Entertainment Software Association

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) and renamed on July 16, 2003. It is based in Washington, D.C.

Most of the top publishers in the gaming world (or their American subsidiaries) are members of ESA, including Atari, Capcom, Disney Interactive Studios, Eidos Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, Microsoft, Midway Games, Namco Bandai Games, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Computer Entertainment, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, THQ, Ubisoft and WildTangent.

ESA's programs include:

  • Presenting the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 Media and Business Summit, currently the Electronic Entertainment Expo)
  • Supporting the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
  • Combating copyright infringement of software
  • Combating governmentally imposed video game censorship and regulation

Doug Lowenstein founded the ESA. On December 14 2006, game blog Kotaku reported that he was resigning to take a job in finance outside the industry. On May 17, 2007, Mike Gallagher replaced Doug Lowenstein as the president of ESA.

On August 18, 2007, it was discovered that someone from an IP address belonging to the ESA modified the modchip and abandonware articles in Wikipedia, by changing article content to represent legal opinions held by the ESA.

Read more about Entertainment Software Association:  List of ESA Members and Their Subsidiaries

Famous quotes containing the word association:

    A good marriage ... is a sweet association in life: full of constancy, trust, and an infinite number of useful and solid services and mutual obligations.
    Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)