January 2012

ESA Foundation Awards 30 Students with Video Game Design and Development Scholarship

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Foundation awarded 30 students with scholarships for the 2011-12 academic year recently. The purpose is to expand educational opportunities for aspiring game designers and impassion the next generation of industry innovators. Totaling $90,000, 15 college students currently enrolled in video game-related programs, as well as 15 graduating high school seniors aspiring to pursue a degree in video game design or development received scholarships. Recognizing the importance of fostering diversity within the entertainment software industry, the ESA Foundation offers its scholarships to women and minority students to help them achieve their individual academic goals.

This year's grantees hail from a diverse collection of 21 colleges and universities from across the nation, including DePaul University, Rochester Institute of Technology, George Mason University, and Drexel University. Additionally, this year's recipients have academic and artistic concentrations in a wide array of video game-related fields, consisting of computer science and programming, software engineering, graphic design, animation and digital entertainment.  

The wide spectrum of schools and concentrations reflects a growing trend among institutions of higher education to offer video game-related programs. In fact, in the 2011-12 academic year, American colleges and universities will offer 343 programs in game design, development and programming, including 301 undergraduate and 42 graduate programs. These institutions are taking a leading role in providing the next generation of innovative designers and developers with the skills they need to succeed in an already flourishing entertainment software industry.

Generating over $25 billion in revenue in 2010, the video game industry has proven to be one of America's fastest-growing business sectors. The industry directly and indirectly employs more than 120,000 people in 34 states, with employees earning an average annual salary of $90,000. Due to the industry's continued growth, computer and video game companies have an increasing demand for dynamic and highly talented individuals. The ESA Foundation's scholarship program helps provide valuable opportunities for students to begin pursuing an exciting, successful career path.

To learn more about the program, please visit the ESA Foundation's website.

NEW STUDIES CONFIRM GAMES DO NOT CAUSE YOUTH VIOLENCE

A host of respected researchers and government authorities, including the U.S. Supreme Court, examined claims of a causal link between violent video game content and real-life violence and determined that existing research provides no evidence to support this argument. Most recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association/ESA noted that, "Psychological studies purporting to show a connection between exposure to violent video games and harmful effects on children do not prove that such exposure causes minors to act aggressively."

Now, two new studies by U.S. and international researchers confirmed no causal link between violent video games and real-life aggression and violence. Last month, Professor Christopher Ferguson and several of his Texas A&M International University colleagues published a study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research finding no long-term link between violent video games and youth aggression or dating violence. The study involved a sample of 165 youth between the ages of 10 and 14 who were tested three separate times over a three-year period. Ferguson's team used a series of measurement tools to assess participants' violent video game exposure as well as antisocial personality traits, family attachment and delinquent peers; exposure to domestic violence; depression and mental health; and instances of dating violence. When controlling for these behavioral and environmental factors, the researchers affirmed that exposure to video game violence was not related to youth aggression, and that depression, antisocial personality traits, family violence and peer influences were in fact the best predictors of aggression.

In addition, the Swedish Media Council determined in December, following its review and analysis of more than 100 scholarly articles published in international journals in the last 11 years, that there is no conclusive evidence proving that violent video games cause aggressive behavior. The report also noted that while a majority of these studies found a correlation between games and aggression, they also suffered from significant methodological shortcomings that called their results into question. These flaws included only assessing study participants' game playing and aggressive behavior at a single point in time, and measuring aggression not through their physical actions but through their aggressive thoughts, attitudes and feelings, which the report described as vague and not linked to actual violence.

Both studies add to a growing body of research debunking the myth that there is a link between video games and violence. In fact, a wide body of research has shown the many ways games are being used to improve our lives through education, health and business applications. When considering this research, numerous court rulings and other facts, it is clear that there is no concrete evidence that video games cause harm, but they can have positive effects.

Mobile Apps Bring History and Art to Life

Thanks to the rapid evolution of smart phones and the cutting-edge products of the computer and video game industry, mobile game play is increasingly popular among consumers, allowing them to play, compete and interact from just about any location. In fact, 55 percent of gamers report that they also play games on their phone or handheld device, and 7 in 10 mobile applications purchased from the iPhone App Store are games. Taking note of the emerging trend of playing on the go, museums around the globe incorporate mobile applications into exhibits to provide patrons with a new and interactive way to engage with their collections, and to enable those who cannot visit to explore their exhibits.

The Smithsonian Institution is one of the first to embrace mobile games, developing goSmithsonian Trek to enable players to explore its many artifacts. The game takes visitors through the Institution's nine museums located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and requires them to use clues to solve location-based riddles related to each of the museums while learning about art, science, history and more. The game can be played from any iPhone or Android phone by downloading the "SCVGR" app from the iPhone App Store or Android Market. During the course of the game, visitors can view images of museum artifacts and maps on their mobile devices, and send pictures and share adventures with friends.

Another museum that has moved beyond brochures and audio tours is New York's American Museum of National History. In November, the museum opened its newest exhibit, "Beyond Planet Earth," which explores the future of space exploration and the possibilities of future space shuttle missions. Museum visitors can download the Beyond Planet Earth Augmented Reality app and roam the museum, collecting 3-D animations of near-earth asteroids, Mars-bound spaceships and more. Once visitors complete their collections, they can share them with friends by email, Facebook and Twitter. All of the images and links available for download can also be accessed on the "Beyond Planet Earth" section of amnh.org.

Additionally, Tate Modern in London now incorporates Tate
Trumps, a free mobile card game that allows visitors to explore the gallery while deciding which artworks would score the highest in three different modes. In "Battle mode," players pick which works of art would win in a fight if they were to come to life. In "Mood mode," players decide which artworks are menacing, exhilarating or absurd. Finally, in "Collector mode," aspiring curators develop their own collections, selecting artwork from the gallery's existing collection, then join with other players for a fast-paced game of "trumps" to see who selected the best items.

These are just a few examples of the growing number of galleries and museums using mobile games and applications to enhance visitor experiences and make their collections more accessible. Video game technology continues to intersect our daily lives in a variety of ways, making traditional educational and cultural experiences more engaging and entertaining. Be sure to inquire about available mobile applications at your next trip to the museum.

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In the News

	12/26/2011 – The Benefits of Video Games – ABC News
	12/23/2011 – Using Prizes to Reach Video Game Players on Their Phones – The New York Times
	12/12/2011 – Monet, Meet Mario Bros.: Paris Museum Celebrates the Fine Art of Video Games – Time
	12/10/2011 – All the World's a Game – The Economist
	12/7/2011 – Video Games Don't Make Kids Violent – Time
	12/2/2011 – The Art of the Videogame – The Wall Street Journal
	12/16/2011 – Grateful Dead Launch Video Game – Rolling Stone
	12/1/2011 – How a Computer Game Is Reinventing the Science of Expertise – Scientific American

Latest News Releases

	12/14/2011 – ESA Foundation Awards 30 Scholarships to Aspiring Game Developers
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