ESA founder to be honored by AIAS

The founder of the Entertainment Software Association, Douglas Lowenstein, is to be awarded the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award (www.interactive.org). Lowenstein launched the ESA (under the former title the Interactive Digital Software Association) in 1994. During his 13 years as president, the ESA launched the E3 Expo, fought vigorously against piracy, established lobbying efforts at the state and federal level, opposed laws that attempted to restrict free speech related to the games and the industry, and more. Though Lowenstein has taken his fair share of criticism from both inside and outside the game industry, it is hard to deny that his influence on the business has been a positive one.

“It was under Doug’s leadership that the industry fought off dangerous efforts to impose restrictions on video game content,” said Jay Cohen, AIAS Board chair. “For those of us in the AIAS, it is no exaggeration to say that the artistic freedom we now enjoy stems directly from Doug’s efforts.”

“This Lifetime Achievement Award represents the greatest professional honor I have ever received and I am grateful beyond words to the AIAS,” said Lowenstein. “To be honored for doing a job I loved, and fighting for values I deeply hold on behalf of an industry and people I felt privileged to represent is profoundly humbling.”

Lowenstein will become the third recipient of the award, joining Howard Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa, founders of Nintendo of America, and Ken Kutaragi, the father of PlayStation. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award will be given during a gala event at the 2010 D.I.C.E. Summit (located at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

E3: t-shirts, exhibitors and blood

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced that over 200 publishers and developers will be exhibiting at this year’s E3 Expo. The 2009 E3 Expo will take place June 2-4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) and is a trade-only event that will not be open to the general public (unless you manage to sneak in - in which case I congratulate you heartily).

The ESA also announced today the winner of its E3 Expo 2009 T-Shirt Contest, Christine Sununu from New Hampshire. Sununu’s winning design will be featured on this year’s E3 Expo T-Shirt, which will be sold on-site at the LACC during E3 Expo. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Midnight Mission, a Los Angeles-based organization that provides multiple layers of services for the local area homeless with an emphasis on developing self-sufficiency.

Finally, in coordination with the American Red Cross Blood Services Region, Southern California, the ESA has organized a blood drive scheduled to take place on-site at E3 Expo on June 4 from 10:00am - 4:00pm. Appointments will be required to donate and you can sign up online at www.givelife.org and enter E3 as the sponsor code.

E3 Expo 2009 Show Hours
Meeting Room hours are as follows:
Tuesday, June 2: Noon – 6:00 PM
Wednesday, June 3: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday, June 4: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Show Floor hours are as follows:
Tuesday, June 2: Noon – 6:00 PM
Wednesday, June 3: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday, June 4: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Lists of current exhibitors and floor plans are located on www.E3expo.com.

The ESA’s Top Posts Pay Pretty Well

While I have no opinion on how much a CEO of any company should make these days (there are plenty of stories of CEO’s of failing banks making ridiculous amounts of money in salaries and perks) it is nonetheless interesting to see how much the Entertainment Software Association pays out to its top two executives. Apparently the top executives at the industry’s ratings board and the top trade organization for the interactive entertainment industry could afford a fancy condo in Manhattan.

According to a Game Politics report citing IRS records, CEO Mike Galagher earned a salary that was slightly over $800, 000 USD including benefits. The ESA’s top executive was paid $789,929, along with $19,015 in benefits for the reporting period of April 1, 2007. ESRB President Patricia Vance was paid a salary of $535,397 according to those same IRS disclosure documents.

E3 Details, Exhibitors List

The Entertainment Software Association revealed further details about this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. For one it it will take place June 2-4 this year instead of sometime in July and will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The ESA has also changed the name back to E3 and dropped the “Summit” off the name, perhaps in a bid to return the show back to its roots.

Another interesting change for exhibitors is that it no longer requires membership in the ESA. That means all of those companies that dropped out of the trade group can still show their goods on the show floor. Exhibit space is available for both ESA members and non-members alike for any company involved in console, PC, online, and mobile game publishing and developing, qualified business partners, as well as makers of video game hardware and peripherals. The 2009 event is still being produced by IDG World Expo. The list of exhibitors that have pledged to exhibit can be found after the jump.

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ESA Confirms E3’s June ‘09 Return in LA

Ah E3. The fat lady has not yet sung to thee.

Speculation about the fate of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) came to an end this afternoon, when the Entertainment Software Association announced that the event will indeed return for another year in 2009, taking place from June 2-4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. According to the ESA, “The expanded E3 will welcome all qualified computer and video game industry audiences, including international and U.S.-based media, analysts, retailers, developers and business partners to preview the latest in interactive entertainment and technology.”

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