democrats like Huey!

reposting

Afternoon anons! Found more names to dig up for the ESA (The foundation in particular)

https://archive.fo/UMHaL

>Careen Yapp

>Jenny Lai

>Julie Setren Kitt

>Courtney Simmons (Board member from 4/11 until 8/11)

>Remi Sklar

>Giovanna Alaimo (Board member from 8/11 until 12/11)

>Chris Cook

reposting

ESA foundation's financial report from 2010 to 2015

https://archive.fo/XZC4h

No surprises but nonetheless, ESA Foundation is used in many schools & services.

https://archive.fo/rSynQ (Illinois Department of Human Services)

https://archive.fo/w5Rrj (Illinois African American Coalition for prevention. Again with their racial bias)

https://archive.fo/zemQ2 (Arizona State University)

https://archive.fo/Hmehw (The Cooper Institute)

https://archive.fo/0qRym (United Way of Central New Mexico)

Interestingly, I found a scholarship search website. I found results with Entertainment Software Association Foundation Scholarship Program

https://archive.fo/fNO7v

>application requirements

>additional information

>must be a woman or minority student

reposting

Now going for the individual diggings…

Remi Sklar

https://www.linkedin.com/in/remi-sklar-583a1044

>ESA Foundation Board Director

>Vice President, WW Communications & Public Relations, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

>Vice President, Public Relations for Warner Bros. Entertainment Group of Companies

>Director, Public Relations, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

>Manager, Public Relations, Warner Bros. Consumer Products for Warner Bros. Entertainment Group of Companies

>Publicist for E! Networks

>Account Executive for Bender Helper Impact

>Junior Publicist - Intern for Universal Studios Home Video

So not only do we have a guy who used to work for Viacom, but we also got Warner Bros. into the mix

Can't find that AVGN this is not a game, this is like watching a movie webm

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

reposting

from >>329689 to >>329722

https://archive.fo/5XgXR

reposting

Here is Julie Kitt.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-kitt-3869477

>Associate General Counsel for ESA since January 2009

>Senior Counsel for Sun Microsystems from May 2007 – December 2008 (Keep in mind they went defunt in 2010 and got purchaed by Oracle)

>Associate for Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP from September 2003 – May 2007

Just like with Huey and Kenneth, she also has a law firm.

(ps post from same ID that I am adding here for convenience sake)

Forgot to post the article where I got the first pic from.

https://archive.fo/uUcm4

>Toasting Capitol File’s annual Men’s Issue with the Entertainment Software Association’s Dan Hewitt, Richard Taylor, Michael Gallagher, and Julie Kitt.

I'm working on an infograph with some of this stuff.

>>329713

>nonprofit leadership

Always makes me laugh - like they're doing it for free.

reposting

Recap of previous thread…

>different perspective of the ESRB responding to CensoredGaming

>the creator of Xevious, Masanobu Endō, is the director of DiGRA Japan

>Richard Dillio, the guy who answers the ESA's emails was from the US Navy

>thegg.net interviewed Dan Hewitt of the ESA regarding their stance on Sarkeesian, it was mostly damage control http://thegg.net/interviews/interview-with-dan-hewitt-of-the-esa-concerning-communication-within-the-gaming-community/

>Dan Hewitt is a married homo

>a woman during the EA LGBT event said that gaming is too full of straight white males, thats why women can't get in (Japan laughs) and its gonna change, Dan Hewitt was there also

>Hispanic Heritage Foundation mentioned many times

>New York Governor says no to incentives for digital media production in New York

>ESA Foundation makes big deal about diversity and women since 2007

>Anastasia Staten was formerly a part of People For the American Way, a group founded by a jew and funded by George Soros

>Joe Biden (Democrat) thought there was nothing wrong with taxing violent media and games, Ralph Nader (Independent) unironically compares video games to Electronic Child Molesters, and Pat Robertson (Republican) says that killing in video games is the same as killing in real life

>SEGA left behind the ESA in 2015

>ESA had a game jam with AARP who mentioned George Soros as one of the fearless 50, wants gun control, is pro-homosexual

And Reimu Sklar worked for Warner Bros.

*Requesting any anon skilled in Russian, Czech, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian for pic related

*(reposting note: unrelated to ESA digging)

>>329729

added ps by same ID, reposting

Forgot

*>Anastasia Staten was formerly a part of People For the American Way, a group founded by a jew and funded by George Soros and has Tony Podesta as a former president, making that two Podesta findings

reposting (this one is actually mine)

>>11816552

Good digging so far, the following is just my opinion and such so with that caveat out of the way.

>New York Governor says no to incentives for digital media production in New York

Interesting, but may not have a direct connection with the ESA other than ESA butthurt.

>Joe Biden (Democrat) thought there was nothing wrong with taxing violent media and games, Ralph Nader (Independent) unironically compares video games to Electronic Child Molesters, and Pat Robertson (Republican) says that killing in video games is the same as killing in real life

Similar as above. They're textbook examples of horseshoe theory, but do they have direct connection to the ESA or ESRB, did the ESA ever do anything with those guys, beyond maybe just schmoozing.

Everything else has been breddy gud digging and recon.

reposting. in reply to previous.

>>11816642

So far with Joe Biden, I have not found any direct connections, but

https://archive.fo/ZUn0U (Jason "Dragon's Crown is for pedophiles" Schreier)

>Vice President Joe Biden, center, speaks during a meeting with representatives from the video game industry in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. Biden is holding a series of meetings this week as part of the effort he is leading to develop policy proposals in response to the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. From right to left are, Attorney General Eric Holder, Entertainment Software Association President Michael Gallagher, Biden, Electronic Arts Chief Executive Officer John Riccitiello, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

PSA Reminds Parents to Check the Ratings [Video]

https://archive.fo/Do2DD

>A number of policymakers expressed support for the PSA and its message. Vice President Joe Biden tweeted a thank you to ESA for launching the PSA and urged parents to check the ratings of games their kids play. Other officials who praised the PSA included Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Bob Casey (D-PA), and Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). They drew on their personal experience in emphasizing the value of the ESRB’s tools and resources.

What Biden’s Meeting With the Video Game Industry Really Meant

https://archive.fo/smYnZ

>“Everybody knows what Biden is implying when inviting the game industry to ‘participate’ in these talks,” Graft wrote Wednesday on his website. “If you’re meeting with Joe Biden about gun control, you’re stating that you are part of the problem, and therefore, you are part of the problem.”

Video game industry defends its work in Joe Biden gun talks

https://archive.fo/hDDcH

>“If they want to argue that having sex with and murdering prostitutes is somewhat educational, they can argue to their hearts' content,” he [Dan Isett] said. “I don’t think parents will agree.”

Biden talks video game violence with industry representatives today

https://archive.fo/IjCCK

>US vice-president Joe Biden is meeting with games industry representatives today to discuss the role of violent video games with regards to gun violence, as part of a response to last month's massacre at a Connecticut elementary school. As the Associated Press reports, today's meeting in Washington is the latest in a series of discussions Biden's task force is undertaking before presenting recommendations on how to suppress gun violence to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, January 15.

ESA, other video game representatives meeting with US VP Joe Biden today

https://archive.fo/FVzw0

>According to a live blog of the meeting by Venture Beat, Biden told EA CEO John Riccitello that the White House isn’t “singling out the games industry.”

>“Frankly, we don’t even know if some of things people think impact [violence] actually impact it,” he said.

Quite frankly, this whole Sandy Hook thing feels like an orchestra by them…

>hey lets do a school shooting because people will automatically believe us, they'd be dumb not to

>lets blame video games again

>let's pretend we care about the gamers by telling them to sign papers & send emails to their politicians

>"Oops, hahaha. We were the morons all along! Games don't cause this or that! Well done, gamers!"

>rinse and repeat

reposting, (this one is mine in reply to previous)

>>11816787

Alright this is my own read on it regarding that meeting with Biden and ESA and other industry bigwigs. Biden comes across as slimier and more disingenuous than my lowest expectation somehow.

>According to a live blog of the meeting by Venture Beat, Biden told EA CEO John Riccitello that the White House isn’t “singling out the games industry.”

Oh go fuck yourself with the horse you rid on, Joe "if you're a woman you don't need an AR-15" Biden.

And I agree with this part from the second link and blurb you mentioned

>Meanwhile, several noted game critics such as Gamasutra editor-in-chief Kris Graft and Georgia Tech professor Ian Bogost have dissented against the entire notion that the game industry needs to respond to political pressure.

>“Everybody knows what Biden is implying when inviting the game industry to ‘participate’ in these talks,” Graft wrote Wednesday on his website. “If you’re meeting with Joe Biden about gun control, you’re stating that you are part of the problem, and therefore, you are part of the problem.”

On this specific part IMO Biden is the slimeball with the old tired and busted "vidya is as deadly as guns and muh school shooting, vidya must be involved in this somehow don't you agree?" dog and pony show. The ESA in this case did not seem to fuck up, though that Blastman3 non existent game for demo purposes struck me as a bit odd.

Again IMO only, this one I think you can temporarily put a pin on since it's Biden that comes off as a complete ignorant vidya hating retard. The ESA did not fuck up too badly on this one, the worst thing I can see at the moment is merely a pattern that the ESA has no problem when it comes to defending vidya against bogus virtual violence = real violence bullshit. But is strangely silent or bought the line that vidya is of course inherently racist and sexist.

(that endgadget archive is showing blank here by the way. Not sure if its just on my end or edgadget blocks archive.is)

reposting

>this thread pops up >>11816018

>retard fucking gutted the Xbox development kit

>Xbox emu still never ever

SO THIS IS WHAT THE ESA SAID ABOUT PRESERVING GAMES BEING CONSIDERED ILLEGAL!!!

>>11816982

>(that endgadget archive is showing blank here by the way. Not sure if its just on my end or edgadget blocks archive.is)

Works fine for me.

reposting (this one is mine in reply to previous)

>>11817023

>Works fine for me.

sheeeeit, somethings preventing it from showing on my machine then.

>this thread pops up >>11816018

>retard fucking gutted the Xbox development kit

>Xbox emu still never ever

>SO THIS IS WHAT THE ESA SAID ABOUT PRESERVING GAMES BEING CONSIDERED ILLEGAL!!!

If that story is true, that the devkit machine HDD got wiped because the fucker didn't know what he was doing. All I gots to say is although I'm not an xbox faggot even I found that act of destruction to be sad.

Back to the ESA topic. The two angle or pattern that seems to be re-occuring with them is the following, and you've pointed it out previously so this is just a quick recap so far.

-ESA in the past does not believe in the bunk of virtual violence=real life violence. That's good. Unfortunately it seems to believe in the bunk of vidya = inherently racist and sexist. The Sarkeesian tweet seemed to be a tip of the iceberg.

-ESA protects publishers first and foremost, not necessarily devs or the preservation of vidya as a valid and protected form of expression.

reposting

>>11817098

You are correct on the recap. Whenever games get accused of being murder machines, serial killer training, whatever they describe as super fun happy violent times, the ESA will quickly jump in and say Nuh-uh, that's not right. which would be OK but then they're silent on racism & sexism which will be their downfall if they don't acknowledge. It doesn't help that the people who slander gamers might make them think & be more conservative (If I recall, someone said the Millennial generation would be the most conservative than the Boomers of the 1950s)

>>11817140

>I don't know why they won't share.

They're either jews, retards who don't understand preservation, or both.

>I'd gladly chip in to buy an emu developer one if they were qualified and had a proven track record.

Same. I saw the link in the thread that had the debug Xbox being sold but I don't think that would help the Xbox emulation scene out.

reposting

Come to think of it, looking at the ESAs twitter and how much they like to preach that video games are good for you, they are healthy for you, they treat your depression, they make you feel young, etc. Theres not one single thing by them that says Don't worry, you won't be racist or sexist for playing games.

reposting

>>11817181

I don't know why either. If the idiot wanted to make some money off of a development kit, he could've sold it to a museum or someone who wants to emulate the damn thing, there would be a lot of money thrown at them. I will never not be angry that & wish I found one of the kits so I can get the ball rolling before another retard destroys theirs.

>>11817190

Oh…

>>11817194

>They're conditioning people to be brainwashed by using video games to indoctrinate us.

I've been thinking that with the info of the ESA being all about diversity, women, stem field, making games on social issues (Why the fuck does it need propaganda? Do none of you fuckers understand that a democrat like JFK says that "Art is not a form of propaganda"?), turning games into movies, DARPA, yeah I'm not getting any good vibes from them.

reposting

>>11817251

>Saudi Arabia isn't banned

>Iran is

Fucking why.

>>11817206

Hey Acid, speaking of Saudi, didn't you in a previous thread talked about the ESA having some odd connection with the Saudis?

>>11817269

Well considering he is a PR guy, I'm not surprised it sounded like damage control for what they've done. I can't recall a successful PR person who's not a dipshit.

reposting

>>11817288

Yeah, there was a Saudi prince who attended ESA events, and was a keynote speaker along with one of their bigwigs.

(please see the full archived link later on for the pic. G4C Festival Keynotes.jpg)

reposting

Anyways, back to digging!

Jenny Lai (Keep in mind she no longer works for the ESA)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylainyc

>Vice President of ESA Foundation from November 2005 – May 2015

>Executive Director of ESA Foundation from April 2000 – November 2005

>Manager, Business Outreach for the ESA from November 1996 – December 2000

>New Media for John Wiley & Sons, Inc (Best known as the For Dummies book makers) from July 1993 – 1995

Her Twitter

https://twitter.com/nycoolchick

Unsurprisingly, another Democrat organization spotted.

reposting

Here is Careen Yapp.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/careenyapp

>Auction Committee Member for ESA Foundation "A Nite to Unite - for Kids" since October 1999

Her Linkedin didn't provide much info so I looked around and found more detailed information.

https://archive.fo/y0ZFC

>find Women in Games International

Interesting of Konami being the sponsors…

Also they have a Twitter

https://twitter.com/GETWIGI

>Women in Games International works to promote the inclusion and advancement of women in the global games industry.

Again, Japan fucking laughs at you

reposting

ESA as usual doesn't deny their racial and sexist bias. Haven't found anything on Dorian Rehfeld other than she(?) is at 2K.

https://media.8ch.net/file_store/1cc2b7f0933ee532927390d772a0e02c208f9a7a47ede1238ccb5767a59828de.pdf

reposting

>>11818021

>I have a feeling the parts you quoted use some sort of mental trick: go with a premise that makes sense or that most people would agree with, then push an unpopular idea in hopes that whoever reads it accepts the second part as easily as the first.

I beg your pardon?

>>11818038

Something else just popped into my head. The ESA wants to talk about diversity in race? Look at the fighting game community and tell me "Yup, it's just straight white males and their patriarchies." what about women? Japan says hello.

reposting

I haven't been looking up much of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, so I found something. Who knows what skeletons they have in their closest, maybe Trudeau works there!

Women are almost half of the ‘gamer’ population in Canada

https://archive.fo/w9rR4

>What constitutes a ‘gamer’ in 2016? The stereotype no longer represents a teenage boy sitting at home alone in the dark playing video games. Today, a gamer is defined by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) as “someone who has played a computer or video game in the past four weeks.”

>Kevin Hovdestad is a gaming and eSports journalist in Saskatoon. He explains a gamer is no longer a derogatory term.

>“Today now calling someone a gamer is no different that saying someone went to a movie,” says Hovdestad. “It’s an indication of a pastime, is really all it is at this point. It encapsulates everyone, it encapsulates anything from a little kid whose learning the alphabet on those little Leap Frog tablets right up to my grandmother playing Bejeweled on her iPad and everything in between.”

>According to ESAC, 19 million Canadians are gamers. That’s 54 percent of the population. In the U.S. four out of five households own a device used to play video games.

>“It’s more ubiquitous than internet access and do you know anyone who doesn’t have access to the internet? It’s super common to see people have these games in their home,” says Hovdestad.

>You might be surprised that most players are adults, the average Canadian gamer is 33 years old. Males still out number females, but not by much, with women making up 48 per cent of gamers in Canada.

>David Mah, owner of Bartari, a new video game restaurant and bar in Saskatoon says he sees a similar gender split in customers.

>“We have a ton or women, a ton, more than I was expecting even. We thought maybe twenty per cent women, but it’s pretty close to 50-50 I would say. Most of the women are better than the guys at the games too.”

>Among adult women ages 18 to 54, the most popular games are educational, like puzzles and word games. For males ages 18 to 34, role playing games top the list.

>Games are becoming more social and there is a draw towards participating in active media.

>“It’s amazing you see a group of people, they don’t just sit there and watch sports. They sit here and they interact with each other. They play some games and have some food and drinks and have fun,” says Mah.

>Gaming is more universal than we might think and although most of us might not identify as a gamer, the reality is that it’s becoming more pervasive and normalized in our daily lives.

reposting

ESA of Canada is mentioned in an article by Japan PR company, Total Communications System Inc.

The Quiet Giant of Video Games – Subsidies, Training Help Canada to No. 3 Spot in Global Gaming Industry

https://archive.fo/7W0vK

>Back in 1983, two teenagers from Vancouver used $4,000 to develop the first Canada-made video game (Evolution). This initial foray into the video game industry would eventually snowball into a massive industry that is estimated to contribute $2.3 billion to the nation’s GDP annually.

>According to the industry’s trade association, the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC), the nation’s game production industry trails only the United States and Japan in terms of size. With 16,500 employees at 329 ESAC member companies, Canada is the largest producer of video games on a per capita basis.

>The ESAC’s latest report, “2014 Essential Facts about the Canadian Video Game Industry,” reports that member companies completed 910 video game projects in 2012, the latest year for which figures are available. Regarding this output, 48% of member companies are developing and/or publishing console games while 84% develop/publish mobile games. Console games, given their high development costs, command 88.6% of industry investment and account for 66.5% of revenue. Well-known titles developed in Canada include Mass Effect, Far Cry 4, Assassin’s Creed, the FIFA series and Need for Speed.

>Japanese companies are joining their American and European rivals in setting up for business in Canada. Major global gaming companies are being attracted by generous government subsidies and a workforce known for technical excellence and creativity.

>ESAC’s Japanese members include DeNA, Nintendo, SONY and Square Enix. Namco Bandai Studios (NBS) made headlines in 2013 when it set up a mobile development studio in Vancouver – joining Electronic Arts (US) and Ubisoft (France) as major publishers doing big business in Canada. On the other hand, well-known social gaming publisher GREE recently announced the closing of its own Vancouver studio, which it opened in 2012 when the company was still riding high.

