ESA CEO Talks STEM to Congress

September 14, 2011

Entertainment Software Association (ESA) president and CEO Michael Gallagher went before the United States House of Representatives' Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to promote the use of video games and game-like technologies for educational purposes. The talk, entitled "STEM in Action: Inspiring the Science and Engineering Workforce of Tomorrow," was meant to emphasize the fact that games are very effective in encouraging children to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

"We commend Chairman Hall and Ranking Member Johnson for their leadership on this issue. Our industry’s interactive technology provides students with a new mode of learning,” said Gallagher yesterday before the committee. "With the power to improve critical thinking and problem solving skills, games are next-generation learning tools that have the potential to transform the educational experiences of children across the country. We encourage educators and policy makers to take steps now to incorporate these resources into classrooms and ensure that our young people are equipped for success in emerging STEM careers."

The ESA has certainly done its fair share of heavy lifting when it comes to STEM; the trade group heavily promoted the Educate to Innovate STEM campaign launched by the Administration in 2009 and partnered with the White House Office of Science Technology Policy to organize the national STEM Video Game Challenge. It also offers annual scholarships to students interested in perusing an education that will lead to game development, and its president - Michael Gallagher - has served as a judge for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Apps for Healthy Kids competition.

Source: IndustryGamers

Posted in

Comments

Re: ESA CEO Talks STEM to Congress

Submitted by Gameinatrix-Gam... on Thu, 09/15/2011 - 12:35.

This is wonderful to see. I do wish we here followed the example of gaming political groups that try to involve their government more in gaming (by getting them to play a few) so that they stop demonizing us.

Bravo! And I cant wait to see how this turns out. I think games is an excellent way to teach children. Why exactly wouldn't we do this?

Cori

Cori Roberts
Gameinatrix.com-Owner
Gamergirlsradio.com-Owner/podcast co-host/resident bitch and cutter

Shout box

james_fudge: it sounds like if you have an HD reciever you'll be able to use it with a pass-through cable... not 100 percent sure yet05/21/2013 - 2:41pm

james_fudge: happening now http://majornelson.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-architecture-panel/05/21/2013 - 2:20pm

E. Zachary Knight: Some reading material for Microsoft on its used games blocks. That will hurt the console more than helping. http://ezknight.net/?page_id=20505/21/2013 - 2:18pm

james_fudge: yeah good luck with over the air TV05/21/2013 - 2:12pm

E. Zachary Knight: But what if I want to only watch over the air tv? I don't subscribe to pay tv. I never will. If that is a requirement, then MS wasted 45 minutes telling me how great TV will be.05/21/2013 - 2:08pm

james_fudge: EZK it will depend on your provider, just like HBO Go i'd imagine.05/21/2013 - 2:05pm

PHX Corp: @IanC there's also a chance that those titles might be Xbox one exclusive, but it's too early to tell afaik05/21/2013 - 2:03pm

IanC: @E. Zachary Knight - MS certainly got the checkbook out for EA, so no surprise on how negative they are over the Wii U.05/21/2013 - 1:54pm

MaskedPixelante: So now I have to wonder, how many of EA's games are skipping the PS4 because of their pro-used stance?05/21/2013 - 1:53pm

E. Zachary Knight: On the TV front, does the XBox One require a cable/satellite subscription or will I be able to use my over the air channels?05/21/2013 - 1:48pm

E. Zachary Knight: Also, that name was not one of the options on our poll.05/21/2013 - 1:42pm

E. Zachary Knight: This presentation also shows why EA has been so negative about the Wii U. They have had a massive hardon for the XBox One forever.05/21/2013 - 1:42pm

james_fudge: two female presenters05/21/2013 - 1:40pm

E. Zachary Knight: Quote: Are developers forced to create games that have these online features, and are thus not playable offline? They are not, Xbox exec Whitten said to Wired — but “I hope they do.”05/21/2013 - 1:40pm

E. Zachary Knight: The Wired article I linked to earlier has a different story. While it will be possible to play offline, that is a game to game thing, not standard. http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/05/xbox-one-analysis/05/21/2013 - 1:39pm

Andrew Eisen: According to Geoff Keighley, Don Mattrick says Xbox One is not always on. https://twitter.com/geoffkeighley/status/33690727595023155305/21/2013 - 1:35pm

Andrew Eisen: Just like how Sim City needs the cloud for various computations. (Note to anyone unaware: Sim City does not need the cloud for various computations. That was a barefaced lie by EA Maxis.)05/21/2013 - 1:24pm

MaskedPixelante: So all in all, more of the same, with the possibility of used game restrictions and always on DRM disguised as "cloud computing".05/21/2013 - 1:20pm

Andrew Eisen: Absolutly zero gameplay footage. Doesn't look like there are going to be a lot of games ready to launch by the end of the year.05/21/2013 - 1:12pm

E. Zachary Knight: They didn't talk about any of the other exclusives. I guess they are saving that for E3.05/21/2013 - 1:06pm

All shouts

<< Return To Top

Forgot your password?
Username :
Password :