ESA

Judge: Chicago Transit Authority Can't Ban M-rated Game Ads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 8, 2010 - 8:08am.
Chicago - A federal judge has ruled that the Chicago Transit Authority may not ban advertisements for M-rated video games, saying the ads "promote expression that has constitutional value and implicates core First Amendment concerns." The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted a preliminary injunction against the CTA requested by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a trade group of U.S. video game publishers.
tags: Games | Advertising | Law | Lawsuits | ESA |

FCC to Explore Universal Ratings System for TV, Games, Mobile

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 31, 2009 - 8:42am.
Washington - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to consider implementing a single ratings system that would cover content on TV, in video games and on mobile phones. The agency delivered a report on media blocking and parental ratings today, in which it announced plans to begin the inquiry.
tags: Games | Mobile | Video | Law | Policy | TV | CTIA | FCC | ESA |

Student Charged Under DMCA for Modifying Game Consoles

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 5, 2009 - 9:29am.
Anaheim, Calif. - A 27-year-old California man has been arrested and charged with breaching the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), for allegedly modifying video game consoles so that pirated games could be played on them.

Game Industry to Supreme Court: Keep Calif. Law Off Books

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 23, 2009 - 10:44am.
Washington - The video game industry has submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that it should let stand an appellate court ruling that struck down California's law banning sales of violent games to minors as unconstitutional, GamePolitics reported. The 41-page brief argues that similar laws in other states, while having "proved politically popular," have all been struck down by the courts.
tags: Games | Law | Lawsuits | ESA | SCOTUS |

Survey: 68% of U.S. Households Play Video Games

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 3, 2009 - 9:27am.
Los Angeles - Sixty-eight percent of U.S. households play computer or video games, an increase of 3% over 2008, according to a report conducted by Ipsos MediaCT on behalf of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a trade group of U.S. game publishers and developers.

Schwarzenegger Appeals Video Game Law to Supreme Court

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 20, 2009 - 12:24pm.
Sacramento, Calif. - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court's decision that struck down the state's law restricting the sale of violent video games to minors. The law was passed in 2005, and tossed out as an unconstitutional restriction on free speech in 2007; that ruling was upheld by the Ninth Circuit in February.

Utah Governor Vetoes Bill Restricting Video Game Sales

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 26, 2009 - 10:37am.
Washington - Utah Gov. Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. has vetoed a bill passed by the legislature that would have punished retailers who sold M-rated games or R-rated DVDs to minors, under an amendment to the state's Truth in Advertising statute. "While protecting children from inappropriate materials is a laudable goal, the language of this bill is so broad that it likely will be struck down by the courts as an unconstitutional violation of the Dormant Commerce Clause and/or the First Amendment," Gov. Huntsman wrote in a letter explaining his reasoning for the veto.
tags: Games | Law | Policy | ESA |

2009 E3 Expo Exhibitor Space Already 90% Sold

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 19, 2009 - 9:18am.
Washington - The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a trade group of U.S. video game developers and publishers, announced on Thursday that, despite the economic downturn, it has already sold 90% of the exhibition space available for the upcoming E3 Expo.
tags: Games | ESA | E3 Expo |

Utah Senate OKs Sanctions on Sales of M-rated Games to Minors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 13, 2009 - 10:49am.
Salt Lake City, Utah - The Utah Senate this week passed a bill that would fine retailers who sold M-rated video games to minors, if they had previously advertised that they would not do so, Ars Technica reported.
tags: Games | Law | Policy | ESRB | ESA | Utah |

ESA Names Former FCC Counsel as Head of Govt. Affairs

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 18, 2009 - 1:08pm.
Washington - The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. trade group of video game developers and publishers, announced on Wednesday that it has named Jennifer Manner, former senior counsel at the Federal Communications Commission, as its new senior vice president for government affairs.

tags: Games | Law | Policy | Moves | FCC | ESA | Washington |

E for All Event in Question, After Expanded E3 Announcement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 23, 2008 - 11:16am.