>Canada has three main clusters for the video game industry: Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario. Quebec, which used a generous tax credit in 1996 to attract Ubisoft, specializes in console games. B.C. is the oldest cluster in Canada; it specializes in mobile games and is considered a key center for start-ups. Ontario is also a mobile gaming center, and most of its companies are small (5-99 employees) or micro (less than 5); on the other hand, the province offers 38 college/university programs – compared to 15 each in Quebec and B.C.

>The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) helps support the local gaming industry by refunding up to 40% of personnel (developer and artist) and marketing costs. OMDC also offers the Interactive Digital Media (IDM) fund for high-quality, original interactive digital media content; these grants are capped at $50,000 (concept) and $250,000 (production).

>The federal government supplements provincial support with the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) and the Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Incentive Program (SR&ED) for innovative tech companies, while the Business Development Bank of Canada proactively supports video game start-ups. (please use archive.is)

>Success does not come without its challenges, however, and the industry is facing a shortage of experienced human resources such as programmers, designers, digital artists and creative directors.

>According to “The Importance of Global Workers in Canada’s ICT and Digital Media Industries,” a joint white paper produced by the ESAC and the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), the domestic video game industry will need to fill some 2,100 positions – mainly intermediate and senior level openings – up to January 2016. Although Canadian universities provide more than enough graduates to handle junior level positions, experienced staff are hard to come by.

>With both the ICT and gaming industries in a state of “full employment” (an unemployment rate of 2-3%), the two associations have been lobbying the government to overhaul its IT worker program to make it easier for member companies to recruit foreign professionals.

reposting

Speaking of Mia Consalvo, I found her in an article during Sandy Hook.

Video games a flash point in Connecticut school rampage's aftermath

https://archive.fo/JrhYw

>“I wouldn't be surprised to see different legislatures or different politicians introducing measures, trying to see if we can have more studies of kids and violent games. It's a high-profile thing,” said Mia Consalvo, a faculty member and Canada Research Chair in Game Studies and Design at Montreal-based Concordia University.

>“Unfortunately, it's one thread among many,” Consalvo said. “It's kind of looking for an easy solution when there probably isn't one.”

>“I have long expressed concern about the impact of the violent content our kids see and interact with every day,” Rockefeller said.

As if a fucking Rockefeller of all people have any room to talk about "I am worried about what kids see."

>It's up to retailers to verify a buyer's age for purchases of games rated “M” for mature or “AO” for adults only, according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board. A representative for the rating board would not comment, and another key industry group, the Entertainment Software Association, did not respond to calls.

They can't even sell the damn AO games so theres no reason to bring that up whatsoever.

>State Sen. Leland Yee, a San Francisco Democrat who introduced the ill-fated California bill, said the video game industry since has “done a better job of voluntarily limiting the sale of games to children.”

There's Leland Yee again.

>The industry evolved its approach over the years, adding a feature that lets gaming system owners lock out adult games, Consalvo said.

>“I think we can ask why, as a culture, we enjoy so much violent content, not just in games but in film and television — and why that's so appealing,” she said. “But that's a much larger conversation.”

>why do westerns who have roots in puritans lust for blood? Why do the Japanese who don't have roots in puritans hate blood?

reposting

This is just disgusting, even more that the ESA of America wants to be like this.

Canada’s Video Game Industry Welcomes Federal Government Commitment on High-Skilled Foreign Workers

https://archive.fo/H85hO

>the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) welcomes the commitment made by Finance Minister Bill Morneau in yesterday’s fall fiscal statement in regard to highly-skilled, highly-paid technology workers from abroad being critical to the future success of Canada’s innovative digital economy.

>“The government recognized the importance of creating a dedicated stream for highly skilled workers from abroad that will help foster an economic climate of innovation and growth,” said Jayson Hilchie, President & CEO of ESAC. “We ask the government to quickly implement their Global Skills Strategy, which will go a long way to ensuring companies in Canada can compete globally by accessing talented workers who will contribute their expertise and specialized know-how to the Canadian economy,” he added.

>The Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) has been riddled with delays in processing applications and inconsistencies in the application of rules, as well as controversies surrounding low-skilled, low-wage streams of workers. Creating a stream for highly skilled technology workers that allows quick and seamless access of specialized talent will let high-growth technology companies scale up and create well paying jobs here in Canada.

>While ESAC is optimistic about the way forward, faster processing of work permits is only one part of the solution. “Ensuring that qualifying companies are exempt from Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) is also necessary to ensure fast and efficient access to the best talent from abroad. Without addressing the crippling delays caused by LMIAs, the Global Skills Strategy will not have the desired impacts,” added Hilchie.

>As most countries are competing to attract the best and the brightest workers from around the globe, Canada’s implementation of the Global Skills Strategy will ensure a greater chance of success when Canadians are not readily available to fill these jobs. With 1,400 jobs to be filled in just the intermediate and senior categories, access to high-skilled foreign workers will create job opportunities and knowledge transfer within the video game industry for more junior Canadian workers and new grads.

reposting

Attracting Foreign-Born Talent Can Take Canada’s Tech Sector Global – Huffington Post Canada

https://archive.fo/kA4TQ

>Canada is known the world over for making blockbuster video games such as FIFA, Assassins Creed, Skylanders, Deus Ex and many others that would not have been possible without the best and brightest talent from here in Canada, but also from around the globe. It is games like these that have attracted talent to Canada and turned us into one of the biggest industries on the planet. But we shouldn’t let our growth stagnate. Having efficient access to the best and brightest from abroad will help technology industries transform and grow here in Canada; adding value to an economy that is languishing while transitioning from resources to innovation.

>Of course, this will also create opportunities for skilled new graduates from our leading post-secondary institutions and for other Canadians with competencies in art, design, programming and data analytics, but those cohorts alone will not be enough to fuel the demand.

>Mid- to senior-level workers – those with experience with innovative new technologies, game monetization and new game platforms – are needed to lead teams, impart experience to junior staff and to help companies innovate and compete in a crowded market. Innovation requires innovators. It is these senior-level leaders that can then create the employment opportunities for junior staff and that have a ripple effect that results in the passing down of skills and knowledge necessary to grow our workforce.

>The United States has long had a policy of attracting the best talent from around the world to grow its economy and support its innovation. A recent study by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation found that one-third of American innovators are foreign born. These people start companies and employ vast numbers of Americans in firms that are household names. This is the mindset that Canada needs to adopt; excitement about what global talent can add to our economy, not fear and protectionism. As the video game industry has already proved, highly skilled workers from abroad will create new jobs for Canadians, not take them.

>The Advisory Council of Economic Growth, chaired by Dominic Barton, global managing director of McKinsey & Co., last week recommended that Canada boost its immigration targets by 150K by 2021 and that it facilitate the entry of top talent from around the world by shortening delays and abolishing unnecessary rules. Several other groups and businesses have also made similar recommendations to the Immigration and Innovation Ministers as they have engaged in broad consultations. In addition, the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities recently released its report recommending a number of changes to the current Temporary Foreign Worker Program that would reduce processing delays and improve the process for the benefit of employers who hire highly skilled workers.

>Canada’s video game industry supports those recommendations strongly. Our industry estimates that 1,400 jobs, just in the intermediate and senior levels, will need to be filled within the next two years, while the Information Communication Technology Council (ICTC) estimates that 182,000 high-tech jobs will be available by 2019. Thousands of these jobs will not be filled without attracting high-skilled workers from abroad to help fill the gaps and bring in specialized knowledge.

>There’s no question that boosting skilled immigration will lead to increased economic growth. The average video game developer in Canada makes $71,300, well above the national average. And what’s more, the average age of a worker in this industry is 31 years old – a full decade younger than the average worker nationally. While skilled workers in our industry from abroad come to Canada under various immigration streams, a third of those who have come under the much-maligned Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) Program have stayed on to become permanent residents of Canada. I suspect if the process to go from a TFW to a permanent resident was much easier that number would be even higher.

reposting (continuation of previous)

>So as the video game industry looks to bring in young, well-paid, highly skilled workers who are helping grow companies and Canada’s overall competitiveness, Canada should be looking at ways to streamline immigration processes and ultimately, help build Canada’s capacity in industries where we know we can win.

>And this is only to help solve the problem in the short-term. In the longer term, Canada must close the skills and gender gap by rethinking formal education and key concepts of computational thinking to ensure that our students are not just adept users of technology, but also creators of it. While high skilled global talent is what we need to fill many of the jobs that exist today, developing homegrown skills that can advance and accelerate our economy should be the ultimate goal.

The body was too long.

reposting

Found Mia Consalvo again!

Who's cheating, and why? Explore the ethics of video games at Thinking Out Loud 2016

https://archive.fo/klxdP

>that good character vs. evil character difference

reposting

I'm not too familiar with Canada politics…

Tanya Woods

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tanya-woods-09aa584a

Jennifer Krpan

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-krpan-43712aa3

Julien Lavoie

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/lavoiejulien

ESA Canada's twitter

https://twitter.com/ESACanada

Jennifer Krpan's Twitter

https://twitter.com/ilu_jennay

reposting

Almost 35 years later and it still hasn't changed one bit.

>the game features an enactment of a white male ravishing an Indian woman who is tied to a post.

>The objectification of women has found its way onto a whole new medium.

>"A sexist game would not be a success in the home because the woman would not want it to bee played while she is around."

>"These games are active participatory games. They involve the player seeing the woman, in most cases, as some kind of target for sexual aggression. And because they're active, they take the player closer to what could be reali life enactment of any kind of sexual harassment or aggression toward women or girls. It is one thing to look at films or pictures, but this acting out and seeing women as targets and seeing it as entertainment is just one step closer to seeing a woman and saying something to her that she would consider offensive."

>The arguments are familiar, conclusions are subjective, and the future of adult videogames is unclear.

>"I think it's very hard for most people to talk about sexual matters, especially with members of the opposite sex. I think that's where the problems lie. There's got to be a communicatino there. And I think there is communication when a feminist says that these games are sexist. That at least begins a communication. If what comes out of it is a defintion of what is sexist and what is negative, then hopefully people are going to learn by that."

That game features an enactment of a white male ravishing an Indian woman made me laugh, sounds like something Carl the Cuck wrote.

reposting

Heres where they talk about Joseph Liberman during the 2000s election of Bush/Cheeny & Gore/Liberman. I will never not be pissed off at Nintendo for throwing SEGA under the bus.

(please see archived link of the full bread to be posted later to see the pics)

reposting

>>11819038

Some parts I find interesting about the article

>Night Trap will never appear on a Nintendo system. This game which promotes violence against women has no place in our society (The same argument that STILL gets spouted today)

>Nintendo was "just as concerned about the issue of violence, whether in the movies, television, or video games, as anyone in the room." (just like Liberman, doesn't mention the fake news press having the lust of violence)

>SEGA paved way for the formation of IDSA (Proto-ESA)

>future advertising should reinforce, not undermine game ratings (A problem that still exists today)

>Mortal Kombat & Night Trap were used as strawman

>Nintendo went "O-Oy vey! Its annuda shoah" when they got complaints for sanitizing Mortal Kombat

>Howard Lincoln has autism

>they used the commercial for Mortal Kombat as strawman

>Lieberman was biased to Nintendo

>"I can't sit here and allow you to be told that somehow the videogame business has been transformed today from children to adults. It hasn't been, and Mr. White, who is a former Nintendo employee, knows the demographics as well as I do.

>Nintendo was touting about self-regulation, yet sweated bullets when SEGA shot back by saying they didn't go far enough and showed the Super Scope bazooka

reposting (mine in conversation with a digger)

>>11817149

Alright I think it's safe to say so far these are the following general patterns that your digging and observation have produced. Right now I am not approaching this as attack attack attack. At the moment I'm still willing to try a more judo like approach to it. There may still be a chance to make the ESA live up to their own words of not wanting to become an adversary to vidya. Myself I'm inclined to adopt a more sun tzu approach right now, but clausewitz should also be at ready just in case, figuratively speaking.

-Whenever games get accused of being murder machines, serial killer training, whatever they describe as super fun happy violent times, the ESA will quickly jump in and say Nuh-uh, that's not right. which would be OK but then they're silent on racism & sexism which will be their downfall if they don't acknowledge.

The ESA might still be thinking it's the 1990s where the attack on vidya is mostly on the violins front. But when it comes to "vidya Y U RAYCISS" + sax and violins, they either fall for the bunk, are in on it, or can not free themselves from that false narrative or bogus guilt trip.

-The ESA seems to have a pre-occupation with enacting social change through vidya tech. Why? It seems there is a practical limit on what vidya can do, and is it even the ESA's job to try to enact dubious social changes through vidya.

-Related to above. The ESA itself seems at least inconsistent with it's own mission statement regarding non discrimination. Especially with vidya related grants and fellowships that discriminates on the basis of sex gender and race.

-The ESA does not hide the fact that it is there mostly for the publishers, it says it on the tin.

http://www.theesa.com/about-esa/members/

https://archive.fo/dJGqN

>Become an ESA Member

>ESA’s knowledge and expertise covers the myriad issues faced by entertainment software publishers in today’s complex business and policy environment.

My question then, is it worth that membership dues if the ESA continues the way it's going. At the moment I can not find a firm number on how much it costs, but it's likely not cheap. There is a potentially yuge sea change of public opinion in current year+2. The ESA imo runs a risk of being even more out of touch, if it continues it's behavior in staying silent possibly complicit in the vicious lie that vidya is inherently racist and sexist.

reposting

>This can be used to slam DiGRA for fearmongering.

Huh? DiGRA isn't mentioned.

reposting (in reply to previous)

>>11819249

Mia Consalvo is the president of DiGRA and her word is gospel on the think tank.

reposting

Also I just remembered the ESA's event of Nite the Unite (Fuck these confusing names) is next month.

>>11819263

>look it up

>she's on DiGRA

Ah, my mistake.

>>11819248

Inconsistency as a whole seems to be a giant theme in the ESA. The ESRB is inconsistent with their rulings, the ESA says they're for diversity yet discriminate those who aren't women or a minority, ESA says they're for gamers yet they have supported many Democrats & people whom hate video games with a passion like Joe Biden & Hillary Clinton.

reposting

Found a short article from PBS.

Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked

https://archive.fo/aPqgv

Not one single mention of "Games make you racist" and this is about as close as it got to talk about sexism

>Almost no girls play computer games.

>Historically, the video game market has been predominantly male. However, the percentage of women playing games has steadily increased over the past decade. Women now slightly outnumber men playing Web-based games. Spurred by the belief that games were an important gateway into other kinds of digital literacy, efforts were made in the mid-90s to build games that appealed to girls. More recent games such as The Sims were huge crossover successes that attracted many women who had never played games before. Given the historic imbalance in the game market (and among people working inside the game industry), the presence of sexist stereotyping in games is hardly surprising. Yet it's also important to note that female game characters are often portrayed as powerful and independent. In his book Killing Monsters, Gerard Jones argues that young girls often build upon these representations of strong women warriors as a means of building up their self confidence in confronting challenges in their everyday lives.

Even then its not an outright "Games make you sexist."

>the presence of sexist stereotyping in games is hardly surprising.

This line here though is a goddamn farce.

reposting (mine in conversation with a digger)

>>11819287

>Inconsistency as a whole seems to be a giant theme in the ESA. The ESRB is inconsistent with their rulings, the ESA says they're for diversity yet discriminate those who aren't women or a minority,

Ok, I think if your digging can be be distilled down to a paragraph, it's that.

(For the tl;dr crowd or as an opening text for say an infographic.)

>ESA says they're for gamers yet they have supported many Democrats & people whom hate video games with a passion like Joe Biden & Hillary Clinton.

With this one while I agree with you in the overall terrain, my .002 cents on it be careful and have an absolutely rock solid nugget especially with anything to do with the slippery as eels Clintons. Same with Podesta, I recommend only going with rock solid evidence and connections. Not because I don't believe that the cheese pizza thing is all fake news, on the contrary I think there are some real shady shit going on with the Clintons, Clinton Foundation, and Podesta. But the MSM is running interference for those fucks, and it has become a briar patch that can easily distract and divert attention.

In short, anything to do with Clintons, only use 100% solid connections regarding the ESA\ESRB and such, because if the Clinton machine were any more greasy they can be used as a biofuel oil refinery.

reposting

ESA Announces Staff Promotions

https://archive.fo/wUGuj

>Ed Desmond was named Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Dan Hewitt was appointed Senior Director of Communications the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today. The advancements reflect their positive accomplishments on behalf of the computer and video game industry.

>“These promotions are in appreciation of the value Ed and Dan provide to our members and the commitment they show to the industry, gamers, and their colleagues,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, the U.S. trade association representing computer and video game publishers. “They are an integral part of the ESA team that is elevating the respect and recognition of the ESA and our industry among both traditional and non-traditional audiences.”

>Mr. Desmond joined the ESA eight years ago to lead the ESA’s Federal Government Affairs Department. Desmond’s portfolio will expand to include state government relations in his new role.

>“Ed’s professionalism and knowledge of the industry make him an exceptionally effective, reliable and steadfast advocate for his industry,” said Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (R-CA). “His experience and ability to navigate the complexities of Capitol Hill have earned him the respect of his peers and those I work with in Congress.”

>Desmond will oversee a team of professionals who meet with Members of Congress, congressional staff, and state elected officials to advocate the industry’s position on issues ranging from copyright and intellectual property concerns to First Amendment protection.

>“For so long, Ed’s shown outstanding leadership and positive visibility on Capitol Hill for the video game industry. I’m delighted that the ESA and its member companies recognize and value his contributions and achievements,” said Heather Podesta, Washington political fixture and seasoned Democratic public policy strategist.

>The ESA today also recognized Mr. Hewitt, who joined the ESA in 2004, and his accomplishments and commitment to the video game industry by promoting him to Senior Director of Communications. In his new role, Hewitt will work to add the industry’s voice to coverage on a broad range of issues, including First Amendment protections, the dangers of global piracy, industry self-regulation, the E3 Media & Business Summit, and the cultural and economic significance of games.

>“Dan has a keen ability to anticipate and address his industry’s communications and public affairs challenges. His insight, expertise and ability to work easily among seemingly disparate coalitions are an asset to the ESA’s future and potential,” said Minyon Moore, longtime senior Democratic strategist and principal at the Dewey Square Group.

