Video Game Voters Network Reaches 200,000 Members

Author: by Staff

The Video Game Voters Network, a political advocacy group established by the Entertainment Software Association, has accrued more than 200,000 registrations, the ESA said today. Founded in March 2006, much of the VGVN's activity includes facilitating contact between United States voters and their elected officials, which the organization says recently contributed to former Utah governor Jon Huntsman vetoing a piece of video game legislation. "VGVN members play a critical role in protecting free speech and defending this innovative and creative art form from intrusive and unnecessary government legislation and regulation," said ESA CEO Michael D. Gallagher. "Our industry is fortunate to have these dedicated individuals helping to preserve the rights of computer and video game consumers and makers." In 2007, departing ESA president Doug Lowenstein, whose long ESA tenure included the formation of the VGVN, notoriously chided industry professionals for not having signed up for the initiative. Despite his frustration, the rate of signups seems to have generally slowed: in the roughly two years since the network was founded, it gained 150,000 members, but in the following two years since then, it has grown only by another 50,000.