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The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the game industry lobby group, today announced two new game creation contests meant to support President Obama's STEM initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math studies). A partnership between the ESA, Microsoft, Sony, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC), and the MacArthur Foundation will help to fund and run a series of STEM-related game design competitions.

Details of the first two competitions – "Game Changers" and the less creatively titled "STEM National Video Game Competition" – are scant at the moment, though the former will involve Sony donating 1,000 PS3s and copies of LittleBigPlanet to libraries and community-based organizations in low-income districts, with plans to share the winning levels free to the gaming public. When asked, an ESA representative told Joystiq that more information would be revealed in "the coming weeks."

Despite outrageous day one sales projections for Modern Warfare 2 and the impending release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, The ESA was still left wondering whether or not folks are still interested in giving and receiving video games over this holiday season. So the game industry's lobbying group conducted a survey, which found that "42 percent of American adults plan to give or hope to receive a computer or video game this holiday season." Furthermore, another 52 percent think of games as a cost-effective form of entertainment for the whole family.

Perhaps the most notable result of the survey was a 31 percent increase from 2007 (to 47 percent) for respondents intending on gifting a woman with a game. We're betting that at least 50 percent of the women receiving a game as a gift would prefer either a different gift or a more thoughtful partner.

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has chosen the third recipient for its prestigious and reportedly quite heavy Lifetime Achievement Award in Doug Lowenstein, founder of the Electronic Software Association (ESA). Lowenstein served as the organization's president for 13 years until 2007, after which he became CEO of the Private Equity Council (PEC).

The AIAS has deemed Lowenstein a video game industry champion, noting his achievements in combating various forms of piracy, unfriendly legislature and anti-game sentiment. According to AIAS Board chair Jay Cohen, "It was under Doug's leadership that the industry fought off dangerous efforts to impose restrictions on video game content, in the process establishing unequivocally that video games are entitled to the same First Amendment rights as any other entertainment content." He added, "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."

Previous recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award include Nintendo of America founders Howard Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa, as well as PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi. But do any of them know Jack as well as Lowenstein does?

According to a report recently published by the Entertainment Software Association, colleges in 37 states (and the District of Columbia) currently play host to 254 courses in video game design, art and programming. That may sound like a skimpy sum, but it's up from 200 programs offered last year. We'd tell you what percentage increase that represents, but we didn't take many math courses throughout our collegiate career.

Rich Taylor, ESA's senior vice president of communications and industry affairs, said these figures are indicative of "the importance of the videogames industry, which is well-poised to create additional employment and professional opportunities in the coming years." We just see them as scholastic incubators for the next generation of Schafers, Carmacks and Wrights.

According to a Bloomberg report, the FCC will soon begin looking into the development of a universal rating system that would span television, games and mobile phone content. Unsurprisingly, the move comes in response to a Congressional call to see whether inappropriate content is harming children and if the current laws are adequate to protect them.

The Entertainment Software Association, according to the report, has previously stated that the FCC has no jurisdiction over video games. In a statement given to GameSpot, ESA senior vice president for communications and industry affairs Rich Taylor stated that the current ESRB rating system is "considered by parents, family advocates, the Federal Trade Commission, and elected officials as the gold standard in providing caregivers with the information they need to make the right choices for their families." He added further that a new universal system would "confuse consumers, violate the Constitution's first amendment, and are a solution in search of a problem."

We might also add that television, video games and mobile phone content are -- with few exceptions -- different forms of media. After all, it doesn't really make sense to use the same scale to judge both Batman: Arkham Asylum and your "Yakety Sax" ringtone. Or does it?

Source - Bloomberg
Source - GameSpot

Here's a lesson that governmental bodies across the nation just can't seem to learn -- if you try to regulate the sale of video games for any reason, you're stepping to the ESA. When you step to the ESA, you're gonna get burned. We've seen examples of the ESA's domination over would-be gaming regulators in the past -- but the organization's latest annual report put a number to their success: 43 legal victories, zero losses.

