State governments love video games, if only for the money

Video games, what are they good for?

A state government official would be apt to answer that question negatively, right before he or she would immediately draft legislation with the intent of “protecting our young children from this evil, malicious art.”

However, considering the fact that our country is now in the throes of a massive economic struggle, these same state officials are taking a second look at how the video game industry is thriving and, like an old boyfriend whom has seen the error of his ways, has since decided to make overtures to encourage game developers to either seek or establish roots in their states, with additional promises of tax breaks or greater promotional efforts.

This increased effort was mentioned in an article in the Christian Science Monitor. Some noticeable lines from the article mention how these state officials are “enchanted by gamemakers’ big budgets, high-skilled jobs, and purported resistance to recessions,” and point to these reasons for their increased outreach.

Game developers are facing hard times just like everyone else, so this could be read as a case of misplaced affections. However, the fact that these individuals are trying to attract game developers can only be advantageous for the industry. After all, more exposure can only lead to more opportunities for jobs, which in turn can lead to more money.

One would hope though, that none of these game developers consider setting up shop in Utah, considering what is going on there, those developers should not expect a hearty welcome.

Read [Christian Science Monitor] Via [Gamepolitics]