ECA: protecting consumers from anti-video game movements

The recent outbreak of anti-video game movements and ideals pressed the Entertainment Consumers Association to build defenses around the gaming consumer. This came at a critical moment in gaming history as the ordinary gamer didn’t have an official body to represent him against those that may attempt to hinder one’s right to responsible entertainment.

 

The ECA was established to protect the consumers of the gaming community, just as the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) enveloped the developers of the industry, the Entertainment Software association (ESA) represented the publishers, and the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) spearheaded movements for the game retailers.

In an interview with GoNintendo, Hal Harpin dived into the ECA’s objectives and its history, all the while hinting the ECA’s views and opinions that gamers might find helpful and could relate to. The ECA is currently concentrating on monitoring developments of anti-games legislations nationwide, including updating a tracker frequently for “potential” laws as they pass through the legislative process.

Interestingly, they are also mindful of the fear of violence in video games that seem to come from people who hardly had any gaming experience. They provide the needed education for interested parties to see the pluses and minuses of gaming, while slowly dropping the non-gamers’ irrational fear of games.

But perhaps more interesting than most is the ECA’s view of infamous anti-video game advocate Jack Thompson. Harpin cautiously answered GoNintendo’s question about their perspectives and opinions of the Florida lawyer and said:

With the resignation of Doug Lowenstein, the former president of the publisherÂ’s trade association, I may be close to the top of his hit list. Jack is definitely not a fan, letÂ’s put it that way. My thoughts on Jack are that he is an extraordinarily effective communicator and advocate. HeÂ’s able to pull together groups of otherwise disparate people and channel their support for his side of the argument. To-date, we, as a people, havenÂ’t given him near enough credit, nor concerned ourselves with uniting against him and other anti-games groups. The time has come to do just that, and we need member support in order to be effective in combating them.

Via GoNintendo

The recent outbreak of anti-video game movements and ideals pressed the Entertainment Consumers Association to build defenses around the gaming consumer. This came at a critical moment in gaming history as the ordinary gamer didn’t have an official body to represent him against those that may attempt to hinder one’s right to responsible entertainment.

 

The ECA was established to protect the consumers of the gaming community, just as the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) enveloped the developers of the industry, the Entertainment Software association (ESA) represented the publishers, and the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) spearheaded movements for the game retailers.

In an interview with GoNintendo, Hal Harpin dived into the ECA’s objectives and its history, all the while hinting the ECA’s views and opinions that gamers might find helpful and could relate to. The ECA is currently concentrating on monitoring developments of anti-games legislations nationwide, including updating a tracker frequently for “potential” laws as they pass through the legislative process.

Interestingly, they are also mindful of the fear of violence in video games that seem to come from people who hardly had any gaming experience. They provide the needed education for interested parties to see the pluses and minuses of gaming, while slowly dropping the non-gamers’ irrational fear of games.

But perhaps more interesting than most is the ECA’s view of infamous anti-video game advocate Jack Thompson. Harpin cautiously answered GoNintendo’s question about their perspectives and opinions of the Florida lawyer and said:

With the resignation of Doug Lowenstein, the former president of the publisherÂ’s trade association, I may be close to the top of his hit list. Jack is definitely not a fan, letÂ’s put it that way. My thoughts on Jack are that he is an extraordinarily effective communicator and advocate. HeÂ’s able to pull together groups of otherwise disparate people and channel their support for his side of the argument. To-date, we, as a people, havenÂ’t given him near enough credit, nor concerned ourselves with uniting against him and other anti-games groups. The time has come to do just that, and we need member support in order to be effective in combating them.

Via GoNintendo