>These promotions are in appreciation of the value Ed and Dan provide to our members and the commitment they show to the industry, gamers, and their colleagues

Already lying through their teeth with the evidence saying otherwise.

>Heather Podesta

…thats 3 Podesta findings now.

▶Anonymous 01/29/17 (Sun) 07:12:52 5e5b83 No.11819409

>>11819398

Correction, the Huffington post article I posted earlier about the Democratic National Convention Is A Great Place To Be A Lobbyist mentioned Heather & Tony Podesta but I missed their names. Still, fucking 3 Podestas…

reposting

Ed Desmond no longer works at the ESA but nonetheless, did some digging on him.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-desmond-94991a95

>SVP, Government Affairs for the ESA from May 2000 – September 2008

>Built government affairs program for the video game industry from a one-person office to a state, federal, and international team of 6 internal staff and numerous external state and federal consulting firms.

>currently Executive Vice President, External Affairs for Toy Industry Association

reposting

>>11819398

>“For so long, Ed’s shown outstanding leadership and positive visibility on Capitol Hill for the video game industry. I’m delighted that the ESA and its member companies recognize and value his contributions and achievements,” said Heather Podesta, Washington political fixture and seasoned Democratic public policy strategist.

Unless I misread it, it appears be a good word put in by a lobbyist regarding another lobbyist for a lobbying group, which the ESA basically is I guess. But is Heather Podesta directly connected to the ESA, did she ever do any work for them? It might be a small lobbying world in washington K street, though it's not very comforting thought that the Podestas seems to be everywhere. (This is the same Heather Podesta of Tony Podesta's ex wife?)

>The ESA today also recognized Mr. Hewitt, who joined the ESA in 2004, and his accomplishments and commitment to the video game industry by promoting him to Senior Director of Communications. In his new role, Hewitt will work to add the industry’s voice to coverage on a broad range of issues, including First Amendment protections, the dangers of global piracy, industry self-regulation, the E3 Media & Business Summit, and the cultural and economic significance of games.

If you switched the name ESA to MPAA or RIAA, I would not be able to tell the difference. :^)

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>>11819450

Besides being mentioned or one of the groups connected to one of their organizations, I haven't seen any Podesta work for the ESA.

>(This is the same Heather Podesta of Tony Podesta's ex wife?)

Yep.

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A convention was going on in Ohio in July of last year.

https://archive.fo/FaGaz

>all week

>The Entertainment Software Association will host a video game lounge in the Cleveland Rocks Hospitality Zone. The lounge will be open all day, Monday through Thursday.

>Tuesday

>9 a.m.

>Heather Podesta + Partners “Let them Eat Meat” Red, White and Brunch event at Mabel’s BBQ.

Elemendorf Ryan to lobby for video game group (The ESA)

https://archive.fo/F4RnD

>Elmendorf Ryan has signed Entertainment Software Association, the group representing the interests of the computer and video game industry, Senate lobbying disclosures show. The firm’s Steve Elmendorf and Robert Cogorno will be lobbying on “general advocacy and legislative strategy on behalf of the software gaming industry.”

>The video game industry has been scrutinized in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting, with the National Rifle Association blaming violent video games for gun crimes. Franklin Square Group, Monument Policy Group, The Smith-Free Group and Venable are among the firms that have previously lobbied on behalf of the group, which spent $4.8 million on lobbying the federal government in 2012.

Elmendorf, Sullivan, Jones bundle for Clinton

https://archive.fo/S5xj8

>The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation is hosting a panel discussion at the Republican National Convention on productivity growth, encryption, and workforce training with Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas); Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio); Erin Egan, chief privacy officer, Facebook; Michael Gallagher, president & CEO, Entertainment Software Association; James C. Greenwood, president & CEO, Biotechnology Innovation Organization; Raymond Kerins, senior vice president, Bayer Corporation; Dan’l Lewin, corporate vice president, technology and civic engagement, Microsoft Corporation; and Robert D. Atkinson, President, ITIF.

reposting

ESA switches to Don't fuck with video games mode

Guns Drawn on K Street After Video Game Survey

https://archive.fo/I575b

> The Entertainment Software Association – better known as the lobby for video game producers – thought it was living in an alternate reality last week when a major public relations firm released the results of a national poll about its industry.

>The PR firm, Hill & Knowlton, sent out a press release that blared: "H&K survey shows 60% of respondents agree that the government should regulate the sale of video games." Suffice it to say that was the last thing that the lobby wanted to read.

>In fact, it had read the result before. This fall H&K competed for the association's PR business and conducted the survey as a way to show how eager it was to get the association as a client.

>The association chose a different firm, however, and that's where the controversy begins. A statement by the association suggests that Hill & Knowlton's action smacks of retribution.

>"Hill & Knowlton's decision to release these findings was both unprofessional and unethical," said Dan Hewitt, the association's spokesman. In addition, he said, "the release of only part of the findings paints an inaccurate picture of the entertainment software industry."

>Among the poll's other findings: More than two-thirds of 18- to 34-year-olds play video games and fewer than one in five Americans think playing video games is a negative way to spend time with friends and family.

>H&K denies that it released the survey out of vengeance. Joe Paluska, who heads the firm's technology practice, said Hill & Knowlton had planned to produce the survey later in the year as a way to show its "thought leadership" on the topic, but moved it up to meet the association's deadline for hiring a PR firm.

>"We had always planned to conduct and publish a gaming survey," said Paluska, who describes himself as "an avid gamer."

>The full poll results, Paluska added, are available upon request, and the press release says so.

>The association isn't buying that explanation, however. "Its timing is questionable," Hewitt complained.

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I found photos of the ESA's 20th anniversary and…I've got to ask, am I the only one getting creepy vibes from them?

https://washingtonlife.smugmug.com/Other-1/Entertainment-Software/i-BH4Pqb4/A

Heather Podesta is on there too but that really just begs for more questions.

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Found Huey in Park Partners

https://archive.fo/ZyV3m

>Making Parks Relevant in Today’s Political Environment

>John Podesta, Chair and Counselor for the Center for American Progress, offered insight into views on park issues from the perspective of his time as Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton and his major role in Democratic policy development. He reminded the group that the Congress was as divided during the Clinton Administration as it is now – but also that a divided Congress was able to rally around parks. He said Summiteers must remind politicians that investing in parks will create jobs and help drive the economy. Asking political candidates to go on record during campaigns puts park advocates in a good leveraging position if that candidate makes it to office, he said, so target all candidates. Mr. Podesta ended his remarks with a reminder to drive home the local argument – when an issue hits close to home, it really starts to matter to people, and to those they elect.

>The Effect of Changing American Demographics on Parks

>Erik Huey, Senior Vice President of the Entertainment Software Association, acknowledged that his appearance at the Summit had generated some surprise and offered insights into how and why the gaming industry could help get Americans outdoors. The catalyst, he told the group, was the migration of games to mobile devices. Gamers comprise an increasingly large segment of the population, he said. Ninety-eight percent of American children today play video games, and 72% of homes have computer or video games. Members of the Entertainment Software Association understand how to market and appeal to children for leisure time use, and his organization offered to explore use of the NPS centennial as an opportunity to collaborate and engage with the agency and park partners. Meeting kids where they are is imperative, he said, and technology is evolving very quickly. He demonstrated use of NASA satellite imagery to create a video game for realistic snowboarding on any mountain in the world, and challenged park advocates to explore ways to partner with his members to use technology to get people outdoors and active.

reposting

Nika Nour

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nika-nour-aabb7620

>Director, Federal Government Affairs for the ESA since January 2016

Ali Amirhooshmand

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-amirhooshmand-b88b204

>Senior Director, Federal Government Affairs for the ESA from March 2013 – July 2015

Tom Foulkes

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-foulkes-9973857

>Vice President State Government Affairs for the ESA since January 2011

>>11819555

>trips

kek wills Cruella

reposting

>>11819562

Here's a quick dig on Nika Nour. Summary:

* Former congressional staffer

* PR director for Internet Association (lobbying group)

* Travels in Republican / Libertarian circles in DC

* Once appeared with Heather West

* Appeared at SXSW "harassment" summit

Nika Pari Nourmohammadi (Nika Nour), Congressional Staffer

08/01/10 - 08/31/12

https://www.legistorm.com/person/Nika_Pari_Nourmohammadi/154364.html https://archive.is/k4sgq

December 7, 2012 | News, Press Releases

The Internet Association Expands Its Team

CONTACT: Betsy Barrett 202.803.5783 / betsy@internetassociation.org

Names Gina Grandinetti Woodworth as Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs

Since its official launch, The IA also hired Betsy Barrett (former Communications Director to U.S. Representative John D. Dingell (D-MI-15)) as Director of Communications, Nika Nour (former New Media Specialist at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce) as Digital Director, and Alezandra Brady (a recent USC MPA graduate) as Office Manager.

Open Source: Internet Association Website Connects Users, Policymakers

http://associationsnow.com/2013/07/open-source-internet-association-website-connects-users-policymakers/ https://archive.is/2SeJy

“This is a project that we collaborated on with Project Madison,” said Nika Nour, digital director at IA. “The goal here is to get feedback and engage with individuals line by line.”

ESA names new gov't affairs directors

Trade group taps Nika Nour, Melissa Foxman, Kevin O'Hanlon to advocate for games industry with US federal officials

Wednesday 2nd December 2015

https://archive.is/8UL8E

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-12-02-esa-names-new-govt-affairs-directors/?refby=gaminginsiders

Women on the Move: ESA Hires Nika Nour and Melissa Foxman

Behind the Games News December 3, 2015

http://remeshed.com/2015/women-on-the-move-esa-hires-nika-nour-and-melissa-foxman/

https://archive.is/C1tE8

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has hired Nika Nour and Melissa Foxman as directors in their Federal Government Affairs department. They also promoted their employee Kevin O’Hanlon to director status.

Nour was most recently the Director of Communications and Creative Strategies at the Internet Association. Before that, she was a new media specialist for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Foxman joins the ESA from the Women’s High-Tech Coalition, where she served as the Executive director of the nonprofit. The Women’s High-Tech Coalition promotes the exchange of technology policy ideas between women leaders in public and private sectors.

O’Hanlon was hired by the ESA in February to provide management support for their federal government affairs efforts. Previously, he was the Managing Director of Polaris Consulting, LLC.

Upcoming talks on the politics of “Star Wars” and “Star Trek”

By Ilya Somin July 19, 2016

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/07/19/upcoming-talks-on-the-politics-of-star-wars-and-star-trek/?utm_term=.3bcc26232969

https://archive.is/Zd5X3

She’s Millennial, Republican and Muslim. What Does She Think About Trump?

December 14, 2015

http://bold.global/carrie-sheffield/2015/12/14/check-out-this-millennial-muslim-republicans-response-to-trump/ https://archive.is/8ZIZ5

Pummeled online, SXSW announces harassment summit

http://venturebeat.com/2015/10/30/pummeled-online-sxsw-announces-online-harassment-summit/

POLITICO Covers the Foundry’s Launch

http://www.ilpfoundry.us/politico-covers-the-foundrys-launch/ https://archive.is/ApEmt

Senator Rand Paul Among 'Yahoos' Spotted At Internet Pioneer's 20th Anniversary D.C. Party

http://www.revamp.com/story.php?StoryID=3302 https://archive.is/fZC0A

Managing and Protecting IP Across Borders

http://getglobalexpo.com/sessions/managing-protecting-ip-across-borders/ https://archive.is/LSVt6

Thursday, October 20

5:15 pm – 6:15 pm

Plaza 2

Speakers:

* John Lord – Attorney, One LLP

* Nika Nour – Director, Federal Government Affairs at Entertainment Software Association

* John Tehranian – Founding Partner, One LLP

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

reposting

from >>329724 to >>329771

https://archive.is/Bx2xM

reposting

Digging recap

>Julie Kitt is part of a law firm like Huey

>Jenny Lai used to be in the For Dummies book company before joining the ESA and then leaving them for National Urban Fellows

>Careen Yapp is not only a board member of the ESA, but also Women in Games whose goal is to, you guessed it, promote the inclusion and advancement of women into the global vidya industry (Save for Japan, they'll never be short of them)

>ESA still continues to expose themselves as discriminating to non-minorities & non-woman, says their program provide an undeniable, positive impact, and want games to be made to solve social issues like gender gap

>Canada is the 3rd producer of video games trailing behind the United States and Japan

>nothing much on the ESA of Canada

>35 years later, Uncensored Videogames. Are adults ruining it for the rest of us? hasn't changed with proto-Anita there (Kristin Reilly)

>SEGA paved the way for the ESA to be created by the formation of the IDSA, the proto-ESA, because the thought of SEGA's rivals such as Sony & Nintendo adapting SEGA's rating system was unthinkable

>ESA's Nite to Unite event is next month

>with the evidence so far, the ESA's biggest weakness & downfall is inconsistency. Defend violent video games while remaining tight-lipped on "Games make you racist/sexist" and being for diversity yet discriminate those who aren't women or minorities

>Ed Desmond no longer works for the ESA, he now works as Executive Vice President for Toy Industry Association

>even though it was already there, there were 3 Podesta findings

>found photos of the ESA's 20th anniversary at the Warner Building in Washington D.C. Needless to say, it seemed very unsettling

>Huey wants to find a way to get people outdoors & active but with John Podesta also there and Huey talking about how The ESA understands how to market and appeal to children for leisure time use along with Meeting kids where they are is imperative gives me a different view

>Nika Nour is a former congressional staffer

>>329756

>The ESA seems to have a pre-occupation with enacting social change through vidya tech. Why?

Probably from some dubious papers written by 'experts' and 'academics' stating as fact a connection between behaviour and vidya (previously movies). Muh Left have already been running with this idea as they think it's a way to enact 'social change'. Except it's an assumption based on speculation.

>is it even the ESA's job to try to enact dubious social changes through vidya.

It's not the ESA's job, it's people using it to benefit themselves and/or their agenda. Spread cohorts across the media and you get a self-serving merry-go-round - the current tune is 'vidya? sexism! vidya? racism!'

All sing-a-long-a-diversity.

>>329774

It's been mentioned before how the ESA seems to be similar to the MPAA\RIAA, and that comparison becomes sharper to me with more of the infodig I read. Same regressive obssession with trying to enact questionable social experimentation disguised as "progressive change" that is not within their responsibility. Same priority with protecting publishers and their own existence first, actual content creators a far distant second or dead last on their list, and either a passive aggressive stance or outright hostility against customers.

reposting

Starting off today's digging with the ECA.

https://archive.fo/CGINi

>Tomorrow, the United States Supreme Court will convene to hear oral arguments for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association – a case most gamers are likely familiar with. The court will decide whether or not to overturn the decisions of the Northern District of California Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals – both of which found California law AB 1179, which bans the sale of "violent" video games to minors, to be unconstitutional.

>According to Entertainment Consumers Association vice president and general counsel Jennifer Mercurio, there's a lot more at stake in this case than whether or not mature titles will be legally withheld from Californian teenagers. Much, much more, in fact – should the Supreme Court overturn the ruling of the two lower courts, certain First Amendment protections currently afforded to video games (and, by association, other forms of entertainment media) could be abolished, completely changing the landscape of the industry.

>Mercurio sums it up nicely: "I'd say it's clearly the most important and influential decision that the video game industry has ever faced."

>"Ultimately," Mercurio explained, "the case is about whether video games will be protected like other artistic content like movies, music and books. If the Supreme Court finds that violent content is not protected in video games, it'll only be a matter of time before the question is reopened for the other entertainment media as well."

>The removal of these protections wouldn't go unnoticed by game consumers. According to Mercurio, should the Supreme Court rule in favor of Gov. Schwarzenegger, the content, cost and availability of video games would be affected for the worse.

>"Games would become less accessible and more expensive," Mercurio explained. "Added costs associated with developing, marketing and selling games with any violence in them will be rolled into the price of games and passed on to consumers. We'd also likely see game developers censoring themselves in the creative process, perhaps even making one version for the U.S. and another for the rest of the world."

>"Retailers would probably sell games very differently than we're used to presently – either creating a separate area for those that might run afoul of the law, and some may choose to cease merchandising them altogether, due to the inherent risk," Mercurio added.

>These worries echo those of Activision Blizzard chief public policy officer George Rose, who stated earlier this month that game store clerks would have to "guess whether a game is covered by the law or not because it won't use the ratings system our industry developed." Should they guess incorrectly, they or their employer could face considerable fines.

>Of course, AB 1179 isn't the first state-level law that restricts violent entertainment media from minors. Many similar pieces of law have been drawn up by state legislators across the country – and almost all of them have been found unconstitutional in their respective District and Circuit Courts.

>"There is a lot of precedent for this type of case, and it's getting to the Supreme Court," Mercurio explained. "Books, movies, music, comic books and magazines have all been attacked in this manner and they have all, thus far, prevailed as protected content under the First Amendment. We hope that the Court views video games in the same light."

>One such precedent was created in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals' 2001 decision in the case of American Amusement Machine Association v. Teri Kendrick. The court repealed an Indianapolis ordinance which limited the accessibility of arcade games with violence deemed excessive enough to be "harmful to minors." Due to the widely-tailored language of the law, the court decided that it would not have "conformity with First Amendment principles."

>One major factor in Schwarzenegger v. EMA will be the scientific link between the consumption of violent media and the development of violent tendencies in adolescents. According to the language of AB 1179: Exposing minors to depictions of violence in video games, including sexual and heinous violence, makes those minors more likely to experience feelings of aggression, to experience a reduction of activity in the frontal lobes of the brain, and to exhibit violent antisocial or aggressive behavior.

>However, Mercurio contests that no generally accepted evidence of this claim exists

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>>11822020

>"Studies continue to surface regarding this topic, but none of them has shown definitive proof that there is a direct causal link," Mercurio explained. "Unlike many of the parties weighing in on both sides of this case, the ECA has openly endorsed the idea of longitudinal and comprehensive studies about the effects of violent media – on minors and adults. Instead, what we've seen generally are often biased research attempts that study gaming and exclude all other media."

>"For video games, 2011 and 2012 will probably be extremely active across the country on the legislative front."

