Not every politician wants to bash video games.

Inspired by 2007's World Cyber Games in Seattle, Washington Lt. Gov. Brad Owen (D) will look into the economic impact of online games later this week.

The news comes by way of a press release announcing that a legislative committe chaired by Owen will take up the issue at a meeting on Wednesday in Bellevue. The public is invited to attend. Owen is quoted in the press release:

We are very fortunate to be the hotbed for the development and marketing of online and video games in our state. There are at least 150 companies in the Puget Sound region with a core business of game development, one of the biggest concentrations in the country. The purpose of the meeting is to learn more about this exciting industry and assess how its development is an emerging factor for our economy...

 

[At the World Cyber Games] we saw people doing fierce cyber battle with others across the globe, and many of the games that they were playing were developed in Washington. This is a growing industry and we are pleased that it is helping to make our economy strong and diverse.

Among those presenting at the meeting will be Halo developer Bungie as well as the DigiPen Institute of Technology (lately embroiled in an ugly IP dispute with former students).