ESA

What is the video game industry all about? It is about electrifying, engaging, and visionary entertainment and cutting-edge, 21st century innovation. Our industry has become the center of the tech universe. Video games have changed entertainment forever and now are changing the ways we develop other technologies, the ways we learn, the ways we approach medical treatment, and much more.

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ESA recently filed a lawsuit challenging Chicago’s expansion of its Amusement Tax, which charges Chicago residents a 9% tax on online streaming and some video game experiences.

Boolean Girl, a local startup, aims to close the gender gap in STEM by teaching girls to code, build, invent and animate.

If you work in Washington, you’ve probably been asked to build a grassroots coalition – usually by an industry identifying an issue, then engaging “champions” who will advocate for or against it.

In June, E3 welcomed consumers to its show floor for the first time, giving fans access to the biggest event for video games on the planet. To mark the occasion, unprecedented access to leading figures in the video game and other entertainment industries was given to those fans through the new E3 Coliseum.

The video game industry is young – Pong was released in 1972. Yet in that short time, it has become a dynamic economic force that employs 220,000 people across all 50 states and adds over $30 billion to the U.S. economy.

State elected leaders throughout the nation work conscientiously to address any perceived problems related to the technology industry. Unfortunately, it’s often necessary for state legislatures to use 18th-century property laws to address 21st-century technology, which could hinder innovation in our $30.4 billion industry.

ESA’s latest research tells an exciting story. In addition to its growing economic contributions ($30.4 billion in 2016), the video game industry is expanding its reach with Americans of all ages and genders:

When friends convinced me to enter a hackathon, I didn’t think I’d win, let alone have it reshape my future.

Higher Education Video Game Alliance surveys of game design programs and alumni have set a precedent toward understanding the impact of video games in higher education.

As our education system devotes more focus to STEM, there’s one major hurdle – algebra. A keystone of any STEM curriculum – and among the biggest indicators of students’ future salaries – Algebra 1 is also the most failed class in America.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board is the self-regulatory, nonprofit body for the video game industry and has been assigning age and content ratings to games for 23 years.

When most people think of video games, they think of millennials and younger people; they don’t think of people 50 and older. Yet one in three Americans age 50-plus play video games regularly. Most of these gamers play for fun and the opportunity to stay connected with loved ones through online game communities.