That's 43 bills over the past year that hoped to restrict the sale of video games in some manner that didn't become laws due to the ESA's legal intervention. In addtion, the group has also promoted tax incentives for game developers which were approved in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Michigan and Texas (and are being considered in 17 other states). In short, if you see an ESA member today, you should probably give them a high-five.

So, how do you turn boring old statistics and charts into kickass promotional material? If you're the Entertainment Software Association, you put those same statistics and charts on video and set them to thumping music. The ESA has just unveiled its ESA TV series, a video blog designed to inform the world about the video game industry. The first video brings together some of the industry's key stats.

You know the ones: The average gamer is 35, the industry brought in $11.7 billion last year -- the kind of stuff your mother laughs off when you try to explain that you're not a kid anymore. Well, now you can show her the same facts on video, so they have to be true. Check out the video after the break.

The Entertainment Software Association is suing the Chicago Transit Authority for unfairly targeting video games and banning advertisements of Mature- or AO-rated titles. ESA CEO Mike Gallagher states that video games are under the same First Amendment protections as other entertainment mediums. The double-edged sword here is that either the CTA can ban R-rated and TV-MA advertisements to make the rule fair across the board, or the ESA will likely win given past history.

The anti-video game ad ordinance (CTA Ordinance 008-147) was enacted in January of this year, which prohibits advertisement and marketing that "identifies a video or computer game rated "Mature 17+" (M) or "Adults Only 18+" (AO)." We're following up with the ESA for more details and will update if we receive any more information.

Update: We've uploaded the full complaint here. (Warning: PDF link)

ESA CEO Mike Gallagher's first "real" E3 was a success. We briefly spoke with him on the concourse from the South to West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center on the last day of the show, but with some more time to decompress and receive feedback, it seemed like the right time to circle back around and see if he was still feeling good about how things went. We asked the executive about how the post-show feedback is going, the chance of loosening up the attendance a little more and if there are any plans yet to make the show public -- oh yeah, and is Activision coming back to the ESA?

Joystiq: On the last day of E3 2009 we had a quick chat in the hallway and you stated that the feedback you'd received was extremely positive and the show floor was "full but still navigable." Now that you've had a week to decompress and receive more feedback, what's your current take on the show?

Mike Gallagher: I have a combination of pride and excitement right now. We set out to reflect and amplify to the world our industry's growth, energy, and vitality and I am incredibly proud we achieved that goal. I am also filled with excitement over the high-impact news announced at the E3 Expo by the companies that make up the industry. We have a lot of great titles to look forward to this year, along with some pretty exciting hardware previews and announcements.

This is the golden age of computer and video games. I say that because more than ever before, we are seeing new interfaces, new distribution models to consumers, and new IP that will reenergize our industry's growth as the year continues. And this growth and continued innovation and creativity comes not at the end of a console cycle, but rather when developers are still harnessing the full processing power of the current systems, leading us to believe that games will continue their upward path of compelling storylines, engaging characters, and epic visuals.

The challenge for us at the ESA now is two-fold. One, continue build on the momentum created by the E3 Expo and educate new market segments about our industry's cultural and economic significance, but also to begin planning for the 2010 E3 Expo.

Michael Gallagher's role as president of the Entertainment Software Association involves spewing a bunch of numbers and being one of the most vocal cheerleaders for the entire video gaming industry. On Tuesday afternoon during E3's opening day, he addressed a small group of journalists and ran through some of the latest figures from their "Essential Facts" booklet that was released before E3 even started. Their favorite being "68 percent of American households play computer or video games."

Surely, we thought, a rehash would include some fascinating infographics and possibly even photos to support all the empirical data. But the only thing provided was a single slide featuring the E3 logo on it. Not even one pie chart or bar graph was present. Basically it was a lecture (in a lecture hall setting) full of numbers that we already knew, with no possibility of a pop quiz. So what could liven up this event?