>"Many publishing executives have said that they're hopeful that the Court is hearing the case in order to put a halt to on-going state-level actions, but there's really very little reason for that optimism," Mercurio said. "A win for publishers and merchants would not stop additional legislative attempts."

>"Honestly, the end result will go beyond the Court's decision," Mercurio added. "[Sen. Leland] Yee has said widely that he will introduce new legislation should the Court decide for video games. Other state legislators have said they're going to introduce legislation in response to this case. For video games, 2011 and 2012 will probably be extremely active across the country on the legislative front."

>Mercurio suggests that any gamers looking to get involved with these major decisions should follow the efforts of organizations like the ECA. Interested parties can still sign the group's "Gamer Petition," which protests the government to find that "video games are indeed free speech, protected under the First Amendment, like other entertainment media." In addition, the ECA will host a rally on the steps of the Supreme Court tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET.

>"The louder our collective voice becomes," Mercurio said, "the more likely we are to be heard."

The body was too long.

reposting (this one is a 3 posts conversation combined into one posting just for convenience)

▶Anonymous 01/29/17 (Sun) 17:48:40 6da4d3 No.11822048>>11822051 >>11822054 >>11822055

>>11822027

>>[Sen. Leland] Yee

The one in prison for illegal arms dealing?

▶Anonymous 01/29/17 (Sun) 17:49:08 54263d No.11822051

>>11822048

Yep.

▶Anonymous 01/29/17 (Sun) 17:49:31 460aae No.11822054

File (hide): dc273f27f8752c2⋯.jpg (110.54 KB, 1280x720, 16:9, leland_yee_0-1.jpg)

>>11822048

Oh yes, that same Leland Yee.

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ECA steps up lobbying: Consumer group enlists a former ESA attorney to represent gamers' interests in Washington, D.C.

https://archive.fo/pR3AC

>For years, publishers have been represented in Washington, D.C. by lobbyists for the Entertainment Software Association. Likewise, retailers have been represented by lobbyists for the Entertainment Merchants Association. Now there's going to be a lobbyist representing the gamers themselves, as the Entertainment Consumers Association today announced the hiring of veteran industry attorney Jennifer Mercurio to head its Government Affairs operations.

>As a former attorney for the ESA, Mercurio worked on state-level legislative issues. In her new role, she will run the ECA's government relations and advocacy efforts.

>"Her track record in successfully lobbying against anti-games legislation and being a part of the team that overturned the few bills that passed, speaks for itself," ECA president Hal Halpin said of Mercurio in a statement. "We've tasked Jenn with some big challenges, but she'll be working cooperatively alongside of our parallel trade association partners–many of whom she knows well, of course."

Interesting the ECA hired a former ESA member…

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Jennifer Mercurio: She’s geeky, she’s a gamer and she’s fighting for us

https://archive.fo/jjmr6

>If you haven’t figured it out yet, today is a very big deal for gamers in the United States, especially those of us who enjoy a little violence in our games. It’s not just Election Day – the Supreme Court of the United States is hearing The State of California vs. The Entertainment Merchants Association and Entertainment Software Association, and essentially deciding whether or not a large fine can be given to merchants who sell violent games to minors in California.

>Sure, “it’s just one state,” and “they’re just keeping violent games away from kids, what’s the harm in that?” You might not realize that there are a lot of problems with the law, and if it’s allowed to stand…well, the future of video games as an entertainment medium gets a lot bleaker.

>That’s why I’m glad we’ve got Jennifer (or “Jenn”) Mercurio on our side. A self-described “geeky smart chick,” she’s the vice president and general counsel of the Entertainment Consumers Association, and she was in charge of the amicus brief filed this September. She knows exactly what the harm is in California’s law, and she explained it all to me.

>The current case against violent games is by no means the first. In my (admittedly lacking, as far as I’m concerned) interview prep, I came across four – one case each in 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2010. But it turns out this is a battle that has been raging for over a decade in a number of courts.

>“Since 1994, there have been one or more video game violence cases going on,” said Mercurio, who’s been with the ECA since 2007.

>In 1994, I was about eight years old, and while I don’t remember a lot, I do know for a fact that two of my favorite at-home activities involved playing Streets of Rage and Mortal Kombat. I was likely one of those kids, the ones that so concerned legislators and moms around the country. (At least I wasn’t inspired to commit violent acts, like everyone seems to think is a given once an ounce of virtual blood is involved.)

>I asked Jenn what, exactly, the big deal is here. I mean, I get it, but a ton of people…well, they don’t. So, she spelled it all out.

>“This [case] isn’t just about video games, it’s about First Amendment protections in general,” Mercurio said. “One of the threshold questions is, ‘Should video games be protected speech, like other types of media – like books, comic books, magazines, movies, or music?’ The Supreme Court has not, thus far, stated that one way or the other.”

>What we might end up getting when the Court does decide to state something will either confirm or shatter movie critic Roger Ebert’s assertion that “video games can never be art.” Well, in a legal sense, anyway.

>“Because one could argue that video games are art, they should be protected. We are hoping the Supreme Court makes that statement in their decision – that video games are like other protected art forms,” Mercurio said. “If that is the case, then the law itself would be unconstitutional, presumably because it could be seen as a restraint of protected free speech.”

>Lots of your Average Joes and Janes don’t really understand that, though. Video games are free speech? they ask me. Well, yeah. Sure, you can buy them in the same stores where you get your milk, bread and eggs, but the last time I checked, those things didn’t have any First Amendment rights. You put them together, you get French toast – still no free speech, no matter how much it feels like art in your mouth.

>Games, however, are another story entirely. Break them down and every piece is protected.

>“Video games have music, visuals, the storylines, the action sequences in order, the voiceovers and acting…everything that is similar to movies, and scores, and machinima, and directing and screenplays…everything that is First Amendment-protected speech,” Mercurio said. “Not anything that is not a commodity.”

>Granted, the whole “Is it art?” debate isn’t the only thing that will be brought up in court. If the EMA and ESA don’t win this case, it opens the floodgates for every single state to make its own version of the law – which would have what Mercurio calls a “chilling effect” on the entire video game industry.

>It works like this: Say we’re an an alternate universe and we’ve got States 1-30 who pass laws very similar to California’s. States 31-50 think that’s just not enough and pass laws with varying standards. Video game developers aren’t going to develop for the majority – they’ll develop for the strictest states, and possibly go even broader, just to avoid causing trouble. Games like The Godfather and Grand Theft Auto might not even get made at all in this alternate universe.

>What’s more, if a game is based on a violent book or movie, that could also be problematic.

reposting continued from previous

>>11822105

>“If, let’s say, a ‘Godfather’ video game were banned to certain classes of people in [one state],” Mercurio said, “why not go even further? If it’s bad as a video game, why not ban the movie trilogy? Why not ban the book? Why not burn the book?”

>It’s definitely a scary thought, and if things don’t go our way, it could happen.

>It’s amazing to think that people still think minors are out there buying M-rated (“Mature”) titles despite the game industry’s self-policing via the Entertainment Software Review Board (ESRB). The ESRB employs people who are probably the best at deciding what’s appropriate for children – professional educators. The politicians trying to make the rules? They probably aren’t going to know as much.

>“Elected officials know what they’re talking about, but being an educator and working on educational systems is not their full-time gig,” Mercurio said.

>Not only that, but the ESRB’s system provides for different levels of violence (and other content) by age group, whereas the California law limits the same level of violence to everyone under 18.

>“[That] seems odd to us because the ESRB has different thresholds for people who are 10 than people who are 17 and a half,” Mercurio said. “Obviously, someone who is 17 and a half handles things a little differently than someone who is 10. So it seems overly broad and unnecessarily confusing.”

>The ESRB works together with several game merchants in its ESRB Retail Council (ERC). The ERC partners make their best efforts to avoid exposing minors to M-rated content as well as provide information about ESRB ratings to potential consumers.

>Surprisingly, this self-policing works. And retailers are getting better and better at enforcing it. Recent secret shopper attempts funded by the Parents Television Council (so take the results with a grain of salt) have found that some kids are still able to purchase M-rated games, but again, almost every retailer improved, and at several, not a single purchase attempt was successful. Compare that to just two years ago and you’ll see a difference.

>“Far and away, the video game rating system is the most used at point-of-sale, the most complied-with,” said Mercurio. When comparing this to movies, she said “that shows that over a short period of time, the ESRB rating system has gone much further than the movie rating system.”

>The ESRB was founded in 1994. The Motion Picture Association of America? 1922 (though the name didn’t change until 1945). In its 16 years of existence, the ESRB has caught up with, if not surpassed, the MPAA in terms of self-policing. So what else can we do to spread the message about the ESRB’s rating system?

>Attorneys general of several states have already implemented public service announcements to get the word out about the system, which rates games for certain age groups based on content, just like the MPAA’s movie rating system. Merchants, overall, do an excellent job of promoting the ratings system. Even with a simple Google search, the ratings are readily available, along with descriptors – brief on the box, lengthy on the website – that describe what kind of content is in the game.

>“I don’t know, other than doing more of what we’re already all doing, what else there is,” Mercurio said. While there may not be much else to do, it still comes down to parental authority on this issue. Elected officials should not have to nanny the game industry – we don’t need it.

>The ECA’s amicus (“friend of the court”) brief, which Mercurio worked on with lawyers from Hughes Hubbard and Reed, LLP and Brooklyn Law School’s BLIP Clinic, was one of 27 submitted to the Supreme Court.

>“On our brief alone, we had six organizations that represent Americans from every walk of life – all of these folks, and all of these organizations, are saying that parents have the right to exercise their own parental authority,” she said. “We’re talking about speech itself. First Amendment protected speech and artistic expression should be protected under our Constitution, and that’s ultimately what it comes down to.”

>You may still be wondering why I’m so interested in what Jenn has to say (though after 1600 words, I’d hope that you get it by now). Well, she’s not just fighting for us – she’s one of us. A geek, a gamer – however you want to put it, she knows what is really at stake here.

>Granted, she might not be the most hardcore gamer out there, but she’s still a gamer.

reposting continued from previous

>>11822129

>“I like The Sims and SimCity,” Mercurio said. “I like building stuff, honestly, so I like both The Sims and SimCity because I can build cities or buildings or people.” She also likes the fact that she can just walk away from the games and they self-generate. “I’m a multitasker,” she said.

>“I like the different kinds of Wii games, to try to get fit, but I’ve been working on the amicus, so I can’t say how well that works. I like all different kinds of games.”

>It’s a “like,” if not a “love,” that has been brewing for years. Jenn grew up as a rabid Star Wars fan – even now, she said, she gets made fun of because she loves Star Wars so much. (Even the three prequels. Yeah, I know.) She has contemplated wearing a Star Wars-related costume, but “I wouldn’t dress up in a Stormtrooper outfit or anything, because that’s not a breathable fabric and I don’t like being sweaty, but I would consider dressing up as Princess Leia, maybe.” That’s still dedication.

>When LucasArts started making games, that was enough to draw her in.

>“I liked the puzzles and the strategy,” Mercurio said, “and to be honest I just loved George Lucas. Other than my husband, George Lucas is ‘The Dude.’ Like in The Big Lebowski, he’s just ‘The Dude.’”

>From there, it was easy enough to make the jump to other games, and she eventually started working for the Entertainment Software Association before moving to the ECA. She attends video game expos, speaks on panels, and, well…she loves the gaming industry.

>“I think that gamers are really cool people,” she said. “Developers and all the people in the video game world are pretty darn cool…everybody seems to really be coming from a really good place. …I just kind of followed what I like to do, and have been very blessed in being able to do it and also work with people that I love working with.”

>If only we could all be so lucky.

>“I’m a chick fighting for what I do,” she said.

>In anywhere from five to 30 weeks (depending on how long the Supreme Court takes to make a decision), we’ll find out how the fight turns out. Hopefully, it’s in her (and our) favor.

The body was too fat.

reposting

ECA addresses important digital rights issues with the introduction of new work group

https://archive.fo/hIqG2

>The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), the non-profit membership organization that represents gamers, today announced the formation of a new work group, Gamers for Digital Rights. This new group’s online presence is now available and features valuable information for consumers who want to learn more about their legal rights and understand more about issues in the world of video games, such as digital content distribution, license agreements, virtual property, and video game piracy. Gamers for Digital Rights is free to join and puts the power in the hands of gamers by providing the tools and resources that will help protect the rights of video game consumers today.

>“Digital rights are an extremely important and timely subject for everyone who buys and enjoys entertainment, but especially for those who purchase and play video games,” said ECA Vice President and General Counsel, Jennifer Mercurio. “With Gamers for Digital Rights, our goal is to educate consumers about their rights, as well as the copyright and trademark laws associated with such technologies, and then work to open a dialogue between software publishers, developers and gamers.”

>In forming Gamers for Digital Rights and becoming more active in a wide variety of DRM issues, the ECA has recently hired Robert L. Hunter, IV (“Beau”) as their Digital Rights Consultant. In his new role, Mr. Hunter will head up the ECA’s efforts on related outreach and educational programs for the Government Affairs team. Mr. Hunter also currently serves as the President of Global Intellectual Property Securities, a consulting firm dedicated to helping multinational clients develop IP education and enforcement programs. Previously, he was the Director of Strategic Operations and Development for IPSA International, as well as Manager for IP Enforcement with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade association that represents video game publishers.

>“The addition of Beau gives our Government Affairs team increased depth of knowledge and unparalleled expertise when it comes to topics related to this subject,” added Mercurio. “The importance of this issue is mounting, as we move from a packaged goods model, where we own what we buy, to a digitally-distributed model, where we may have a license for what we buy. With Beau’s unique background and skill-sets, we’re excited to have him on our team and are optimistic that we can tackle those challenges and work cooperatively with publishers to strike a fair balance that benefits everyone.”

Another former ESA member spotted: Robert L. Hunter, IV

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ESA head says games industry's gender diversity "not good enough" but it's on it's way

https://archive.fo/hmH0g

>The Entertainment Software Association's CEO says the game industry is on its way to achieving greater diversity, but that there's still a ways to go.

>ESA head and former United States chief technology advisor Michael Gallagher spoke about the industry's diversity issues when asked about GamerGate during a session at DICE.

>"I'm so encouraged about the growth trajectory and the positive trajectory of this industry when it comes to diversity," said Gallagher, comparing the gaming industry's 22 percent female employment rate to the lower rates in the broader technology industry.

>"Now that's not good enough," he continued, "and we know it's not good enough."

>Looking to the future, however, Gallagher said that out of the Higher Education Video Game Alliance's 180 institutions teaching video game development, female students represent 31 percent of enrollees.

>Gallagher contrasted that figure with engineering, where female students are "around 15 percent, 16 percent," and said the trend in games "looks much brighter when it comes to the diversity issues of today."

>Citing the high volume of recent major games with playable female characters, Gallagher said publishers are "all seeing the same direction, the same need to address the entire marketplace."

>"This is a cultural medium," Gallagher concluded. "Those elements of entertainment and culture will pull us in that direction faster than other forms of technology or the tech sector."

>Several major tech and gaming companies have committed to more diverse hiring practices in the wake of 2014's GamerGate controversy, including Intel and EA.

>that Gamergate namedrop

>"It's not good enough! We need more!"

>this was 1 year before Anita Sarkeesian's tweet

GUILTY AS CHARGED

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ESA retweets Banana Hitler

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/825404323651678210

Study: Video Games are Among the Most Popular Ways for Men to Cope with Stress

https://archive.fo/xTVqn

>A new survey conducted by University College London reveals that video games are one of the most popular ways for men to cope with stress.

>The hobby has been maligned in the mainstream media with undue and unwarranted coverage of “GamerGate,” with much of the gaming media themselves promoting the narrative that the players themselves are holding back the medium with allegations of misogyny and sexism.

>But this new study aims to demonstrate how men and women show significant differences in therapy, coping behavior and help-seeking. It notes that men in general are less inclined than women to seek help for their psychological needs.

I'm still waiting for the study that says "Games don't make you racist or sexist.", that's all I want.

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It's not just the ESA whos been talking about diversity, remember that article I posted that talked about EA in the LGBT controversy? Dan Hewitt was there.

https://archive.fo/DEtmm

>As Entertainment Software Association VP of media and events Dan Hewitt reminded attendees during the first panel, the game industry is an (annual) $24 billion business that spans 50 percent of American homes, and the average gamer is 31-years-old. So why are we still seeing such an underrepresentation of diversity in gaming, despite a diversity of gamers?

>"It's a white, dudely industry," Kixeye executive producer Caryl Shaw explained, referencing her developer colleagues. "In general it is a very hard place for women to get in. I think that that's gonna change."

>While the first panel focused on identifying which issues were most prevalent in the game industry – overrepresentation of white male heterosexual characters, online communities that are rife with bigotry, and a lack of narrative inclusion of LGBT issues, just to name a few – the second focused on how to fix those issues. As EA Battlefield community manager Jaap Tuinman said during the second panel, "We have a responsibilty from a corporate standpoint where we create a safehaven that we can control." Tuinman was speaking to the community forums he moderates, forums that EA BioWare Austin general manager Matt Bromberg said are often filled with, "things that make you want to stay in bed in the morning."

>One thing that all panelists agreed on? The larger discussion over LGBT issues in gaming is moving in the right direction.

FUCK THE ESA, FUCK EA, FUCK ANYONE WHO THINKS THERES NOTHING WRONG WITH QUOTAS AND THINK THERES A HUGE UNDER REPRESENTATION ISSUE

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>>11823656

Can the recent interview be used?

http://thegg.net/interviews/interview-with-dan-hewitt-of-the-esa-concerning-communication-within-the-gaming-community/

>At the end of the day, gamers are an integral part of the video game ecosystem and gamers are who this industry always wants to impress new and innovative creative entertainment and when you put out a title that – there’s nothing than putting out a title that gets rave reviews from not only critics but also gamers themselves. And that kind of energy and excitement is great. That energy and passion – gamers’ energy and passion for the medium is unlike anything you see in other industries. There are car enthusiasts, and there are people who are excited about their phones, but you don’t see the online conversations and discussion and cosplay and showing up at conferences that you get in the video game industry.

>And as the owners and managers of E3 we put together an event that not only is representative of developers and publishers but resonates with gamers. And we provide an opportunity to connect gamers with the products that you see at E3. That’s what I stay up at night thinking about and we work every day here for that. Gamers are always from a mind whether it’s at E3 or working with the Video Game Voter’s Network in mobilizing gamers to take action on political issues facing video games. That’s the core of who we are – is connecting and talking to and engaging gamers.

