As recently as 2006, Louisiana's state government embarrassed itself by hopping into bed with Jack Thompson for an unconstitutional piece of video game legislation that quickly crashed and burned in federal court.
But the worm has seemingly turned with today's announcement that Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal (left) and Electronic Arts have partnered to create a new global quality assurance (QA) center in Baton Rouge. EA will work with Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Department of Economic Development to bring the project to fruition.
Along with Gov. Jindal and other Louisiana officials, EA exec Sharon Knight was on hand for the announcement. Said the Guv:
EA putting the first-of-its-kind video game testing center in the U.S. right here in Baton Rouge is a terrific win for the city and the future of our state. We know our economic development initiatives have to be aggressive, but they must also be innovative, and EA has both of these important attributes.
This testing center will create 20 full time jobs, and more than 200 part-time jobs for LSU students who will get paid to play video games. I know this will be a dream job for some kids, but it is also a key part of strengthening our state's economic development so we become the best place in the world to do business and all of our children can stay right here at home to pursue their dreams. This job win is a critical step in creating a digital media economy that will generate even more high-paying high tech jobs and help us compete for even more jobs within EA in the future.
A Lousiana media rep points out that the state's financial incentives for digital media helped seal the deal. EA will be eligible for a tax credit of up to 20%