Yes! The Q&A. When asked about piracy, Gallagher seriously came to life and barked "Piracy is a scourge!" We half expected him to set sail and hoist the ESA flag onto the entire convention center. He went on to explain how piracy is theft that's costing the industry between two and three billion dollars a year. He encourages vigilance, but didn't suggest a way to combat the scoundrels. We say give Gallagher a cutlass and let him go at it.

The ESA just announced that E3 2010 is all set for June 15-17. The organization stated that this year's seemingly successful show had more than 41,000 attendees from 78 countries and 216 exhibitors. The company feels the new show met the needs of exhibitors and attendees.

During an impromptu run-in with ESA CEO Michael Gallagher right before the announcement was made, we asked him how he felt his first "real E3" went. He expressed that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, that the show floor was "full but still navigable." To him, the strongest sign that various levels of attendees were comfortable with this year's show is that company CEOs were roaming the show floor.

PSP Go? More like PSP No. Kojima's new project? Booooring. We know what you guys want from E3 2009 -- cold hard facts about gamer demographics, presented in a cold, hard manner.

Look no further than the ESA's helpful annual pamphlet, the aptly tiltled "2009 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data: Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry." This unassuming booklet contains all the intriguing percentiles you could ever want for -- best of all, it's free for the taking in the E3 press room. At least, we think it was free. We didn't check. We might be thieves.

A breakdown of the facts and figures can be found after the jump.

GameDaily had a chat with ESA CEO Michael Gallagher as the industry gears up for E3 2009 in just two weeks' time. Much has been made of the show's return to grand form (i.e. not in a hanger) but Gallagher said not to expect the old E3. Surely Gallagher didn't mean we'll miss out on the giant booths, scantily clad models and generally overwhelming atmosphere of shows part -- you know, the glamour and sizzle ESA communications director Dan Hewitt previously confirmed.

"Last year we made some improvements based upon the input we received, but this show is not a return to the old E3," he said. "It is definitely much more reflective of the energy, excitement and creativity of our industry, but I wouldn't say it's our first 'big E3' or a return to the old one. It's a show based upon what the industry needs to project as an image of the excitement we have in the pipeline for the rest of the year. It's the right show; it's not a particular reference to any prior year."

As we've just learned today, the "right show" evidently includes little people running amok.

No, we can't believe we just wrote that headline either. And according to scattered reports (and a variety of phone calls we made this afternoon), it's the unfortunate truth: Some Japanese developers and producers are canceling their trips to E3 2009 due to Swine Flu worries. Capcom's Keiji Inafune and his game, Dead Rising 2, will both be missing. (This isn't the first time Inafune is canceling a trip.) Develop is also reporting that Square Enix and Koei will be canceling some employees' flights, with the Kingdom Hearts team and "an unspecified number of [Koei's] Japanese employees" taking the hit.

We asked Tecmo if there would be a change in its lineup at E3, to which a company rep assured, "No. Our content is still scheduled to be there and everything on the show floor, if not by the staff that's scheduled to fly in from Japan, it'll be demonstrated by our own staff from the US office." Tecmo also said producers for its upcoming lineup are still scheduled to appear alongside their titles. "As of today, we've been told our producers will still be in attendance." Konami declined comment as of press time and the ESA (E3's governing body and financial supporter) has yet to respond to our inquiries. As it stands, it looks like we'll be waiting 'til PAX 2009 or even the Tokyo Game Show to get our hands on Dead Rising 2.

The state of California is asking the United States Supreme Court to review a US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision from February regarding its 2005 "violent video game law," declaring it unconstitutional under the First Amendment. According to GamePolitics. the law would require an additional warning label on games and slap retailers who sell violent games to minors with a $1,000 fine for each offense.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed Assembly Bill 1179 into law, said of today's action, "By prohibiting the sale of violent video games to children under the age of 18 and requiring these games to be clearly labeled, this law would allow parents to make better informed decisions for their kids. I will continue to vigorously defend this law and protect the well-being of California's kids."

Update: Entertainment Consumers Association president Hal Halpin has weighed in on California's plea to the Supreme Court. His comments can be found after the break.