>That’s why when you said, “Thank you for wanting to communicate” I was like “Of course!” like, you guys have a direct connection to a wide range of gamers. And that’s who, when I talk about the work that we do here at the ESA –and have always done— and if you look at our history of legal victories what you’ll see is that we always defend and advance the rights of gamers to get the content that they want. So, I think that this notion that there is “Industry Proper” and gamers themselves is kind of outdated.

>I think that if you look at our materials both online and our social media and our printed materials as well. You’re going to see that we’ve always had gamers front in mind. And we always want to engage and have conversations where we can meet them at E3, Pax, or what-have-you – we always want to be a part of that dialogue.

>It seems to me that if we had tweeted that and kept it, it would seem that we were trying to provoke people or trying to antagonize them, but by taking it down, we were doing just the opposite of creating another Jack Thompson. We are trying not to antagonize people in the Industry. Being respectful to all sides. It’s kind of a difference of a view there. But at the end of the day, it’s really about that it was a mistake.

IDEA FOR A NAME: DIRTY DAN HEWITT

reposting (added archive and tweetsave to give context since IMO it warrants it)

Fullsized image

>>11823748

>>11823768

Here's the tl;dr for all that walls of text, care of @grummz

*added original twitter link, archive and tweetsave:

https://twitter.com/Grummz/status/825894686166437889

https://archive.fo/tRQuq

https://tweetsave.com/grummz/status/825894686166437889

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>>11823909

THE TPP

https://archive.fo/uLhzM

SOPA

https://archive.fo/MtibA (Gamasutra)

https://archive.fo/9Izvc (Jason "Dragon's Crown is for pedophiles" Schreier)

https://archive.fo/HZU4s (Erik Kain)

https://archive.fo/wwDWP

https://archive.fo/JI8qk

PIPA

https://archive.fo/XBSYR

>Lobbying records for the second and third quarter of 2011 indicate that the ESA, which spends more than $1,000,000 lobbying politicians about video games every three months, paid two firms a combined $190,000 to lobby about PIPA and other issues.

Link's inside that article

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>>11824003

I'm not sure whether or not a little backstory regarding the ESA's formation should be made (formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association [IDSA], SEGA helping the formation of IDSA, etc.) but you should add in Why is all this bad the ESA's own words in which ESA is the trade association representing the U.S. video game industry. (A lot of hypocrisy and damage can be dealt)

https://archive.fo/5lzH6

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ESA Altered Wikipedia Entries on Mod Chips, Abandonware back in 2007

https://archive.fo/hUQsm

>Using a publicly available software tool, GamePolitics has learned that the ESA, the trade organization which represents U.S. video game publishers, altered the Wikipedia entry pertaining to mod chips in August, 2006 and again in April, 2007. An entry detailing a popular abandonware website was also edited by the ESA in August, 2006.

>The edits were traced to ESA HQ in Washington, D.C. using the newly-released Wikipedia Scanner.

>Earlier this month, as reported by GamePolitics, federal Homeland Security agents, supported by the ESA, raided 32 locations in 16 U.S. cities over alleged copyright violations. The federal agents were seeking mod chips under provisions of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA).

>The raids generated controversy on several grounds. While mod chips may be used to play pirated game software, they serve legitimate purposes as well, including the creation of so-called homebrew games.

>In addition, GamePolitics and some other media outlets were critical of the use of Homeland Security agents in what was essentially an enforcement of big business claims against U.S. citizens.

>The ESA's Wikipedia edits precede the federal raids by nearly a year, but show the organization's effort to spin the mod chip issue:

>In one paragraph, someone at ESA deleted a nuanced discussion of mod chip legality, replacing it with a flat assertion that mod chips are illegal. Less than a minute later, a lengthy section on the positive uses of mod chips was deleted, as was a notation that the US Supreme Court has not yet dealt with the DMCA. Finally, a sentence stating that mod chips are legal in Australia was removed.

>Along with mod chips, gamer enjoyment of abandonware seems to be a no-no at ESA HQ as well. Someone there added a snarky comment to a Wikipedia entry on abandonware site Home of the Underdogs. "HOTU's illustrious career" was edited by ESA to read "HOTU's illegal career."

>Not surprising, perhaps, when you read abandoware comments made to Wired by Ric Hirsch, senior VP for IP enforcement at the ESA:

>Copyrights are not considered abandoned just because they are no longer commercially exploited or widely available. The copyrights in older games remain valid and enforceable regardless of whether they are found on store shelves or not, and copying or distributing those games is a copyright infringement.

This was before they went full retard over deciding that game preservation should be considered illegal!

reposting

CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WITH THE ESA'S NAME ATTACHED TO THE EDITS, THE SCANNER IS DOWN. THERE IS A ARCHIVE OF THE ARTICLE FROM JANUARY 1ST 2006 TO OCTOBER 14TH 2007, LOOK CAREFULLY BEFORE USING IT!

2006

https://archive.fo/ca17C

2007

https://archive.fo/sRCiI

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By the way, it's not just Sarkeesian the ESA endorsed, ZQ has a page on their site.

https://archive.fo/mtuw5

reposting

OH YEAH, THE ESA NAMEDROPPED GAMERGATE SAYING HOW VIOLENCE AND PERSONAL ATTAKCS HAVE NO PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY!

https://archive.fo/jFwwg

AND THE FBI DECLARED GAMERGATE TO BE INNOCENT! SO WOULD THE ESA LIKE TO SPEAK UP ABOUT THAT?

reposting

I hate to bring this up at the ass end of the thread, but I've got something for you all that might prove extremely useful. With the ESA being a trade association, it's not hard to find their yearly summaries containing details of the amount of money they had, who donated money to them, and who in the government the ESA gave that money to.

Here's a big list of their contributions to Federal candidates during the 2016 cycle, people in the House of Representatives and some in the Senate as well

https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cycle=2016&cmte=C00439216

Now, I already know two names on this list, those being Don Beyer and Barbara Comstock, neither of which have much at all to do with video games and both are anti-Trump

Here's Barbara asking Trump to drop out of the race

https://archive.is/jDyVl

And Don Beyer pussyfooting away from the inauguration

https://archive.is/Pd8kv

You'd all probably have some fun going down the list, seeing what the fuck any of these people have to do with video games and just how many of them are staunchly anti-Trump. In turn, you could pass off the interesting bits to /pol/. I mean, a lot of these guys don't do anything video game related. Not even just video games, but digital software in general.

And then after you're done with that, you can go down this list and see which of your friendly neighborhood industry cocksuckers gave their money to the ESA so they could waste it on non-vidya anti-trump crybabies

https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave2.php?cycle=2016&cmte=C00439216

reposting

>>11824329

More and more of these congressman that the ESA contributed to are turning about to be anti-Trump and do nothing for video games.

Suzan DelBene proposes a bill to counter-act Trump's "Muslim ban".

https://archive.is/tMRTa

And they even gave money to Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was implemented in the DNC fuckery earlier this election

https://archive.is/r29E2

LOL GAMING THO

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

reposting

from >>329773 to >>329799

https://archive.is/EeTVl

reposting from newer thread.

Found Huey talking about Education and vidya, webm is sadly too big for me.

>there are platforms out there for distribution that allow people to develop and reach an audience, you don't have to compete for space at Gamestop anymore

Only problem with that is that with places like Google Play, Mozilla, Nintendo eShop, and Windows Appstore, require IARC to be used for selling products whereas with Steam, as heavily flawed as it is, has the right idea with user-made tags (This game has [Japanese], [Male protagonist], [Beheading], & [Cannibalism] tags instead of vague shit) and the fact that IARC is being pushed to be used as a recommended tool which on digital distributions is pointless (And begging for someone to make an alternate store where they say "Fuck you." to IARC and allow unrated games to be sold)

>I really forsee this space blowing up in the next 4-5 years

As much as Huey is wrong, I sadly agree with him on this.

>you could have iPads for every child

Oh god pls no

Also I see Huey has inherited the "If-if-if-if-if-if" from King Nigger

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>>11825649

Ahh.

Something I've been thinking too is that the question has probably been asked many times here but I think it's worth making something out of it, with digital distribution on the rise, is the ESA really needed? Like Huey said in the video, there are platforms that allow people to develop and reach an audience, some won't take their game but others will. Not only that, but we've also asked if the ESRB was really useful when it comes to digital market and I thought not really because my reason is that unless they update themselves to be more modern (Not in the diversity or politics bullshit), they're only doing more harm than good.

Like I mentioned above, the general theme that can be summed up with inconsistency, vagueness, and to the ESA, dishonesty.

You look a rating the ESRB assigns, what do they tell you?

>violence [Mild, Intense]

>language [Mild, regular, strong]

>suggestive/sexual themes [What kind? Not mentioned.]

>drugs, alcohol, tabbaco

>blood

But then when you let user-tags come into play, they can get into more detail like…

>f-bomb

>sexual penetration

>beer

>wine

>breasts

>penises

>pussies

>torture

>Japanese

>dark skin

Of course you'll have smartasses who type tags like "Not a game" and companies (At least the shitty ones like Gone Home) will be sweating bullets because "Stop misrepresenting our product!" but really, user-tags can blow the ESRB's vagueness out of the water.

reposting continued from previous

>>11825694

Forgot to add

User-tags also seem to make IARC redundant. Instead of filling out questions just to get a stupid rating, leave it up to the people who play the game and make the tags so that newcomers can get a general idea of what to expect.

reposting

OK back from my sleep.

The question of whether or not the ESA is really needed continues to get stronger as we get closer to the digital infrastructure because as I mentioned before, if they don't update themselves to be more consumer friendly, then they do more harm than they do good because while having a E, T, or M rating is noticeable to people, the content that describes what to expect in the games however is vague as fuck.

>animated blood

>blood

>comic mischief

>crude humor [What kind? Not mentioned.]

>drugs, alcohol, tobacco [What kind? Not mentioned.]

>gambling

>language [Mild, regular, strong]

>lyrics

>nudity [What kind are we talking? Male nudity? Female nudity? Both? Not mentioned.]

>suggestive/sexual themes [What kind? Not mentioned.]

>violence [Mild, Intense, Cartoon. Fantasy]

>violent references [I'm guessing it's like sexual themes but for violence]

And then compare it to something like Steam's user-made tags…

>green blood

>mexican protagonist

>racism

>female nudity

>f-bomb

>cheating

And with the evidence that's been collected on how they want to enforce gender/race quotas because the diversity is "Not good enough.", the fact that they've supported politicians who are anti-vidya along with bills which would fuck up vidya like SOPA, PIPA, & the TPP (And how much some are shown to be biased towards Democrats), and want to push gaming to education because they want games to be made to solve social issues (Propaganda) instead of for fun and the child-like nature it brings of fantasy that books and movies don't have.

I could see their cause if they were doing physical releases but digital distribution as much as I find many faults in it, is taking over the market and the fact that they think they're still relevant with IARC by "Solving the burden publishers go through by going through our totally not exploitable automated process" when again, user-made tags blow them the fuck out, they are a danger to vidya.

reposting

Also the ESA changed their pinned tweet!

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/826083137386115072

Article in question (For some reason their link goes 404 when you go on their twitter)

https://archive.fo/F0WtM

Also found this while I was checking

ESA applauds @WhiteHouse's #RaiseTheGame campaign. RTG seeks to empower women in the game industry. http://joinrtg.org/ #csforall

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/776110683813445632

ESA also retweeted this, more context on the NY senator vetoing a certain bill

.@SenMartyGolden calls on @NYGovCuomo to sign legislation giving tax credit to music and gaming industries pic.twitter.com/9yh0R9wZj8

https://tweetsave.com/zackfinknews/status/752883908786659328

reposting (combining added p.s. post from same ID into one)

I don't know whether or not I found this on the ESA's site or their twitter page, but I found an article they posted.

The Health Benefits of Gamification

https://archive.fo/TKRgU

Now if I remember right, China or Korea has a Gamification system going on where you get awarded points for doing things and deducted points for doing bad things, in a way making your stay there like a video game.

ALSO CAN SOMEONE TELL THAT GAME GOBLIN HUEY TO STOP POSTING HIS DEMOCRAT FETISH? KING NIGGER HAS AND NEVER WILL THE MOST VIDEO GAME-FRIENDLY PRESIDENT

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/826078517603495937

>>11827962

Huh, guess both the site and twitter have them

Site

https://archive.fo/nczIu

Tweet

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/779351050436407296

reposting

Come to think of it, I just looked on Twitter on how the comments regarding the ESA are…and something just gave me an idea!

With the evidence we collected, we already know that the ESA never had the gamer's back when they got slandered by the media or they only took advantage of it to look like the good guys fighting against the big bad meanies who were trying to take away video games. For instance "Look guys, we stopped Jack Thompson!", "Look guys, we stopped the UN!" "Look guys, we made the supreme court say that video games are protected by the 1st amendment!", and it all ends with "See? We really love you gamers, we know how much you like video games! So we stood up for you! We know video games don't make you violent! Huh?! You want us to talk about games not making you sexist or racist? Umm…"

Lets add even more irony to that paragraph by the ESA honoring the late judge Scalia! Even more irony with Scalia talking about how video games still have the right to free speech like any other medium, yet with all the censored games coming to America, the ESA wanting to take the propaganda approach of encouraging games made to solve social issues, and endorsing Anita Sarkeesian who hates games and doesn't play them…I don't think Scalia would agree with the ESA's approach! They clearly lack self-awareness and need a taste of their own medicine, own up to their words!

We also know that the important thing of business is to make a lot of money. With how digital distribution is on the rise (Huey says it himself "There are platforms out there for distribution that allow peopel to develop and reach an audience, you don't have to compete for space at Gamestop anymore."), publishers and developers don't need a middle man like the ESA to advertise or rate their games! As I mentioned before, user-made tags can fill in the place of the rating system and is a far better alternative than what the ESA is pushing: IARC.

And considering that SEGA left the ESA in 2015 due to budget cuts and how expensive membership for the ESA is, the publishers don't need to be confined by them! They won't have to waste millions upon millions of dollars to an organization who has shown their bias against gaming! Time has proven that those who complain about sexism and other hot button issues in gaming DO NOT BUY VIDEO GAMES and if people catch wind of a product being censored IT MAY SELL LESS COPIES THAN IT WOULD IF THEY LEFT IT ALONE!

So what about developers then?

Developers don't have to worry about getting slapped with the horrible rating that will force them to change their game or risk losing sales due to the stigma perpetrated by politicians, social justice warriors, and others! If they're owned by a publisher and they leave behind the ESA, then not only will they not have to worry about pushing boundaries without cries of "Change this!", but they also have their chances of being foreclosed slimmer due to how expensive membership is! And again with digital distribution on the rise, developers can make whatever game they want to an audience they think will buy it and that audience will be there so long as it's good and they don't spit in their faces!

Which leaves my final point in question…

IF THE ESA DOES NOT SUPPORT GAMERS, IF PUBLISHERS ARE FREE TO LEAVE BEHIND THE ESA FOR BUDGET CUTS, IF DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION LIKE STEAM MAKES IT EASIER FOR AUDIENCES TO FIND THE GAME THEY LIKE, THEN WHO DOES THE ESA TRULY REPRESENT AND WHY DO WE REALLY NEED THEM?

reposting

I was looking up some of the people who worked for Germany's USK on their Linkedin…there might just be an interesting lead if others wish to peruse into this, whether it leads to the ESA or they have a ESA of their own!

Marie-Blanche Stössinger

https://de.linkedin.com/in/marieblanchestoessinger

>Managing Director/Geschäftsführerin since January 2017 (Just recently joined!)

>Head of PR & PA for Wooga from September 2013 – December 2016 (Head global corporate and consumer communications at Wooga, a leading developer of mobile games. Focused on tech and business stories including product launches, platform partnership and employer branding initiatives. Lead public affairs strategy and represent Wooga in trade associations and towards political stakeholders.)

>lots of Viacom & MTV

reposting

Found this one for PEGI.

Jürgen Bänsch

https://www.linkedin.com/in/j%C3%BCrgen-b%C3%A4nsch-7aa1b26

>Leading the EU government affairs and public policy agenda on behalf of large international video game publishers such as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Activision, … and national European trade associations.

>Jürgen is accustomed to operating at the highest levels in a fast moving growth industry while advocating complex business and policy issues towards regulators on the national, European and global level. He is engaged in the vibrant Brussels policy debate on how to adapt European’s regulative framework to the new digital challenges and innovative business models. In addition, Jürgen has strong skills in political and strategic communications and the management of international EU funded projects.

I suggest anons outside of America to look into their rating boards and see if they have any juicy connections!

reposting

Australia might also have some connections, look into the Australian Classification Board for any kind of juicy info!

Richard Williams

https://au.linkedin.com/in/richard-williams-6b75b017

>board member of Australian Classification Review Board since July 2015

>Chairman - Policy Standing Committee for the Liberal National Party since November 2009

I can't find anything on Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (Or I haven't looked hard enough since my moon is weak)

reposting

Found pic related on Germany's USK website

http://www.usk.de/en/the-usk/the-team/

https://archive.fo/fxImU

Their FAQ

https://archive.fo/vumBF

reposting

Found pic related from PEGI's website

https://archive.fo/FjwzT

Theres also PDFs of Boards & Committees which should help those digging into PEGI.

https://archive.fo/sDlaQ

reposting

ALSO DON'T LET JAPAN JOIN IARC! OTAKUS SHOULD NOT TAKE KINDLY TO A GLOBAL CENSORSHIP PROGRAM

https://archive.fo/TBGzY

reposting

Just when I thought theres nothing more to dig on, I find other things

Entertainment Software Association crackdown?

https://archive.fo/1S7IT

>Our IT company has two clients who received this type of "Copyright Infringement" notification in the past week. Both use the same ISP. The ISP is basically relaying it on behalf of the ESA; the Entertainment Software Association.

>This is the first I've ever seen or heard of anything being done on this scale; and the ISP being made to play enforcer seems a bit of a stretch.

>Anyone else seen anything like this or would like to explain? Basically we told them each to do what they could to get the illegal warez off of their PCs, remind their employees about 'acceptable use' for company computers, reply that all is well and forget about it.

>I thought eDonkey was dead?

Stop pirating games, thats bad goy behavior! Be a good goy and buy them with no hesitation!

