My Dinner With Halpin
A fireside chat with Entertainment Consumer Association president Hal Halpin.
In July 2006, Hal Halpin founded the Entertainment Consumer Association, an advocacy group to champion consumer rights and issues. Since that time, the organization has done its part to give gamers a voice on a variety of issues and has gone out of its way to highlight — and with the help of its members — defeat unconstitutional state and federal anti-consumer legislation all over the United States.
But the waters have become a whole lot murkier since 2006; study after study attempts to pin the ill behavior of a small segment of society on video games, the video game industry’s trade associations have lost their way and a brave new world of uncertainty awaits publishers and developers in Washington. Halpin has his work cut out for him.
With these challenges in mind, we talk to the ECA president about what the road ahead looks like. Our conversation after the break.
Crispy Gamer: For those not familiar with the ECA, what is it your mission statement?
Hal Halpin: The Entertainment Consumers Association is the non-profit membership organization which represents gamers. Think AAA, but for gaming… Members pay $19.99 per year and receive discounts on games-related goods and services as well as representation at the state and federal levels.
CG: With the election out of the way and the choice made for president will the ECA expand its focus into other areas?
Halpin: While it’s true that we were fairly involved in getting out the vote and making sure that our members understood the issues and the candidates – at the local, state and federal levels – the ECA has been increasingly involved in many legislative and public policy issues ranging from first amendment to fair use.
CG: What are the biggest threats to our hobby that you want to fight against besides government mandated video game ratings?
Halpin: We have a page set up on the association’s website where folks can track the issues that the ECA has become engaged in (http://www.theeca.com/position_statements), as well as get involved themselves via an action center (http://action.theeca.com/t/2858/content.jsp?content_KEY=2159).
CG: Is it a good idea for the ESA and private lobbyists hired by video game conglomerates to try and buy influence in Washington? Isn’t that one of the biggest problems with Washington right now?
Halpin: The Entertainment Software Association represents the rights of game publishing companies and as such has a duty to do what it can to influence legislators by lobbying. I know that starting up a PAC (Political Action Committee) was a decision that they grappled with for over a decade. I recall it being an on-going discussion point back when I was running the IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association). PACs can be effective tools, but yes, you do run the risk – nowadays – that the ends may not justify the means. The climate has certainly changed significantly…
CG: The ECA is pretty good at mobilizing gamers online to take action against laws in their local and state governments but what can you do to get them to step out of their comfort zones and do simple things like calling their representatives?
Halpin: Thanks, we’re really proud of how effective our online advocacy efforts have been – from the tools we discussed earlier to the social networking groups. And yes, our goal is to continue to empower and educate our members on how to best leverage their individual and collective voices. We’re also very excited about the growth and popularity of our regional chapters, which we hope to get involved at the local level – working alongside our Government Affairs staff, and perhaps even testifying at committee hearings. Getting out ahead of legislation, rather than constantly being on the defensive, is one of the ways we see the ECA as being able to change the paradigm.
Next: ESA vs. ECA?
