The Entertainment Software Foundation was honored earlier this week by ThanksUSA for providing grant money that directly benefits the ongoing educational needs of the spouses and children of United States armed forces personnel serving around the world. ThanksUSA describes itself as a non-partisan, charitable effort to mobilize Americans of all ages to "thank" the men and women of the United States armed forces and also provides college, technical and vocational school scholarships for the children and spouses of active-duty status military personnel.

According to data released by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), around one-third of Americans ages 13 and older play video games on their smart phones, tablets, and portable gaming devices (3DS, PS Vita, etc.) on a regular basis. The new research comes from a new ESA report, "Mobile Games: Expanding Gameplay Across America."

Seeing that government regulation was in the wings if it didn't do something, the Interactive Digital Software Association (now known as the Entertainment Software Association, or ESA) decided that the industry needed a self-governing ratings system.

According to statistics released by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) this week, around 390 academic institutions across the country are now offering video game-related certificates, undergraduate and graduate degrees.

As the ESA points out in its release, that represents a 50 percent increase over the 254 schools that offered video game-related education in 2009. While there are schools all over the country that are now offering these types of courses, California had the most with 73 schools, followed by New York with 26, and 24 each in Illinois and Texas.

Developer Other Ocean and trade group the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) have launched a mobile title today called "Save The Game" at the Crime Museum in Washington D.C.

The game focuses on the thorny issue of software piracy and the ways in which the ESA and game developers claim it damages "the livelihoods of independent software developers." After its run at the Crime Museum, the game will be made freely available to the public on Windows RT, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android devices.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), and HHF’s Leaders on the Fast Track (LOFT) today announced applications are now open for the second annual ESA LOFT Video Game Innovation Fellowship. The program provides minority youths with an opportunity to promote social change through video games, according to the ESA. The Fellowship program will award 20 people between the ages of 15 - 25 with grants to create video games or mobile applications which seek to solve problems that face their communities.

The Entertainment Software Association released attendance numbers for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, which is still taking place in Los Angeles. According to the trade group representing the video games industry, 48,900 video game industry professionals, investor analysts, journalists, and retailers from more than 100 countries attended this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles.

Once again the Entertainment Software Association is hinting that it may very well end its relationship with the Los Angeles Convention Center for the Electronic Entertainment Expo if the venue's ongoing construction issues are not resolved.

The Entertainment Software Association has announced the five finalists for the E3 College Game Competition, a contest that recognizes the best college-level talent in game development. Finalists schools include Lawrence Technology University, Savannah College of Art and Design, the University of Denver, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Utah.

The Los Angeles Mayor's office and the Los Angeles Unified School District recognized over 150 students today who were certified through the Digital Living Project. The program focuses on online privacy and safety, cyberbullying prevention, and introducing students to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) based careers.

More than 50 percent of American households believe that video games help families spend more quality time together, according to the new Entertainment Software Association report, "Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Games Industry" (PDF). Around 68 percent of parents surveyed who had children under the age of 18 in their household also said that gaming provides mental stimulation and education to children.

A column from April 9 in the Hartford Courant compared being addicted to video games like being addicted to hardcore drugs like Methamphetamines and slavery.

The Entertainment Software Association announced that its second annual E3 College Game Competition will take place in June and that the deadline for submissions is fast approaching. The competition recognizes the top game design talent from academic institutions throughout the United States.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today presented Texas Gov. Rick Perry (and former Republican presidential candidate) an award for his efforts to create jobs, provide tax incentives and generally foster the growth of the computer and video game industry in the state. ESA president and CEO Michael D. Gallagher presented the award to the Governor and praised him for his "longstanding support for the industry" during an award ceremony at the historic Governor’s Mansion.

Game streaming service Twitch has inked a three year deal to serve as the official live streaming partner of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The partnership with the tradeshow's owner, Entertainment Software Association (ESA) begins with E3 2014, which takes place in Los Angeles June 10 - 12 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Entertainment Software Association president Michael Gallagher issued a statement today condemning a speech from venture capitalist Gilman Louie about the state of the game industry during his DICE 2014 talk "Disrupting Gaming."