#267: Violent Video Games & Ratings: Protecting the Frontiers of VR with ESA

https://archive.fo/l8TN3

>Mike Gallagher is the CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, which is the political arm of the interactive industry. The ESA established the Entertainment Software Ratings Board in 1994 in response to criticism of violent content found in video games. They also won a supreme court case that established video games as a form of protected speech under the First Amendment. Mike suspects that VR will face a lot of political pressures similar to what video games have faced in the past.

>The ESA is preparing to defend VR content creators as a part of their mission to protect the frontiers of the interactive industry. He sees VR as just a part of a larger trajectory of media ranging from cave paintings to books to movies to video games that has been moving towards more immersion and realism. Now that the ESA has established video games as a protected First Amendment right, then the burden of proof is going to be on the counter argument as to why VR should be treated any differently than any other media.

>Mike suspects that VR will face a lot of political pressures similar to what video games have faced in the past.

Oh this is just wonderful!

reposting

Derek Smart tweets about Entertainment Software Association joins other tech companies in issuing statement on Trump immigration ban

https://tweetsave.com/dsmart/status/826240126254723073

ESA is totally non-partisan, y'know!

reposting

Also could the ESA make themselves look more like fucking idiots? Especially with that stupid Muslim Ban comment that many game companies are losing their shit over?

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/822564367204044801

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

reposting

from >>329804 to >>329821

https://archive.fo/csAU8

Note: I will repost if there is more coming, but in general the bulk of the info dig seems to be mostly finished. For now I will leave a recap from one of the ESA diggers. (I will post the archived link when that bread is finished.)

repost

Previous thread recap

>lot of word play with ESA (Endorsing Scam Artists, Eat Shit Assholes, Enforcing Social Justice Agendas, I'm sure you can come up with more)

>ESA and many game companies are salty over Trump's "Muslim Ban"

>ESA acted like they didn't care about a Trump presidency because they refused to name him ("We extend our congratulations to the new administration on this historic day." What's the name of the new administration on this historic day? Fuck you!)

>ESA wants to protect the frontlines of VR (Ignoring that it's dead in the water, I sure trust them to keep VR in good hands!)

>Huey wants every child in school to have an iPad

>Huey knows deep down that IARC and the ESA aren't needed because he admitted that "there are platforms out there for distribution that allow people to develop and reach an audience, you don't have to compete for space at Gamestop anymore"

>ESA has a boner for Gamification because low effort + easy money can be done since "Entitled Gamers" aren't made in mind & just because women had a leading role in education & healthcare

>talked about having the ESA own up to their own words because Scalia said that video games have the same rights as any other medium, yet they don't respect his words, and with Scalia gone, they think they can have their own double standards on what's allowed and what's not

>encouraged anons from outside of America to dig into their countries rating boards for any suspicious connections such as PEGI + the EU, Austrailian Classification Board + Liberal National Party, & someone from Germany's USK being a former worker at Viacom International & MTV

>Ruben Schwebe of the USK is a IARC Project Officer

>a Goldstein works at PEGI

>asked anons to warn the otakus from Japan to not let their rating organization, CERO, join the IARC because of retarded foreigners & global censorship

>Leftists once again lack self-awareness by making a propaganda Trump poster that says "The oppressed are watching" and obvious "Trump is Hitler" comparison

>mud slide is a clever way of describing the Muslim's entering America & other countries

>the golden opportunity to shit on J.K. Rowling & people who stupidly spout the "Trump is Voldemort" comparison arises by reminding them of Umbridge (I must not tell lies)

>once again the general themes of the ESA is dishonesty, inconsistency, and hypocrisy

LET'S GO!

>>>/v/11839789

Zzz…

/ipfs/QmbfVoEcohqEw9FWvcb1BapXsX9ZfYZxGW5djzDzRcenVt/ESA-Annual-Report-2015-1.pdf

>>329743

>>329710

>>329792

>>329667

Speaking of Sarkeesian, she made a new Feminist Frequency video on exotic women. I'm not going to give her a single view but anyone brave enough to archive it and correct her wrongs?

Reposting again (reposter note: the info in this thread still needs to be sorted, sifted analyzed and if 2nd hand needs to be verified. As thread title says, info still needs to be sifted. ESA material that came straight from the ESA itself can immediately be sifted and examined.)

reposting

Also found pic related on the ESA's site.

https://archive.fo/mdOfG

http://www.theesa.com/article/games-ignite-real-world-social-change/

>The new generation of gamers, many whom identify as environmentalists and social justice warriors, has ushered in an era of video games that combine advocacy and pleasure for a deeper player-experience.

>With more and more gamers indicating an interest in current events, the possibilities for “serious” games are endless. The entertainment software industry continues to validate its position as the ideal platform to for catalyzing social change and awareness on a global-scale.

reposting

Possibly more propaganda on the ESA's sites regarding "Games: Improving X"

I'm not getting my hopes up for good intentions in their PDFs…this one is "Games: Improving Social Issues"

http://www.theesa.com/about-esa/industry-facts/

https://archive.fo/SiLVa

reposting (from previous, combining for convenience sake)

>>11844216

PDF in question

https://media.8ch.net/file_store/d80c886f41e0a105fdcf78237a7a10d668fad96608de870592b1e2e3bc15d47e.pdf

>>11844221

https://archive.fo/87PTT

reposting

I found another website like Opensecrets where it tells you who gave what amount of money, the ESA is still on there and it still shows Reggie Fils-Amie of Nintendo.

http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/committees/entertainment-software-association-pac-esa-pac.asp?cycle=14

reposting

I'm not sure if this was already posted but I found another ESA member Tim Johnson.

Found him from this article

https://archive.fo/x1BEA

>As the director of state government affairs for the Entertainment Software Association, Johnson gets to lobby Congress and state legislatures on the fun subject of video games, an arguably more laid back area than his former government relations gig with Sallie Mae. Right now is also a very exciting time for work for the ESA, as Congress becomes more and more interested in discussing policies relating to new technologies, including video game designs.

His Campaignmoney.com page

http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/tim-johnson.asp?cycle=16

Unsurprisingly, he gave money to Obama, Clinton, and Rubio.

reposting

Michael Gallagher's page

http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/michael-gallagher.asp?cycle=14

>Rubio

>MoveOn.Org, a George Soros-owned site

reposting

Pretty unusual the ESA has mentions in Wikileaks, gonna look in there.

https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/241

>At the Boy Scouts Gala last night at the Chamber of Commerce: Chamber CEO Tom Donohue; Steve Caldeira, former president & CEO of the International Franchise Association; Jack Gerard, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute; Bennett Johnston, former senator from Louisiana; Roger Dow, CEO U.S. Travel; Mike Gallagher, CEO, Entertainment Software Association; Bill Miller, senior vice president, Business Roundtable; Robert Cresanti, CEO, International Franchise Association; Matt Haller, senior vice president, International Franchise Association; Manus Cooney, partner, American Continental Group; Matthew Shea, CEO, National Retail Federation. (h/t CRAFT)

>At Kivvit's annual spring party for clients, media and friends at The W Hotel's POV lounge: former Sen. Blanche Lincoln; Joe McMonigle, The Abraham Group; Cicely Simpson, Katie Niebaum and Christin Fernandez, National Restaurant Association; Christin Baker, Ford Motor Company; Ami Copland, Business Forward; Cheryle Jackson, Kathleen Cantillon and Don Wetekam, AAR; Derryl Benton and Atousa Ghoreichi, HMSHost; Robert Jones and Dan Cox, PRRI; Garland Knott, American University Kogod School of Business; Sanna Kangasharju, Embassy of Finland; Evan Perez, CNN; Mike Levine, ABC News; Devlin Barrett, WSJ; Jon Berroya, Entertainment Software Association; Emily Loeb, Jenner and Block; Mac Bernstein, DLA Piper; Paul Glastris, Washington Monthly; and Ben Iannotta, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

reposting

Another mention of the ESA from Wikileaks, apologies for not archiving the links I posted.

https://archive.fo/crvRL

https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/862

>Amazon opened its new customer innovation center with a reception honoring the Washington State Congressional delegation on Thursday night before today's traditional Potlatch dinner. Among the attendees were: senior staff from offices of Sen. Patty Murray, Reps. Suzan DelBene, Jim McDermott, Derek Kilmer, Jamie Herrera Beutler and Adam Smith, Missy Foxman and Nika Nour with the Entertainment Software Association, Katherine Lister and John Mulligan from Monument Policy Group, Tim Day with the U.S. Chamber, and Jay Carney, Brian Huseman, Steve Hartell, Shannon Kellogg, Kate Viar, Ashleigh de La Torre, Naomi Duprey, and Jill Kerr with Amazon.

>>11845423

https://archive.fo/3Dfq8

>>11845464

https://archive.fo/Cdj4K

https://archive.fo/9r0Dj

reposting

ESA MENTIONED IN POEDSTA E-MAIL ON WIKILEAKS

https://archive.fo/ZfTyP

https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/23880

>John, Dennis and Gary,

>Attached is a list of our 59 members, which includes some of the biggest companies in the world (like Microsoft, Google, Pepsi, AT&T and GM), plus trade groups for some of the most important industries. We would invite the top executives from our members’ DC offices. (For example, Fred Humphries will represent Microsoft, possibly brining someone else from his team.)

WE NEED TO GO DEEPER

reposting

ESA and Sony Computer Entertainment America - RECEPTION - April 2

https://archive.fo/wMB52

>We hope you can join us for “A Celebration of the PlayStation4” on April 2 (Wednesday)!

RE: ESA and Sony Computer Entertainment America - RECEPTION - April 2

https://archive.fo/XsBv5

>Thanks. I got one from them directly as well

>FYI – just to follow up with info… it appears as though Nicole S. is not attending and we are not expected to attend.

Another name to look up: Diana J. Lawson.

>>11846297

Huh?

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

reposting

from >>329829 to >>329838

http://archive.is/VMnlJ

new set reposting start

reposting

>>11851703

I might need some help for sifting and sorting, and distilling the info so far. It's not an ops yet, but I may start a thread over at hq soon, something like ESAnalysis to start the reviewing and sifting process.

>while the info on Mobile Gaming & Marketing looked outdated, the real meat might come from the people, contributors, and companies interviewed

Since the ESA reflects most of the publisher and they both seem to be very interested in mobile and gamification, this might need more details. Preferably from the ESA own materials recently.

>ESA is a member of the International Intellectual Property Alliance along with the RIAA & MPAA

This one might be good when shown with that 'preserving old games is haxxoring and piracy' since it was the ESA MPAA RIAA iirc that tried to pull that bs move.

>ESA still supported the TPP since their name was on the website

If there is a recent text from the ESA own material regarding that then it definitely goes in the solid file. I thought I read something like it but I gotta doublecheck that.

reposting

>>11851802

Very well.

>I thought I read something like it but I gotta doublecheck that.

I believe that is from their 2015 Annual Report.

https://media.8ch.net/file_store/066011e2734f33564bae2acade470db43abfd5a9d041507e627d363df438a127.pdf

reposting

>>11851840

>And I think there is something in the ESA newsletter that mentioned one of the literally who crew game.

The one talking about Depression Quest here?

https://archive.fo/mtuw5

Not sure if already posted, but here on their site, they talk about Commending The U.S. Trade Representative’s 2016 List of Notorious Markets

https://archive.fo/R5Ppl

Also Take-Two Interactive just acquired Social Point (Mobile Developer) for $250 million

https://archive.fo/do4DV

Thanks /pol/ for the painting collection!

reposting

>E-Sports

>LoL

>TV

https://tweetsave.com/esagovaffairs/status/826501553754288128

reposting

Gamers and the 2016 Presidential Election

https://archive.fo/qLE27

reposting (combining 2 posts for convenience)

>ESA says they hate archives and wish to make it illegal

>go on their Facebook page

>see pic related

Heh, Article in question.

https://archive.fo/LkacD

reposting

I can archive Facebook but I don't know how to do it on individual posts.

https://archive.fo/xbwP9

reposting (ESA twitch tv)

>>11852469

Nope, this one.

https://www.twitch.tv/esagames

reposting

Found another ESA member: Reed Albers

https://www.linkedin.com/in/reedalbers

>When I was a junior in college, I followed the advice of a staffer at the Progress-Index (Petersburg, Va.) and started an NHL hockey blog to provide an outlet to practice writing on a daily basis. I called it Capitals Kremlin and it helped launch my journalism career. From Capitals Kremlin I went on to successfully sell articles to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, land a job as sports editor at a local Northern Virginia newspaper and become an officially credentialed reporter for the NHL's Washington Capitals for the Washington Post's Express. Today I use the skills I learned on my own to produce digital content for the Entertainment Software Association, oversee the ESA's social and digital strategy, direct ESA's video productions and promote the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

>Senior Manager, New Media and Production for the ESA since April 2016

>Manager, Digital and New Media for the ESA from October 2014 - April 2016

>I manage ESA digital content production including video, photography, web presence, social media and alternative media outreach. ESA's content has been featured on sites such as Breitbart, The Washington Post, Polygon, GameSpot, DualShockers, N4G, EuroGamer and Gamenesia. ESA's social media footprint is the largest of any trade group in Washington DC, and our account for the Electronic Entertainment Expo has grown to more than 1 million followers under my direction. In addition, I oversee grassroots initiatives for the ESA, which includes the Video Game Voters Network – a network of politically active gamers who protect the First Amendment rights of video game creators. In 2015, the VGVN surpassed 1 million members and launched a major voter registration program for the 2016 elections called Start Democracy.

>New Media Associate for the ESA from June 2012 - October 2014

>I assisted the Communications and Industry Affairs team in day-to-day public relations operations for the Entertainment Software Association. This includes handling general PR duties, writing press releases, event planning, providing media analysis, working on the Video Game Voters Network (VGVN) program and working with our members on ESA initiatives such as our Hispanic Heritage Foundation LOFT program. I injected life into under-performing social media accounts and turned them into industry-leading and award-winning vehicles for consumer engagement. I grew ESA social media properties by more than 400,000 people without the aid of paid outreach. I oversee the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) social media accounts and in 2013 developed an award winning social media plan for the show. During the Sandy Hook shooting aftermath, I launched a Government Affairs-centric social media account to better communicate with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. I also maintained the ESA Foundation's social media presence.

I think I found out who runs the ESA's Twitter, Facebook, and other handlers!

reposting

So I found this article here talking about internet companies being the top tech lobbyists

https://archive.fo/T5CwB

For comparison, I went to Opensecrets to see how much the companies mentioned in the article spent in 2016 lobbying from smallest to biggest.

Google: No info on 2016

Amazon: $11,354,000 - https://archive.fo/geHTk

Facebook Inc: $8,692,000 - https://archive.fo/H5P7H

Microsoft Corp: $8,710,000 - https://archive.fo/IFwNj

Oracle Corp: $8,620,000 https://archive.fo/zS1PM

ESA: $6,965,000 - https://archive.fo/Xq6nn

Qualcomm Inc: $5,560,00 - https://archive.fo/oZrnL

Apple Inc.: $4,670,000 - https://archive.fo/HOSwr

Intel Corp: $4217,862 - https://archive.fo/jBS3z

IBM Corp: $4,040,000 - https://archive.fo/0PYQ5

>ESA spent more lobbying money than Apple, Intel, & IBM in 2016

reposting

>>11852810

*Intel Corp: $4,217,862

reposting

Video Games can teach (2006)

https://archive.fo/2ZUb3

>Video games, hated by parents and teachers as the enemy of learning, may be good for kids after all.

>The speed, color and action of the small screen can be harnessed for education, given enough investment in research. And that’s not the conclusion of some band of slackers.

>It comes from the Federation of American Scientists, a body that normally deals with weighty issues such as nuclear weapons proliferation.

>On Tuesday, the group called for federal research into how the addictive pizazz of video games can be converted into serious learning tools for schools.

>The theory is that games teach skills that employers want: analytical thinking, team building, multitasking and problem solving under duress.

>Unlike humans, the games never lose patience. And they are second nature to many kids.

>The idea might stun those who consider games to be the symbol of teenage sloth.

>Yet this is not about virtual football or skateboarding. Games would have to be created and evaluated with the goal of raising achievement, said federation president Henry Kelly.

>There’s already an audience; more than 45 million homes have video-game consoles.

>“If we can’t make the connection, shame on us,” Kelly said at a news conference.

>What’s needed, he said, is research into which features of games are most important for learning — and how to test students on the skills they learn in games. The departments of education and labor and the National ScienceFoundation would lead the way under this plan.

>“This is an investment that the private industry simply is not capable of taking,” said Kelly, a former White House science and technology leader during the Clinton administration.

>“This is the kind of thing where the federal government has always acted in the past, to underwrite basic research that you need to drive an important movement forward,” he said.

>Getting costly research about games on the federal agenda is just one obstacle.

>There are plenty of others. Schools, colleges and universities are a fractured market. They make their own buying decisions, and are likely to be dubious about the value of games.

>The gaming industry has already figured out that educational games don’t make money in the consumer marketplace. The new approach would instead market them directly to schools.

>Doug Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association, said there will soon be 75 million Americans who are 10 to 30 years old — an age bracket that grew up on video games.

>It’s good to hear a respected group say that video games are not a blight on society, said Lowenstein, whose group represents U.S. makers of video games.

>“Common sense tells us that a medium so basic to the lives of these ‘millennials’ has potential beyond the living room,” Lowenstein said. “We would be crazy not to seek ways to exploit interactive games to teach our children.”

>The potential is enormous, agreed Don Blake, a technology analyst for the National Education Association, which represents teachers and other classroom professionals.

>But when he thought about how games would work in class, questions kept popping to mind. How much training would teachers receive? Who would persuade school leaders and the public that games aren’t a waste of time? Would education schools add serious gaming to the curriculum?

>Ultimately, he said, teachers need to see games as a way to help — not as a threat.

We would be crazy not to seek ways to exploit interactive games to teach our children.

