Meet Mr. ECA: Hal Halpin Interview
Interview by Bill “The Game Doctor” Kunkel

POSTAL NATION: It seems that the game magazines and sites in general have a natural bias to support any pro-gamer group. But what kinds of response do you get from gamers that are meaningful? Good will is nice, but do they donate anything? Do gamers show any real willingness to do the things that other interest groups do to keep their ox from being gored?

HAL HALPIN: The endemic media has largely been very supportive of the ECA, which is gratifying on a number of levels: to a large degree, the enthusiast press represents themselves of and for the consumers. There’s a spoken trust there that says that they’re not just a business, but that they represent gamers’ interests by interpreting facts and conjecture as it’s presented or investigated. It’s an important symbiotic relationship and one in which the press openly tells readers that it does everything in their power to be supportive of them and their collective wishes. We called those outlets on their claim and asked them to do barter deals in order to help us promote the association. Many of them agreed quickly, LFP among them, which was both reassuring and flattering. As for gamers, the founding members seem to be compelled almost solely by the advocacy angle of our offer. Sure, it would be easy to sign up based on the value proposition (pay $20 in dues and receive back over $200 worth of goods and services), but they truly seem to be passionate and involved. As for donating, we’re a 501(c)(4) non-profit membership organization. There are no tangible tax benefits to donating goods or services like there are with a (c)(3) charitable non-profit. So I wouldn’t really expect that.

PN: What's your personal feeling regarding the ESRB?

HH: My personal history with the ESRB goes back virtually to its inception, so I understand – from an outsider’s perspective – the challenges that the organization has faced. I have been critical of the process in the past, perhaps most notably during the BMX XXX rating, and then again later during the “Hot Coffee” incident. But to be fair, they really have done the best they can under extraordinary circumstances. Is the system perfect? No, of course not. Could it be improved upon? Absolutely, and I hope that the ECA will remain an involved partner and advisor in that process. I think at this stage we’ve really done quite a lot and our collective focus should be on parental empowerment and responsibility – and area in which we all could and should be doing more.

PN: In terms of lobbying juice, where does the game industry really stand? The overall industry has all this money, but it doesn't seem to demonstrate the willingness to do the hard things when it comes to protecting and evolving this art form. Are the fat cats at the top of the pyramid too satisfied with the existing structure and aren't they more than willing to let companies like RWS take the heat while they publish the next sequel?

HH: I know that my former counterpart at the ESA, ex-president Doug Lowenstein, seemed to feel that way, as evidenced by his farewell speech. I’m not sure I’m in the same camp however. Lobbying is more art than science, based on my personal experience and observations. I do believe that we’ve been far too reactionary in our strategy historically and that we need to change the paradigm doing forward. To that end, the ECA is building up regional chapters which will act as a conduit for local constituents to become engaged alongside our Government Affairs staff and parallel trade association partners, early in the process. I’d also like to see the ECA get out ahead of legislation and perhaps even see if we can advance bills at both the State and Federal levels which would behoove our members – not unlike AAA or AARP.

PN: To your knowledge, has any study ever demonstrated a link between playing "violent" videogames and the likelihood of that gamer committing a violent act in the real world?

HH: No. And here’s where ECA may part ways with our strategic partners on the matter: we actually do believe there should be long-term, qualitative, objective studies done on the effects of violence and sex in media. To be clear, we believe that the scope needs to be inclusive – not exclusive; that necessitates involving music, movies, TV and the like. Performing “research”… and I use that word loosely in the historical context… which studies the aggression levels in gamers after playing an exciting game is scientifically worthless. I could startle you and get almost the exact same temporary spike in adrenaline and corresponding neural activity… it means nothing. Now, getting a large sample size where the group need be larger than 900, of various ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, both sexes, and a defined age range such as early teen, over a long period of time, inclusive of all parallel media, and performed by objective clinical researchers… now that’s valuable information. Call me a pessimist, but I just don’t see that happening. It’s not on the agenda for the anti-games legislators and activists, and I don’t see the broader entertainment industry embracing it conceptually.

PN: With issues like the war(s) in the Middle East and an imploding economy out there, do you see games getting in under the radar during the next presidential election?

HH: You know, it didn’t even occur to me as a serious election issue. It took a gamer named Jesse Vetters to upload a related question to the CNN/YouTube Republican Presidential Debate video submissions for that grassroots effort to take hold. And it took another ECA member who approached me at PAX last August, to point out that gamers’ rights could be a tipping point. He said that he really liked two candidates and has done his research on both. He also mentioned that with the debates we often know the candidates practiced answers well – certainly where they stand on health care, the war, the economy or social security to name a few. What we don’t know is where they stand on comparatively smaller matters. So we’re doing everything in our power to flush the gamer-related answers out into the open.

PN: I've been hearing a lot about this fellow named Spencer Halpin. Anybody you kinow, Hal? :)

HH: Ah, yes. His name sounds familiar… ;)

PN: I assume you've seen "Moral Kombat"; is this the "Bowling for Columbine" of video game documentaries? Will it edge out "King of Kong" at the next VGAs?

HH: I think the most interesting thing I can say about the film is that Jack Thompson and I both loved it… and that’s saying quite a lot. Spencer set out to be the kind of director which is far too rare: an objective and critical one with a discerning eye and a talent for pulling together countless hours of footage to impartially tell the story. As you pointed out, Spencer is my little brother and I was, and remain, involved and tremendously supportive of his work – as he does mine. The film has been screened a few times at film festivals and shows, and the reaction so far seems to back up my, less-than-neutral point of view. I haven’t seen the “King of Kong” yet, but hear and read good things about it. From what I understand, theses are two very different works. “King of Kong” was created for the mass market, where “Spencer Halpin’s: Moral Kombat” is a very intellectual work. From my perspective professionally, I hope that as many people as possible can see and appreciate the film because I believe it important. While I may not agree with the “con” side of the argument, it’s imperative to understand their side of the debate.

PN: Speaking of the TV show game awards, any thoughts on the VGAs? It seems among the more hardcore gamers, these shows have traditionally been laughing stocks. Clearly, video games need awards with credibility, no?

HH: Games represented on TV, to the mass market, is something that I feel pretty strongly about actually. I know that the industry hasn’t been as supportive, financially, as they could have been in the past. But I think that the business has grown culturally, and the base has certainly widened recently, to the extent that more of an effort should be put behind supporting the current programming and introducing more diverse content. Even sticking with Spencer’s film as the example, it would be wonderful to see it on G4, MTV or Spike – think of the impact and resonance it could have, while also being good business. The same is true for a broader assortment of properties that presently exist only in print or online. As for the awards shows, it feels to me as though there was a necessary shake-out over the past few years and the time has come for the networks, the organizers, the consumers and especially the trade to all get behind them. Here, the high tide raises all boats.

--Interview by Bill “The Game Doctor” Kunkel