Video Game Voters Network Mobilizes 100,000 Activists

Washington, DC – Over 100,000 American voters joined the “Video Game Voters Network” (VGVN), the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) said today. VGVN, a coalition of voting-aged Americans who defend their choice of entertainment from unnecessary government regulation, was formed to educate and mobilize gamers on issues affecting computer and video games.

“The response to the VGVN is overwhelming and dramatic—over 100,000 members, generating thousands upon thousands of letters defending video games. It’s impressive. Ordinary Americans’ passion for computer and video games is driving a desire to be counted and speak out,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “They are a political force that not only votes, but actively makes their voices heard in Washington, DC and in state legislatures across the country.”

The Video Game Voters Network opposes efforts to regulate the content of computer and video games and to regulate video games differently than movies, music, books, and other Constitutionally-protected media. The site, a project of the ESA, enables gamers to stay updated about these and other game industry related issues, to register to vote, and to take action by contacting federal, state, and local officials to express their views.

“Politicians who think easy political points can be scored at the First Amendment’s expense have to know that such efforts will be aggressively opposed,” said Gallagher. “VGVN and the ESA would rather work in a collaborative and productive partnership to educate caregivers about how to ensure the games their children enjoy are parent-approved.”

To commemorate this landmark and unprecedented growth, VGVN today launched a series of initiatives and issued a call for more voting-age Americans who are passionate about video games to join the grassroots network. First, VGVN released a web video trailer - “The Fight for Video Games” on MySpace, YouTube, and other video-sharing sites, to raise awareness of the struggle against unconstitutional video game regulation. In addition, VGVN launched a new campaign website at videogamevoters.org to increase the recruitment, education, and mobilization of video game players across the country.