WHAT THE FUCK

reposting

Unrelated to America's ESA, but I found a board member of ESA Canada: David Walsh

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-walsh-37a8a227

>currently President of Frontier Developments, Inc. & Chief Operating Officer of Frontier Developments

>was a board member of ESA Canada from January 2013 – April 2015

reposting

Another former ESA member found: Stevan D. Mitchell

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevanmitchell

>currently Director, Office of Intellectual Property Rights for the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration

>was Vice President, Intellectual Property Policy for the ESA from 2000 – April 2014

Also found Steven R. Phillps (Littlesis.org might work as another source of connections like Linkedin)

https://littlesis.org/person/3225/Steven_R_Phillips

reposting

CEO of the ESA, Michael Gallagher, is a speaker at The Technology Policy Institute

https://archive.fo/b46t7

reposting

Michael Gallagher is also mentioned in The Administration Project under Economic Policy, Department of Commerce, & Federal Communications Commission

https://archive.fo/w2nGD

According to this page…

https://delvedc.com/the-administration-project/

>The Administration Project (TAP) is Delve's new on-demand research service to help subscribers understand the who, what, and when of the next Administration.

>A standard TAP subscription includes weekly updates and insights on the new Administration delivered directly to your inbox every Monday with our “On TAP” emails. Subscribers also receive exclusive pricing on any custom vetting and background research on any and all issues regarding the administration. “On TAP” is the perfect source for busy executive-level public affairs professionals who need to know what’s happening in the new administration, but cannot digest every news alert that pops up on their phone or computer throughout the day. Our weekly roundup tells you what you need to know from the last week about the administration, along with insights into what those updates might mean for specific policy areas. When you need more information or a deeper dive, Delve’s team of analysts are there to assist you.

reposting

Found the ESA as a client for three different lobbying firms.

Subject Matter

https://littlesis.org/relationship/view/id/1220064

Roy A. Lasky, partner of Statewide Public Affairs

https://littlesis.org/relationship/view/id/992228

Monument Policy Group LLC

https://littlesis.org/relationship/view/id/1220322

I've lost count of how many lobbying firms they're in or had former members from, but hot damn.

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

reposting

from >>329851 to >>329866

https://archive.is/XzxLc

reposting start

Previous Thread Recap.

>ESA posted an article on their Facebook page talking about University of Michigan's game archive

>ESA does Monthly Newsletters, nothing out of the ordinary outside of their Nite to Unite event happening this month & treating Mafia III as the game that "Unflinchingly tackles racism with history and raw interactions"

>the ESA has a Twitch account

>according to the Linkedin, Reed Albers, a member of the ESA, says that he produces digital content for the Entertainment Software Association, oversee the ESA's social and digital strategy, direct ESA's video productions and promote the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) along with overseeing grassroots initiatives for the ESA, which includes the Video Game Voters Network, which led me to believe he runs their Facebook, Twitter, and other handlers

>when it came to lobbying money in 2016, the ESA spent more than Apple, Intel, IBM, & Qualcomm

>found a former board member of ESA Canada, David Walsh, who now works at Frontier Developments

>found Stevan D. Mitchell, former member of the ESA who is now currently Director, Office of Intellectual Property Rights for the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration

>found a former empolyee of the ESA, Steven R. Phillps

>Michael Gallagher is a speaker and panelist at The Technology Policy Institute, a think tank that focuses on the economics of innovation, technological change, and related regulation in the United States and around the world.

>Michael Gallagher was also mentioned in The Administration Project under Economic Policy, Department of Commerce, & Federal Communications Commission

The "Video games can teach" article was an early sign of Gamification being pushed from 2006. (Also should look up some info on the previous ESA president, Doug Lowenstein)

https://archive.fo/2ZUb3

It’s good to hear a respected group say that video games are not a blight on society, said Lowenstein, whose group represents U.S. makers of video games.

Common sense tells us that a medium so basic to the lives of these ‘millennials’ has potential beyond the living room,” Lowenstein said. “We would be crazy not to seek ways to exploit interactive games to teach our children.

The potential is enormous, agreed Don Blake, a technology analyst for the National Education Association, which represents teachers and other classroom professionals.

They were planning on doing this…

reposting

So Doug Lowenstein, former president of the ESA was at DICE Summit 2007 appropriately titled ''The ESA: Past, Present and Future'.'

Speakers at DICE Summit 2007

https://archive.fo/gNq8Q

His profile

https://archive.fo/8KR7E

>Douglas Lowenstein became the first president of the Entertainment Software Association (formerly the Interactive Digital Software Association) in June, 1994. Since then, he built the ESA into the most influential and important worldwide trade body representing the computer and video game software industry. Under Lowenstein’s leadership, ESA created the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), owned and ran the Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3), built a worldwide anti-piracy program, and developed an effective federal, state, and local public policy advocacy program. Lowenstein recently announced he would leave ESA to launch a new trade association serving the private equity industry.

>Prior to joining the ESA, Lowenstein was an executive vice president in the Washington and New York strategic communications firm Robinson Lake Sawyer Miller, Inc. From 1986-1991, Lowenstein was a Principal in National Strategies, Inc., a Washington public policy consulting firm. He worked for U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH), from 1982-86, spending the last two years as legislative director.

>Lowenstein spent the first eight years of his career as a newspaper reporter, starting with the Buffalo Courier Express, followed by two years at the Capitol Hill News Service and from 1976-82, in the Cox Newspapers Washington Bureau.

>Lowenstein received a B.A. degree in Political Science in 1973 from Washington University (MO). He is the author of a book entitled Lowenstein: Acts of Courage and Belief, published in 1982 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in hardback and paperback editions. The book chronicles the life of his late Uncle Allard K. Lowenstein, a Congressman and antiwar and civil and human rights activist killed in 1980.

I'm gonna have to look for an archive of the DICE Summit 2007 video because if the topic is Past, Present, and Future, then theres probably some key information

reposting

I can't seem to find anything on Youtube regarding DICE Summit 2007…

Closest I found is this Spanish site (Which doesn't display video from me and it says its from Gametrailers)

http://www.digitalcois.net/2007/02/dice-summit-2007-videojuegos.html

There was however an episode of Game Head that took place in DICE Summit 2007 (Although I doubt they would say anything about The ESA: Past Present, & Future )

http://www.tv.com/shows/game-head/dice-summit-2007-1087584/

reposting

So far nothing has turned up in DICE Summit 2007 videos…I did however find this old article from Kotaku talking about Doug Lowestein and how "Game Journalists Helped Make Thompson"

https://archive.fo/sz8qx

>LETTER TO THE EDITOR: I read with more than passing interest the reports of Jack Thompson's disbarment. Amid all the celebrating among the game industry, one thing I hope emerges is some degree of self examination by the game press of its own complicity in making Thompson what he became. The game press had a schizoid relationship with Thompson. He was the person they loved to vilify and the person they could not get enough of. Time and again, the game press — and mainstream press — would ask ESA to engage with, or respond to Thompson's latest excess. The media knew well that he was a charlatan who wholly lacked credibility. But hey, they said, he was news and could not be ignored. That was a cop out. It gave Thompson a platform he might not have had for as long as he did. Mainstream outlets (The Today Show, CNN, Fox) were worse but the game press knew better. But he was the game press' crack. And even as they said privately he was a kook, they treated him as if he was a credible, fair minded critic. That represented an abdication of the critical filtering role the media should play. There were and are legitimate grounds to criticize the game industry, and there were responsible and fair minded critics like Dave Walsh. But for the game press it was all Jack all the time. So as it takes delight in his apparent demise, it is a good time to contemplate whether the game media itself has matured . You help set the tone for mainstream media coverage and if you validate extremists you give license to the less informed to follow your lead. It is 35 years since Pong. Your readers and the industry deserve a game media worthy of the best that journalism has to offer.

>Doug Lowenstein

Frankly while Game Journos are a shit, I think the industry itself is also responsible for breeding the Thompsons.

reposting

>>11857282

Let me rephrase that: I wouldn't say breeding so much as the industry enables the Thompsons every time they complain that something needs to be censored like headpatting. By giving them an inch, they're only going to be bigger and demand more things get removed. That is where I fault the industry by not having the backbone to tell them to fuck off or ignore them.

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

reposting

from >>329868 to >>329872

https://archive.fo/qwW9V

reposting start

Previous thread recap.

>Doug Lowenstein, former president of the ESA, was at DICE Summit 2007 with an interesting topic called "The ESA: Past, Present and Future."

>interestingly, Bioware, Ubisoft, EA, Insomniac Games, Comcast, and the big three console makers were sponsors

>while I haven't found anything regarding a video on DICE Summit 2007, there was an old article on Kotaku talking about Doug Lowestein and how "Game Journalists Helped Make Thompson" (Even if he was right, I still thought the industry was also accountable for how they enable the Thompsons who demand their games have censorship)

The search continues…

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Found this article where Doug Lowenstein got interviewed by Gamespot over stepping down from the ESA. It's pretty long so it might be another multi-part post.

Q&A: Doug Lowenstein, going the distance

https://archive.fo/cKzNZ

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While I was looking up more of Doug Lowenstein, I found this "Interesting" spergout from someone on Destructoid ranting on Doug Lowenstein.

https://archive.fo/fC093

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It's not the video, but it appears to be a transcript of the major points of Doug Lowenstein's speech at DICE Summit 2007.

https://archive.fo/cltWX

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Found a PDF of the ESA's 2006 Annual Report. The opening statement of how "The video game industry is entering a new era, an era where technology and creativity will fuse to produce some of the most stunning entertainment of the 21st Century." does not give good vibes nor the Rothschild-run Economist magazine…

https://media.8ch.net/file_store/06e2551a1c7c39f999c328d7ef218ca99f43e6781b23647bd8b2f4b30d9d39ed.pdf

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I'm really getting a horrified vibe from this shit…

Doug Lowenstein: Taking Games to the Next Level (2005)

https://archive.fo/Hovrh

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Nice Work If You Can Get It: ESA, ESRB Heads Make the Big Bucks. (2009)

https://archive.fo/vYpHZ

ESA, ESRB Execs Paid Like Wall Street Bankers?

https://archive.fo/0XwYr

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Anyways, speaking of the ECA…

ECA Boss: Jack Thompson's Still Trouble

https://archive.fo/KdpQ9

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2 part article on Doug Lowenstein vs. Kotaku

Part 1

https://archive.fo/MiJSx

Part 2

https://archive.fo/dbOpN

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So it's not the first time Publishers left the ESA (Some came back like Activision, and like the ESA, bitches about Trump's "Ban".)

More E3 Pullouts; ESA President Taking Heat

https://archive.fo/jB1KG

Kotaku article in question.

https://archive.fo/Pjjun

I'd look more into it, but it's probably one of those growing pain things where a company loses money after some transitions.

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Here is the aftermath of the publishers that left the ESA in 2008

Interesting Days at the ESA (Part 1)

https://archive.fo/6p194

Part 2

https://archive.fo/w51z7

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Another multi-part article, but it's one of those "Let's look back years ago to see if any of the predictions came true or not." by the ECA's president from 2008.

The Crystal Ball (Part 1)

https://archive.fo/uJ7e9

Part 2

https://archive.fo/DPlg2

Part 3

https://archive.fo/ER0hJ

Part 4

https://archive.fo/TLZvN

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Q&A: ESA president in the E3 hot seat (Gamespot interview with Doug Lowenstein in 2006)

https://archive.fo/fYz4T

Doug Lowenstein explains the rationale behind the dramatic changes that will see the one-time massive trade show become a much lower-key conference.

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Here's an interview with Doug Lowenstein after he left the ESA, 2 years later

Interview: Doug Lowenstein's Unique View From Outside The Games Industry

https://archive.fo/vt1rF

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The Political Game: Doug Lowenstein shoots the messenger

https://archive.fo/pFgfu

>Doug Lowenstein took his leave of the video game industry last week with a stirring "I'm outta here" speech delivered at the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas. By all accounts, Doug's comments were blunt and from the heart. But, hey, Doug's the guy who started the ESA and he toiled in its fields for a dozen years. Why shouldn't he get a chance to vent on his way out the door?

>Among other targets, Lowenstein laid out unnamed developers – cough, Rockstar, cough – who "make controversial content and then cut and run when it comes time to defending their creative decisions."

>"Nothing annoys me more," Lowenstein said "If you want the right to make what you want, if you want to push the envelope, I'm out there defending your right to do it. But damn it - get out there and support the creative decisions you make."

>Good point, Doug. But Hell, it's your last day. You could have named names. It's not like they're going to escort you out of the building or take away your key to the executive men's room. And while I will generally look back on Doug's watch with admiration, I've just got to say that the ESA boss got it all wrong when he took shots at the gaming press over, of all things, Jack Thompson:

>"It drives me crazy. You know who gives Jack Thompson more attention than anyone else? The games press … I just … I just think it's nuts."

>Doug couldn't be more wrong. The truth here is that Doug Lowenstein completely blew it with Thompson. For whatever reason, Doug tried to pretend Thompson didn't exist. Instead of making sure he was there to provide counter-point when Thompson was gleefully ripping the game industry on national T.V., Doug did… nothing. Instead of taking action when Thompson compared Doug himself to Saddam Hussein, Doug did… nothing. As a result, politicians and the non-gaming public often heard only Thompson's shrill, skewed perspective on games, a view that is full of cranial murder menus and Columbine simulators and Pixelantes and assorted other yada-yada …

>As Hal Halpin, my fearless leader at the Entertainment Consumers Association, said in a recent interview with Game Informer:

>"Jack is certainly a force to be reckoned with… By being silent, we had thought that he would go away eventually, or that if we engaged him that it would only give him more of a spotlight, but by saying nothing we allowed him to be the only voice in the room…"

>The fact is, the gaming press provides a valuable service to gamers and the general public by shining a light on the things Thompson says and does. And, let's face it: like him or not, Jack Thompson is a newsmaker. Why shouldn't the gaming press report on him?

>When Thompson recently called for the impeachment of Utah's respected Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, GamePolitics broke the story long before any of the mainstream media. It was a bizarre thing for the Miami lawyer to do. It surely contributed to the failure of his legislative agenda when Attorney General Shurtleff called Thompson out before a committee of the Utah House. By that time the assembled legislators – like their brethren last year in Louisiana - must have been wondering what they'd gotten themselves into. Bottom line: Thompson's Utah video game bill went bye-bye, replaced by a face-saving, non-binding resolution.

>There are many other examples. When Kotaku recently published documents relating to Thompson's history with the Florida Bar, that was genuine news about a public figure with a national profile. Why shouldn't editor Brian Crecente have written about it?

>The odd thing about Doug's remarks is that, in the same speech in which he ripped the gaming press for not toeing his party line in regard to Thompson, he chastised them for being too close to the companies they cover. Not that it matters now, Doug, since you're gone, but wouldn't you rather see real game journalists as opposed to lapdogs with laptops?

>In any case, I wish Doug well in his new gig. He'll be heading up a lobbying organization for some ultra-wealthy investment types. Sounds nice: limo rides, power lunches and no one comparing him to Middle Eastern dictators. Just one piece of advice, Doug: When it comes to the press, remember not to shoot the messenger.

I think that's about enough info on the former ESA president to get an idea of what he was like and what he considers a successor to the ESA.

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Anti-game activist brands ESA "criminal"

https://archive.fo/pGtlP

>Hot on the heels of US Senator Hillary Clinton's call for federal game legislation came a very public and very unlikely thank you. Miami lawyer and ardent game-industry critic Jack Thompson, who has vocally blasted games on 60 Minutes, CNN, and other media outlets for over a decade, publicly praised the Democratic senator from New York in an open letter. "I, as a lifelong Republican, am going to thank Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton," he said.

>However, Thompson's letter, which was sent via e-mail to game publishers and press outlets (including GameSpot), had far less kind words for Doug Lowenstein. As president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the country's main game-industry lobby, Lowenstein helps oversee the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), which voluntarily stamps games with familiar ratings such as E for Everyone and T for Teen.

>However, it's the current kerfuffle over an M-for-Mature-rated game that spurred Thompson's letter. Addressed to an assortment of developers and publishers ranging from Electronic Arts to id Software, the latter of which Thompson partly blames for the Columbine massacre, the letter blasts "the inept fashion in which ESA has 'managed' the 'Hot Coffee' mod scandal… Doug Lowenstein could have prevented what is going to happen today, but he preferred to shoot the messengers."

>Thompson had similarly sharp words on the ESA's defense that the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which says "congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech," prohibits game censorship. Said Thompson, "Doug Lowenstein embarrasses each and every one of you when he holds forth about what the 'Founders' intended when they drafted the Bill of Rights [the first 10 amendments to the Constitution]. For Doug, the Founders are GTA's Tommy Vercetti and Carl Johnson. Doug never met a pixilated prostitute he didn't like, and I'm sure James Madison would be impressed."

>At one point, Thompson tries to win ESA members over to his side. "If the ESA wants as its president a thug who demonizes critics of your industry's criminal, frauduelnt [sic] excesses, thereby earning their wrath and their determination, then by all means keep Mr. Lowenstein at the helm." Later, he took a blunter approach. "[Lowenstein's] extremism has painted a bullseye on your industry. Doug Lowenstein has the brush and [GTA publisher] Take-Two has provided the blood red paint…get rid of this highly-paid thug and replace him with someone with sense."

>As has been his practice in the past, Lowenstein has chosen not to address Thompson's attacks directly. Instead, he issued a lengthy statement addressing Senator Clinton. "Retailers should not sell Mature games to minors, parents should watch what their kids watch, and parents should and can rely on the ESRB ratings to make the right choices for their families," he said. "We hope that after further reflection and dialogue, Senator Clinton will abandon the bill and work cooperatively with industry and others to ensure that parents take advantage of the effective tools on the market to regulate the games their kids play."

Keep in mind that Jack Thompson was a Democrat so he's lying about being a "Lifelong Republican." And at this point in time both the video game press & the video game industry regularly spit on the people who buy their shit…I don't know who is worse, they both are at fault.

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

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from >>329874 to >>329886

https://archive.is/jo5kA

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The ESA clarifies its anti-harassment stance, future of E3

https://archive.fo/3oqVA

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Aha! Found an interview with Michael Gallagher just as he stepped in as the CEO of the ESA!

A Player of Video Games and Politics

https://archive.fo/0mX6c

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Growth of gaming in 2007 far outpaces movies, music

https://archive.fo/HP2Ey

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>we're not totally not sexist guys, nobody opposes diversity other than racists!

https://tweetsave.com/richatesa/status/827579552109101058

UC Irvine to host female gaming panel

https://archive.fo/iUKxU

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>>11866546

Link for those interested in jotting down stuff that needs to be questioned.

