Every single day, gamers see our favorite pastime threatened. If it’s not so-called “school shooting experts” who decide that killers train on videogames, it’s a barrage of bills by politicians who don’t understand that gaming is a legitimate type of media, similar to movies or music. Hal Halpin is leading the fight for our right to play the games we want to play, without the crude censorship that doesn’t happen to other forms of art. Halpin explains how the Entertainment Consumers Association is looking out for us, why he needed to speak out after a recent school shooting, and what the industry should work towards in the next decade. He also explains what he thinks the gaming industry would be like with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, or John McCain as President of the United States.
In a couple sentences, who are you?
Wow… well, professionally, I’m the president and founder of the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), a non-profit membership organization dedicated to serving gamers. In that capacity, I run the day-to-day business of the association, handle legislative and media inquiries and work with a very talented staff and dedicated and passionate membership. Personally, I’m a husband and father of three.
What is ECA, and what does ECA do?
The Entertainment Consumers Association is a brand new membership organization. Similar to the trade associations that represent the industry in different capacities, we represent the consumers of interactive entertainment. Think of us as an AAA or AARP, but for gamers. Members pay an annual dues fee of US$19.99/year ($14.99/year for students and military) and receive back discounts on goods and services, as well as a host of affinity benefits.
Right after the N.I.U. shooting, you quickly responded to the knee-jerk reaction by some media outlets blaming videogames (Counterstrike) for the tragedy. Did you feel a responsibility to speak out given your place in the industry? And is this the first time you’ve made a release under similar circumstances–ie did you issue statements after Columbine, Virginia Tech shootings?
Being responsive to our critics is new to the sector as a whole, actually. Our management team formerly ran the retail trade association that represented the major merchants in the games business (Wal-Mart, Target, GameStop, Best Buy, etc.) for the 9 years prior to the launch of the ECA. The trade associations–ours included–made a strategic decision to avoid confronting our detractors in an effort to marginalize them, in hopes of them going away. That effort was fruitless, and ultimately left our critics as the only voice at the microphone. With the launch of the ECA, we decided that giving gamers a voice also meant speaking up on their behalf. As for whether we had done so previously, the answer would be no, but only because we’re just a year old.
Will anything stop Jack Thompson from blaming school shootings on videogames? What’s wrong with him?
(laughs) Hmmm, how much time do we have? But seriously, Jack is a force to be reckoned with. I don’t see him changing his tactics and views in the near term. He’s passionate about his beliefs, and as much as most logical people would disagree with him, he is the “school shooting expert”… at least according to one sensationalist news network…
Are games under attack?
Daily. Over the past few years, we were seeing an escalation in State level legislation that reached over 100 anti-games/gamer bills annually. One hundred! And many of them were attempting to criminalize the sale of some games to minors with penalties more harsh than selling alcohol, tobacco, firearms, or drugs! Additionally, we have negative stereotyping issues to overcome. It can be frustrating–to say the least–but getting gamers involved in the fight is one way to change the rules of the game in a meaningful way.
The ECA is no doubt watching the presidential race for its impact on gaming. Most people think Hillary Clinton would be bad for the games industry if made President. Do you agree with this? And do you think John McCain or Barack Obama would do anything to hurt or help the industry?
Great question. And one to which I wish I had the answer. Barack Obama has stated his general support for media industry self-regulation in at least one debate setting. I think most gamers are aware of Hillary Clinton’s position; she feels strongly that there should be more research regarding the affects of violent video games on minors and tends to lean heavily toward a universal ratings system in place of the current voluntary industry-backed measures. John McCain hasn’t spoken out on these issues, but may also approach games from a Baby-boomer’s perspective. It wasn’t media that they grew up with, unlike Generations X and Y, who respect the medium similar to the way they do music and movies. Baby-boomers usually see games as toys, rather than media, and that’s a fundamental respect difference that skews the way you perceive related issues.
Is the ESRB rating system a good idea all around? What do you think about games like Manhunt 2, which are banned? Is keeping a game off shelves for its content as bad as a law that would do the same?
The industry has a real problem there–one which they’re not confronting as well as they probably should. The paradigm is: we want to be perceived in a similar light to the motion picture business, with the broad array of products appealing to consumers of all ages. To that end, we create games that fall in the “M” (Mature) category–similar to an MPAA rating of “R” (Restricted). We also have content that is more adult in nature than that, occasionally, which would fall into the “AO” (Adults-only) space, akin to an NC-17 rating. The problem is that the console manufacturers will not permit AO-rated games to play on their systems, pushing developers to edit their game down to an M. Additionally, retailers won’t sell AO-rated content, but they’ll happily sell un-rated DVD movies! The bottom line from my perspective is that the ESRB is the single best ratings system I’ve ever seen, but its flaw is that it’s not fully embraced by the manufacturers.
Where do you see the industry in 5, 10 years? And, given how great games look already, what kind of improvements can we expect?
My hope is that we–collectively–will focus less on making games life-like. We’re already so close… when you look at the latest Madden football game for instance… unbelievable. What we need to do going forward is demand better playing games. Let’s focus on fun. Too many games come out that are pretty, but boring.
How can folks learn more about the ECA?
They can visit our website at http://www.theeca.com to get a better feel for the association, the affinity benefits, and our representation. We also have a few Web-based publications that are free to read, including GamePolitics.com and GameCulture.com.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Generally, I believe that consumers need to be more engaged. Understanding your rights and the ways in which they’re threatened is crucially-important, and we can’t abdicate the responsibility of watching out for them to the trade… it’s both unfair and unrealistic to think that maintaining the status quo is truly the best course of action for consumers. Whether you choose to join the ECA and help fight the good fight or not, I’d urge your readers to at least take some time to educate themselves on the issues and why they’re important.
Thanks for your time, and for the opportunity.
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