Everyday Gamer

In the spirit of November being the month for all things in American Politics, I sought out various issues to discuss and write about concerning gamers. There is always the notorious Jack Thompson who inspires a common dissent amongst most gamers but I felt that was beating a dead horse. I also felt he really didn’t need anymore free publicity for his actions which could best be described as overzealous antics. So while I was taking a break in between doing a little “research” I went to check out our MySpace page and then it hit me - why not try to get an interview with someone inside The Electronic Consumers Association (ECA.) Well after sending out an email to them I didn’t expect such a large entity to get back with me so soon, but if this is any indication of the professionalism exhibited by this organization then I would say we have a great ally in them as gamers. To make it more impressive we not only got a response from just any member we received answers from the man himself, Hal Halpin, the President of The ECA. So here is what he had to say to the questions we asked.

EDG: What’s the history of The ECA?

ECA: I always felt that the industry was extraordinarily well represented, with the International Game Developers Association (IGDA, developers), Entertainment Software Association (ESA, publishers) and Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA, retailers), but the most important group was being neglected, consumers. We formerly ran the retail trade association and I knew that our team could effectively apply a lot of the lessons learned and experience gained over our nine years and organically grow a membership organization. So we set out to partner with every game-centric company out there in order to get our message out. And the response from the trade and gamers alike was overwhelming. It was clear that the time was now.

EDG: How does one become an ECA member?

ECA: The ECA is entirely web-based, meaning that substantially all of our business is online. People interested in joining can do so at our website www.theECA.com by filling out the registration form. Once you become a member, you’ll have access to all our services and benefits, plus receive a free t-shirt and our nightly newsletter, ECA Today.

EDG: What are the benefits of being an ECA member?

ECA: By joining the ECA, you can make your voice heard while taking advantage of exclusive ECA membership benefits. If you want to help take on the major issues confronting gaming consumers today - anti-gaming legislation, consumer rights, and the like - lending your support to the ECA can make a real difference.

But ECA membership goes beyond our advocacy efforts. The ECA is dedicated to providing a wealth of community and affinity benefits to our members. With membership, you can connect with like-minded gaming fans, explore career and educational opportunities in gaming, and more. ECA membership can also provide discounts on magazines and subscriptions and save you money on purchases at affiliated retailers.

Supporting ECA means not only doing the right thing for gamers everywhere, it lets you save money on gaming purchases while joining a network of passionate interactive entertainment fans.

EDG: What are some of the issues concerning games that you guys are working on?

ECA: We recently announced our backing of the Fair Use Act, which was the first departure from working on solely anti-games/anti-gamer legislation. Not that those issues don’t keep us busy, as there are over 100 pieces of legislation per year, but fair use is such an important and broad matter that it’s certainly worthy of mention here. You can actually track the bills that we’re working on here.

EDG: How successful are you in bringing up issues concerning gamers to the forefront?

ECA: To be fair, I guess that remains to be seen. It’s only been a year into our soft launch and we’re very much in the infrastructure-building grass roots advocacy stage. That said, I think that we’ve been impactful already. We weigh in on important issues and make our presence known. It’s the first time that gamers have had representation and a collective voice with which to speak. So every time I do an interview, or write a guest editorial, we’re bringing our issues to the forefront. And every day people can read about pressing political matters that relate to games on GamePolitics.com.

EDG: Do you feel that some games that have come out recently or in the past, such as Manhunt 2 or State of Emergency, have become counterproductive to your cause?

ECA: No. I’m of the mindset that games, like movies or music, should be diverse in content and in intended audience. We support the developer’s right to make games, the publishers and retailers rights to sell them and fully support the ESRB ratings system. Beyond that, there are formidable challenges, but they’re worthy.

EDG: Do you feel that developers should exhibit some form of personal responsibility when creating games or should they be free to make anything that they want?

ECA: I think that’s more of a business question than an ethics one and by that what I mean is that all corporations have a social responsibility, a fiduciary responsibility and, in the case of game developers, an artistic freedom. Those things are carefully weighed and, I would hope, these talented folks know what they’re creating and what impact it will have. I leave charting that course to them in the same way that I do Hollywood studios… it’s just not the place for Government intervention.

EDG: Where should the line be drawn? Some feel that adult content is fine if it serves a purpose with the gameplay where some others feel that anything should be able to be made into a game? Do you feel the “shock value” tactics of development is counterproductive to gamers in the long run?

ECA: I think that the line is drawn, using the ratings system and content descriptors honestly. To my mind, parental responsibility and parental empowerment are the bottom line. If consumers know exactly what they’re getting and it’s labeled as such, I don’t see there being a problem.

EDG: Any “shout outs” or last words?

ECA: Sure. If you’re a gamer you need to join the ECA. We’ve essentially removed the value proposition challenge, whereby you pay $19.99 (or $14.99 for students and military) and get back goods and services that should equal $200. If you play games, buy/rent, subscribe to gaming magazines and care about your hobby, check us out at www.theeca.com and see the possibilities!