Michael Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, publicly admonished venture capitalist Gilman Louie for remarks Louie made about the state of the game industry during his DICE 2014 talk "Disrupting Gaming."

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation have announced the selection of the ESA Leaders on the Fast Track (LOFT) Video Game Innovation Fellows. The organizations have jointly selected twenty minority youths to each receive a grant to further their development of video games designed to solve social problems within their communities.

The ESA Foundation (ESAF) has awarded the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI) at Becker College a $25,000 grant to expand high school student participation in the annual MassDiGI Game Challenge and launch MassDiGI 101, which the college describes as "a series of mini workshops focused on game design and development."

A new report from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) claims that video games, video game systems, and accessories are the most wanted items for the 2013 holiday season. according to the report, approximately 79 million Americans intend to purchase video games during the holiday season, according to new market research and analysis.

According to a Wall Street Journal report (membership required), the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) spent a considerable amount of money and effort in fighting anti-videogame laws in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Jersey - and in Oklahoma last year. Many of the bills have either died or are locked in legislative committees waiting for approval.

The ESA is also taking aim at a federal bill, according to records and a co-sponsor of the bill.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s (HHF) Leaders on the Fast Track (LOFT) today revealed the recipients of the ESA LOFT Video Game Innovation Fellowship. The 20 ESA LOFT Video Game Innovation Fellows were awarded grants for creating video games that attempt to provide solutions to specific problems in their communities.

On December 4, the Fellows will present their ideas to influencers and policymakers in Washington, DC after flying in on Southwest Airlines, the official airline of LOFT and HHF.

ThanksUSA and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Foundation announced the launch of the ninth annual ThanksUSA Treasure Hunt (TH9), a free, fully interactive digital trivia and puzzle game about U.S. history, culture and values. The annual hunt supports ThanksUSA's annual scholarship fund to benefit the children and spouses of active-duty military personnel by providing scholarships for two-year or four-year colleges, vocational or technical schools. The focus of this year's hunt will be the Bill of Rights.

According to a new report released by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) this week, 48 percent of adults age 50 and older say that they play video games. The data comes from new research released by the ESA called "Gamers Over 50 Study: You're Never Too Old to Play." The data in the report is based on a survey of 1,800 adults age 50 and older conducted by the ESRB.

While we don't have any specifics on what went on at this swank press event for the Xbox One, it sounds exciting. Apparently - according to 69 party photos posted on Revamp, the Entertainment Software Association and Microsoft put on a swank reveal party for the Xbox One in Washington D.C. The catered event at the W Washington, D.C. hotel was attended by members of Congress and Obama administration officials, according to the site.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced that the ESA Foundation has awarded scholarships to 30 women and minority students currently pursuing video game-related degrees in the 2013-2014 academic year. The recipients are students currently enrolled full-time at accredited four-year colleges and universities across America.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has released a new public service announcement on its YouTube channel to highlight and promote the ESRB's video games ratings system and the parental controls they can use to keep their kids from playing inappropriate games.

GlassLab, a collaboration between Institute of Play, Electronic Arts, the ESA and others, strives to improve education through the use of digital games.  The lab's first game, SimCityEDU: Pollution Challenge!,will be integrated into select U.S. school ciriculums next month.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today that it will honor Sony president Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai as this year's Champion Honoree at its annual charity gala event and dinner, Nite to Unite. Hirai has had a profound impact on Sony, playing a key role in shaping Sony’s vision for the PlayStation video game consoles and the company's handheld devices, as well as the PlayStation Network. Past Champion Honorees include Blizzard Entertainment's Mike Morhaime and Valve Software's Gabe Newell.

California Governor Jerry Brown (D) is a strange bird sometimes. He, representing the state's view as Attorney General, put his name on a lawsuit (Brown v. EMA) defending a 2005 law written by State Senator Leland Yee that sought to prohibit minors from buying Mature rated games. That case went to the Supreme Court and was eventually struck down as unconstitutional. The state ultimately was forced to pay the legal fees of the Entertainment Software Association - the trade group representing the video games industry in the United States - in 2011.

The Entertaintment Software Association (ESA) issued a press release this week praising the Texas Film Commission for expanding its economic incentives to include "digital interactive media productions."