Los Angeles - With the Entertainment Software Association's (ESA) announcement this week that it will bring an expanded E3 event to downtown Los Angeles next year, the future of partner IDG World Expo's consumer-friendly E for All event could be in doubt, GameDaily reported. "We want to thank all of our E for All partners for their support, and we encourage E for All exhibitors to participate in the E3 new event, which we believe will meet their needs as well as those of the industry at large," IDG CEO Mary Dolaher told GameDaily. "IDG World Expo is very pleased to be partnering with the ESA on E3 and continuing to play a central role in that important industry event. We look forward to furthering our contribution to the success of the video game community."

ESA Confirms Expanded E3 Video Game Expo for 2009

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 22, 2008 - 10:35am.

Washington - The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a trade group of U.S. video game developers and publishers, announced on Wednesday that it will host an "expanded" Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at its former home in the Los Angeles Convention Center next year, after experimenting with a smaller event over the past two years. Next year's E3 "will welcome all qualified computer and video game industry audiences, including international and U.S.-based media, analysts, retailers, developers and business partners to preview the latest in interactive entertainment and technology," the ESA said.

tags: Games | Marketing | E3 | ESA |

California Pays $280K in Attorney's Fees to Video Game Industry

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 6, 2008 - 11:49am.

Washington - The state of California has reimbursed the video game industry $282,794 in attorney's fees, which the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) expended in challenging the state's law restricting the sale of video games to minors.

ESA Confirms E3 Event for 2009

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 23, 2008 - 12:37pm.

Washington - The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the video game industry trade group that organized the annual E3 convention that was recently downsized and received some negative reviews this year, has confirmed that it will hold the event in 2009 and said changes may be made to suit its members, GameSpot reports. Noted game analyst Michael Pachter's review of last weekend's E3 was that the event is "headed for extinction." "As we do every year, we're beginning the process of surveying exhibitors and attendees to determine potential changes to the Summit," an ESA spokesperson told GameSpot. "Once this is completed and shared with the ESA's Board of Directors, we will make an announcement about the specifics of the 2009 E3 Media & Business Summit, which will occur."

tags: Games | Marketing | E3 | ESA |

New York Passes Video Game Law; Legal Challenge Planned

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 23, 2008 - 10:26am.

New York - New York Gov. David A. Paterson has signed a new law that forces retailers to provide clearer video game ratings and game console makers to include parental lockout features by 2010, while civil liberties groups have said they plan to mount a legal challenge.

Analyst Predicts Game Industry's E3 "Headed for Extinction"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 21, 2008 - 10:39am.

Los Angeles - Noted game industry analyst Michael Pachter, of Wedbush Morgan Securities, has given his review of this year's E3 convention -- which this year returned to the downtown Los Angeles Convention Center, albeit in its much-scaled-down form -- proclaiming that the event is "headed for extinction."

tags: Games | E3 | ESA | Michael Pachter |

Survey: Average U.S. Gamer Age is 35; 40% are Women

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 17, 2008 - 9:15am.

Los Angeles - Women now comprise 40% of U.S. video game players, while the average age of an American gamer has risen to 35, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos MediaCT for game industry trade group the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

Minnesota to Pay ESA $65K for Overturned Video Game Law

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 1, 2008 - 8:37am.

Washington - The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a U.S. video game publisher trade group, has announced that the state of Minnesota has been ordered by a federal court to pay the group $65,000 in attorneys' fees, expended during a challenge to the state's law banning the sale of violent games to minors.

tags: Games | Law | Lawsuits | ESA | Tim Pawlenty |

Report: E3 Move to Santa Monica Cost $5 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 20, 2008 - 10:33am.

Los Angeles - It cost the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) more than $5 million to move its mammoth E3 video game trade show from the Los Angeles Convention Center downtown to Santa Monica last year, which, when combined with the decreased profits from the downsized event, also led the ESA to substantially increase its membership dues, according to IRS documents obtained by Kotaku.

tags: Games | E3 | ESA |

LucasArts Ditches Entertainment Software Association

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 19, 2008 - 12:47pm.

Los Angeles - LucasArts, the video game development arm of director George Lucas' Lucasfilm, has followed Activision and Vivendi in leaving the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the video game industry trade group that produces the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Next-Gen reported. However, unlike Activision and Vivendi, LucasArts will still participate in this year's E3.

tags: Games | E3 | LucasArts | ESA |