Session Name: | Building Grassroots Video Game Activist Networks |
Speaker(s): | Avni Yerli, Stephan Reichart, Matias Myllyrinne, Richard Taylor |
Company Name(s): | Crytek, G.A.M.E. German Games Developers Association, Remedy Entertainment, Entertainment Software Association |
Track / Format: | Business & Management |
Overview: | Despite the fact that there is no scientific connection between computer and video games and real-life violence, governments in Europe and the United States continue their attempts to censor and regulate game content. For example, recent German and Swedish legislation seeks to censor content, infringing on the creative freedoms of game developers and video game enthusiasts. The recent defeat of Germanys legislation, thanks in part to petition programs against the ban, underscores the value of grassroots political organization for content regulation issues. This session will offer a discussion of this trend and overview successes of the Video Game Voters Network (VGVN), a U.S. grassroots organization of voting-age gamers who work to stop government regulation, and the importance of establishing similar European grassroots networks. |