eca
Culture
Industry Types Confess The Evil Deeds They’ve Done (in Games)
7:00AM Owen Good | What’s the most cruel, unfair, downright evil thing you’ve done in a game? Bitmob polled some industry types with the question. Hal Halpin was a real jerk in Mario Kart 64; Todd Howard created a suicide squad in X-Com. More »
Culture
PAX Panel Attempts To Define “Gamer”, Sparks Casual Controversy
6:00PM AJ Glasser | The PAX panel, Game Culture: How Gamers Impact Society & How Policy Affects Gamer Culture, had some mildly interesting moments – but it got really interesting right at the end, during Q&A. More »
Culture
ECA Form Letter Asks Obama To Stop Picking On Games
12:00PM Owen Good | If President Obama’s rhetorical flogging of video games has you in high dudgeon, the ECA’s built a form letter enabing you to point out to the White House how “video games can empower and educate.” More »
ECA Boss Says Joe Lieberman is ‘Misunderstood’
2:00AM Owen Good | In a wide-ranging interview with Crispy Gamer, Hal Halpin, the president of the Entertainment Consumers Association, calls Senator and gamers’ preferred punching bag Joe Lieberman “largely misunderstood and painted with a very broad brush.” More »
News
The ECA Turns Two
4:00AM Mike Fahey | The Entertainment Consumer Association today celebrates 24 months of consumer advocacy on behalf of gamers nationwide. The ECA was actually formed back in July of 2006 by industry veteran and former president of the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association Hal Halpin, but I guess they were just dicking around for those first couple of months. Over the past two years the ECA has been sticking their noses everywhere on our behalf, from fair use to violent game studies, piracy to government video game legislation, with varying degrees of effectiveness. It’s kind of nice to have them there. Along with a lengthy list of everything they’ve accomplished over the past couple of years, the ECA used some of their press release space to announce the eventual availability of membership cards online via Walmart.com and Amazon.com,along with a partnership with MMO service provider K2 Network to help raise awareness of their various services, and indeed their very existence. Hit the jump to see what the ECA has done for you while you weren’t looking. More »
News
ECA Expands Into Canada
12:40AM Mike Fahey | In a move I would like to think was spurred on by my startling revelation about the giant ice spider threat yesterday, the Entertainment Consumers Association has announced that they ware opening up memberships to Canadian members. The consumer advocacy organisation, which already provides numerous opportunities and benefits to its U.S. members, will soon unveil plans targeted specifically towards consumers based north of the American arctic arachnid defence grid. “With a thriving gaming community already present and growing in Canada, we are proud to extend the opportunities and benefits that our U.S. ECA members have been enjoying over the years,” said Hal Halpin, president of the ECA. “Canada is an important area of growth for us and we are excited to welcome Canadian gamers who are interested in community and any issues that affect gamers.” Interested Canadians can head over to the official ECA website to sign up for membership. Good luck and god speed, brave neighbours to the north. More »
News
ECA Joins Connected Nation For Gamer-Focused Universal Broadband Initiative
9:20AM Leigh Alexander | The Entertainment Consumers Association, an advocacy group representing gamers, has joined up with nonprofit Connected Nation in support of universal broadband. The effort benefits gamers, says the ECA, because high-speed internet access for everyone supports access to online games and the growth of that industry. Jennifer Mercurio, the ECA’s government affairs director, said that it created the Gamers for Universal Broadband initiative in response to “member outcry” over internet access limitations interfering with games. Through the joint initiative, the ECA joins Connected Nation’s advisory committee. Full details follow the jump. More »
News
MORE Publishers To Quit The ESA?
12:20PM Luke Plunkett | The ESA are in a pickle. E3 ain’t what it used to be, and high-profile members like Activision, Lucasarts and id have up and left the organisation. Can things get any worse? You bet! Hal Halpin, boss of the Entertainment Consumers Association, has told the Washington Post that he knows of a further two companies planning on leaving the ESA, while adding that there are “several others that are unhappy but remain with the organisation”. Like a marriage gone bad. “Pass the salt, would you dear“, etc etc. Fewer Players in the Gaming Group [Washington Post] More »
News
Id: ESA Departure ‘Temporary and not Political’
4:00AM Owen Good | Technology columnist Mike Musgrove got Entertainment Software Association CEO Michael Gallagher on the horn (we got him first!) to talk about, what else, ESA’s membership losses. Everyone here should be familiar with the story and the pressures that realigning E3 have brought to bear on membership dues, believed to be the motivation for so many big name publishers flying the coop. ESA refers us to the companies to get the reasons for leaving, and so far none have, really. More »
News