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Q&A: ESA president Michael Gallagher (2008)

https://archive.fo/NKIEQ

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Mike Gallagher on Positive Video Gaming

https://archive.fo/b92Fz

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As Comfortable on Guitar Hero as on the Hill (2007)

https://archive.fo/iB4Xc

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

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from >>329892 to >>329899

https://archive.is/fHevY

Repost from /v/:

Here's my take on it. Dug info needs to be sifted, checked and sorted, and debated and distilled into a red pill.

The red pill is not a yuge info dump, at most it should be 1 page max, 3-4 for an expanded version.

Questions not accusations. A key set of points and questions that are rock solid, from a customer to a business POV, and ones that can not be easily hand-waived away.

I'm thinking some of the ESA digger recaps are pretty good to start distilling and debating some key points akshually. Gotta review those again myself.

>Political, spokesperson for digital entertainment, Podesta connections.

I'm sifting and reviewing the ESA dig, and you can too if you want. […]

And I'll say again IMO, the Podesta connection is not solid enough at this time. As much as I hate that scumbag fucks along with the Clinton machine, it still has enough plausible deniability and it can take away from the rest of the points. Sift for and debate and distill until only the strongest points remain.

——————————————————-

In addition, making infographs for the redpill may also work. Needs to be optimized for Twitter (most info can be seen without needing to click on the tweet for an uncropped image, and if you need to "view image" to get it large enough to read it clearly, it's too big.)

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A very interesting read regarding the thread of Gamification, there's 4 articles to it (And the ESA does get mentioned.)

Transforming Education Beyond Common Core: A Series of Articles about the Brave New World of Gaming in the Classroom

Part 1: Arne Duncan’s “Classroom of the Future”

https://archive.fo/bFmk2

Part 2: Getting the Word Out About Gaming for Social Change

https://archive.fo/Unj1e

Part 3: Crony Capitalists Promote Gaming in the Classroom

https://archive.fo/JI0O7

Part 4: Games for Muslim Appreciation, Emotional Intelligence, Diversity and Masterbation

https://archive.fo/nK9YL

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I found more of Gallagher & Gamification, it's audio only but at least you can download it.

Surprising Synergies - Game Makers, Policymakers, and Educators: How the gamification of stubborn policy challenges — like budget, energy, and health care — can help engage and involve the public and, importantly, work to inform policymakers' decisions.

https://www.aspenideas.org/session/surprising-synergies-game-makers-policymakers-and-educators#

>"I sit here today because Gary Knell, 5 years ago when he was with Sesame, came and visited with me and said 'You know what? Nice to meet you, you're new in your job, we think your industry could do more.' And he planted a seed of an idea of what we could do around education."

Well this is interesting…

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ESA Foundation is launching the 2017-2018 Scholarship program, the requirements are still bullshit.

https://archive.fo/cbjdI

>The ESA Foundation Computer and Video Game Scholarship Program is administered by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS).

Hmm…

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

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from >>329901 to >>329907

https://archive.fo/O399S

Reposting set start (reposting note: this specific repost is not an info dump but recap. Might have strong potential for further distillation)

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Seriously, who are these "Experts" Gallagher is listening to? And does Gallagher realize that if he wants talent at the video game industry to flourish with new blood and creativity, then going the Common Core route of dumbing down education by flooding classes with shitty games and also pushing for "Social Change" is only going to dry up Gaming? Like I said before, there are many questions that have to be asked because there's a lot of things that not only need clarification, but also the realization that what he's doing is going to do more harm than good.

>why are you so concerned about getting the same respect from other industries like movies? Movies have evolved beyond plays & theater dramas and who cares what another industry that operates differently thinks about you?

>why are you turning games into movies?

>what is with the fixation on Gamifcation? It would do more harm than good to not only the industry, but education and the population who will grow up with what they're being taught.

>why are you fixated on Social Change? Some people play games for escapism and to unwind, not to be reminded of what's happening or to watch someone's soapbox of what they consider right & wrong.

>time keeps proving that Social Justice Warriors do not buy your games & they only complain for changes that they wouldn't even buy anyway. Why are you shifting your industry to be more extremely left-leaning?

And a reminder that according to the ESA, Mafia III "Unflinchingly tackles racism."

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ESA also had a partner during the 2016 election. Not sure why a car company of all things, but OK.

https://archive.fo/34aCL

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So I found this page upon looking up more info on Gallagher…

https://archive.fo/OkW24

>Previous Positions

>CIA Intelligence Fellow, August 2003

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Interestingly, Michael's law firm deals with a lot of Democrats…

https://media.8ch.net/file_store/ab6153f60910f30a3e7dd603abeea853efe7b375a72afcd71dab82ca4d02ccc4.pdf/27464.pdf

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This gets even better, Gallagher responded to Gilman Louie who was at DICE Summit. (Louie himself is the founder and former CEO of In-Q-Tel, a CIA venture who some anons should be familiar with once Pokemon GO had the controversy of datamining.)

https://archive.fo/drMa9

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The open letter is no longer on the ESA's site, but thanks to Wayback, I got an archive here. Wonder why they removed it…

https://archive.fo/dyuvG

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What is Gallagher doing at a event with Islam?

https://media.8ch.net/file_store/f7d124c045a241ba5988047624b5bd3135e3b896b46f117ac95f787758a9f0f2.pdf/Press-release-gala-2016.pdf

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Reading this article on Donald Trump's picks…Gallagher was mentioned.

https://archive.fo/k4Vxh

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So most of you remember this gem I made while back? Well, if you that was rich of Gallagher to say that, then oh boy you're in for a wild ride at his speech at DICE Summit 2016.

>Years ago, running ESA was like a game of Space Invaders. Our opponets were slowly attacking at us and marching at us, and we were shooting primitive tools to slow them down from misconceptions about our industry that somehow our industry was responsible for the evils in society, whether it was bad health, bad citizenship, or bad behavior, or violence. That was appropiate at the time, at that time our issues set pretty much boil down to "We didn't do it." and "Don't take our stuff."

>don't take our stuff

>ignores the racism & sexism

>That was the agenda, it was very important we prosecuted that, but today we're in a different game. This industry has grown and prospered because of your genius and your creativity and the games that you have made that have altered the entertainment landscape and changed business, sports, technology itself. You've changed the way that games are played and allowed ESA to do our part to change how games are perceived. So we're not just playing defense anymore, we're openly and proactively pushing a positive agenda for this industry.

>we're openly and proactively pushing a positive agenda for this industry.

Archived link for the original posts that are labeled

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(reposting note: One of the ESA digger is transcribing a DICE speech from video or audio, since the digger was still in the process it is not reposted in this set, please see the archived link for the full and original postings about that topic)

from >>329909 to >>329917

https://archive.fo/Nrek9

reposting set start (this specific repost is not a new infodump but a recap)

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Previous thread recap.

>ESA partnered with Auto Alliance during the 2016 election

>one of Gallagher's previous positions was a CIA Intelligence Fellow

>Gallagher's law firm deals with so many Democrats

>Gallagher debunked Gilman Louie's statements on the video game industry (Sadly I agree with CIA man that the industry has a weak voice and is an easy target for attack from legislators & culture critics)

>found one of the ESA's deleted open letters talking about the industry & the feel-good celebrations of pioneering new business models, lunching new technologies, and engaged millions of consumers. Also talked about GlassLab advancing the use of video games as educational tools (Gamification, not-Common Core), partnership with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, feel-good on video game industry's economic contributions and efforts to support veterans as well as briefings with lawmakers about the ESRB and parental controls, the ESA being proud to represent the creators,innovators, technicians, storytellers, and entrepreneurs who comprise the industry and set the record straight with policymakers and media across the country because Sandy Hook happened

>Gallagher attended at an event with Islam art for some reason

>Gallagher was one of Donald Trump's picks for the FCC selection

>the jewish people policy institute wants Gamification and thinks having a professional meeting in Second Life on Israel island is a good idea

>Gallagher was at dice and so many things he said just made me rage and laugh. For instance "We're openly and proactively pushing a positive agenda for this industry", "Our issues pretty much boil down to 'We didn't do it.' and 'Don't take out stuff.'", compares the video game industry by saying "We were once Space Invaders, today we're No Man's Sky", inserts Big Bazinga-tier cringe, making a big deal and reminder of the supreme court victory, "Every year, E3 reinvents itself.", & "we demonstrate how mature and great the video game industry is in today's society."

>the FTC says the ESRB is the world's best rating system

>Lyin' Ted's games are mobile garbage and the majority of games mentioned on the high-profile people are entry-level garbage

>Sandra Day O'Connor led the charge to use video games to teach kids civics in middle schools all across America

>Gallagher makes a big deal about the VGVN on how the ESA has amassed their own digital army who talk about engaging on policy issues that matter, defending the right to be gamers, and standing up to the industry (Meanwhile crickets chirp on Anita and the TPP. Oh and they thank Nancy Polesi)

>school institutions said "We believe in this industry, we're part of it too."

What a mess.

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>>11879113

Ok, I'm sifting through and I did a fast skim (have to do another read just to make sure) on the howdo you do fellow gamers, which I will mention in a bit. But I will say on this one, not just about Rato specifically

>>Lyin' Ted's games are mobile garbage and the majority of games mentioned on the high-profile people are entry-level garbage

entry level or casual vs hardcore or niche, is pretty much a guaranteed no win area. I understand you're digging for the stuff and re-capping and that's fine.

But for sifting and distillation, that casual vs hardcore, PC vs console, console vs console or mobile vs non mobile stuff is the equivalent of an autist slapfight if it's brought up in 3DPD or any serious debate or redpill material. From what I have seen in 3DPD observation, there isn't such a clear separation anymore between platforms and casual vs hardcore.

Here is why I think going there only weakens the argument. It can give a false appearance that the points contained in the redpill only represents one type of vidya customers, and it only cares about one type or one genre of vidya. The ESA and the publishers wants to broaden their market. IMO so should this redpill. Not by diluting the points, but by addressing the foundation and root of it, 1st amendment and freedom of expression.

A politician or policy maker, or the VGVN memeing themselves in a How Do You Do Fellow Gamers is funny, sure. However it can miss a bigger opportunity if that's all it accomplishes. I think there might be a better angle to pursue. I care less about what vidya a politician plays if at all, I care more about the question whether or not they would defend the 1st Amendment angle that vidya's existence relies on. So IMO a better question would be,

Hey politician X, since you say you like and play vidya, would you still defend it's right under the 1st amendment even if it wasn't a gajillion dollars industry and have a massive potential voting block.

It needs work on the phrasing but I hope I communicated the gist of it.

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>>11881845

>It needs work on the phrasing but I hope I communicated the gist of it.

Maybe something like this?

X, since you said you like to play video games, would you still defend its right under the 1st amendment, even if it wasn't produced from a multi-billion dollar industry?

I'd probably be pushing it if I added "When a game is used for controversial pieces and people demand for it to be pulled, will you still defend it?

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>>11881872

>Maybe something like this?

X, since you said you like to play video games, would you still defend its right under the 1st amendment, even if it wasn't produced from a multi-billion dollar industry?

Yes, now that is getting better. Now that I think about it, I might even replace X with something like "to the politicians who says they like to play vidya', almost like a to whom it may concern but more specific to politicians.

>I'd probably be pushing it if I added "When a game is used for controversial pieces and people demand for it to be pulled, will you still defend it?

Personally I understand where you are going with that and while I personally agree. I think in the context of the redpill construction, if it can't be crafted well or goes into accusation territory, I'd leave it out. I do personally agree though.

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>>11881872

Forgot to add. The stuff in previous bread with the ESA and Scalia ruling definitely has strong potential. And might be a good lead in or combo with the refining of the points mentioned in >>11881872

reposting [reposting note: an ESA digger transcription of an ESA Foundation speech(?)]

>So we also look at giving back & being generous. The ESA Foundation recently celebrated it's 15 year, and in that 15 years, the foundation has handed out over 230 scholarships to women and minority students, who want to join you in this room. We've also funded over 50 universities and other grantees who are using video games to advance our society, advance our culture, advance our welfare of children, it's a very focused & important & meaningful contribution that we make, but the most powerful component, the most powerful partnership that we've established is that with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. How many of you have heard or played Extra Life or participated in Extra Life? Outstanding! The rest of you? The world's ready…wait till this November. So last November, it's a Game-a-thon, it's a 24 hour peroid to play games, get sponsors, the proceeds go 100% to the local Children's Miracle Hospital that's nearest you as the participating gamer. It's incredibly powerful!

>$7 million were raised in one day, one weekend, in last November. Overall, this partnership has yielded $20 million in the last 6 years in critical support to a fantastic cause. So gamers, game publishers, this industry, we're generous. Besides being innovators, besides being leaders, besides loving great entertainment like Todd [Howard] described, we're generous too.

>>329928

reposting (continued from previous)

>Now the shift in narrative around video games refelcts the increasingly siginifict role that we play throughout society. 20 years ago, our industry was a niche entertainment medium, and now video games are considered an economic growth engine. When the rest of this country was faltering economically in 2008, 2009, and 2010, this industry continued to reinvent itself and grow. The NPD Group just reported that sales of games, hardware, and accessories, and digital sales that those total $23.5 billion here in the United States in 2015. That's more than the GDP of some small countries, and that's just in the US. We know the global number is much higher. In fact, Digi-Capital has recently forecast that global game sales will grow from $90 billion this year to over $115 billion in 2020.

>But our art form, as we know, isn't contained to just the products that we make, it's showing up everywhere across arts & museums & media. We've got motion pictures based on video games that are coming out later this year, we've got museums around the country that exhibit video games, probably our favorite because we helped launch was the Smithsonian's art of video games. It just completed its ten-city tour this last month, remarkable, very popular exhibit that showcases the art that goes into games and brings it to people around the country.

I actually went to one of those museums, and if that experience is anything to go by, it will fucking suck.

reposting (reposting note: this one might is likely a transcription, might be from the same speech.)

>Video Game music is fantastic and not only because it's a rich form of cultural entertainment pleasure, but helps fill the seats and inspires the next generation of those are going to watch orchestral performances to come because they're playing music that's relevant to them.

This is so far the only thing I agree with Michael on. Even games that are very rough around the edges sometimes makes up for their scores. It's just a matter of doing it right and not doing what marketing did in the 90s and slap Hip-Hop + Rap onto everything because it's the cool thing.

>>329930

reposting (transcription, likely from the same speech but needs confirmation)

>As the Wall Street Journal says and Pachter will attest, "Past performance and success is no prediction of future performance." So Washington runs with a great sense of curiosty and potential impact on a full range of what our industry is represented today. When we infuse the internet into the creative experience, when you add the monetization tools in the business models that you all have pioneered and deployed, the world of the government becomes much clearer and much more apparent.

>Now I mentioned at the outset that our 2 issues were "We didn't do it." & "Don't take my stuff." That was really a lot to handle at that time, this is a partial list of the over two dozen issues that we lead and manage and prosecute on behalf of this industry. Wherever there is innovation, wherever you have mass consumer engagement, you're seeking to market to children, engage children, there are regulatory legal state-level federal-level impacts that require a constant explanation to make sure that the right outcome is what comes out of that policy discussion. whether it's virtual currencies and how new worlds are created, or content issues which remain top of the list, thats the agenda of this industry today. So wherever vigilant, we have to be, because things continue to change and it's important that we're there to make sure that we extend that frontier.

>this is a partial list of the over two dozen issues that we lead and manage and prosecute on behalf of this industry.

Read it and weep!

>>329931

reposting

>The Newtown tragedy provides a clear example of why this is so important. At that time, industry critics emerged from the shadows, ones that we thought we had defeated in the Supreme Court case, and we found ourselves as an industry, fighting off attacks on multiple fronts as some tried to make the unfounded connection between video games and the atrocities that happened in Newtown. We were invited to meet with the Vice President, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health & Human Services, along with other entertainment industries. I was incredibly proud to bring together leaders from a number of companies represented in this room to participate in this very very important discussion: Epic Games, EA, Take-Two, they were all there…Gamestop. We stood together, shoulder to shoulder, and we put forward the truth about what this industry really stands for, and if you see what's happened since then, we are more mature, we are stronger, we are much more effective in the world of the matters when it comes to setting policy, because of our engagement and because of the courage of the leadership of this industry to participate in important discussions like this.

>we are more mature, we are stronger, we are much more effective in the world of the matters when it comes to setting policy

>>329932

reposting

>So as we heard from Penn yesterday and Randy, this work must continue, the mission isn't over, and our strength & success depend upon the continued support of all of you. So I invite you to join us, engage with us, follow us, partner with us, come to [???] exhibit E3, follow the video game voters network & be a part of our digital army. Everyone here is in this community, we embrace and love this mission. So our work may exist in a virtual world, but its success and your ingenuity and creativity and generosity are very real. With your help, we can all keep it going, so now I'm delighted to take a few questions.

>this work must continue, the mission isn't over, and our strength & success depend upon the continued support of all of you.

>follow the video game voters network & be a part of our digital army.

Yes, these are the same Penn & Randy.

>>329933

reposting

Time for questions!

With Eletronic Arts' decision to deempahsize its presence on the show floor, can you talk about how that might change the dynamic of E3?

>That's a great question. E3 is an ever-evolving organism, it's one of the most difficult challenges is containing this industry under one roof to project out to the rest of the world with what's coming next. You have incredibly powerful brands, very creative teams, remarkably competitive companies, they go head-to-head at E3 and collectively project, y'know, an enormous vision of the industry, but we have to continue to evolve E3, we have to make sure that we're keeping pace with what does it take to deliver that engagement, and high value to the audience that is fortunate enough to be there, the 50,000 people or so that are invited and qualified to be in the building, but also those that aren't. Now the 50 billion media impressions, we know who those are. Theres only just over 7 billion people in the world and 2 billion of them have internet access, it's the gamers that are watching, they're there, they're present…and what you're seeing with these types of decisions is an evolution of the show, and it's being pulled by its leading members. You look at last year, Nintendo had a e-Sports competition, the Nintendo World Championships, we had for the first time press briefings on Sunday which whoever went to the Bethesda meeting last sunday, that was remarkable. It was a tour-de-force. So we continue to evolve our approach to the show and we'll see what works, we'll have trial and error, and what we'll do is the same thing this industry does. When it works, great! We'll do more of it and when it doesn't, we fail forward and move on, we innovate, we learn from what we've just happened. So that's a great question here.