ECA OVERVIEW

The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit membership organization established to serve the needs of those who play computer and video games.

Formed in 2006, the ECA is an advocacy organization for consumers of interactive entertainment. Gamers represent nearly fifty percent of the US population and spend $10 billion annually on gaming, yet as a group are continually overlooked by both politicians and the mainstream press. The mission of the ECA is to give game consumers a voice and to ensure that elected officials hear their concerns and appreciate the growing influence of the gamer demographic.

The organization, which is headquartered in Connecticut, focuses its advocacy efforts on consumer rights, anti-games legislation, and a host of other public policy concerns as well as providing substantial community, educational, and affinity benefits to its members—from discounts on subscriptions and game rentals and purchases to education, employment assistance, and insider access to industry news and events.

The ECA is dedicated to providing a wealth of community and affinity benefits to our members. With membership, you can connect with like-minded gaming fans, explore career and educational opportunities in gaming, and more. ECA membership can also provide discounts on magazines and subscriptions and save you money on purchases at affiliated retailers.



* Each week the ECA will pull a name from our list of members. The lucky winner will receive an assortment of goodies ranging from pens and pads, t-shirts and hats, video games and video game accessories, a copy of the movie GAMERS, energy drinks, even a chance to win a Sony PS3!
* 2 free issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly offered from Ziff Davis
* 5%-10% off of any Hyatt Hotels in the United States
* Free copy of new feature- length film "Gamers" as supplies last
* Free resume uploads to ECA’s job board site, GameJobs.com
* 30-day Free Trial to GameFly, the leading online video game rental service to the first 1,000 registered members
* Discounts on consumer shows such as GameCon, Digital life, E for All, VGEXPO, and other trade events, conferences and concerts
* WarCry free 30 day Trial membership in WarCry Choice for each member
* New York Comic Con 2007, 2008 show will give 20% off to all ECA members
* Career Discover Series offers 10% discount off of admission to ECA members
* Hardcore Gamer® Magazine will offer a discount price off of the 12 month subscription cost of $24.99 to ECA members for $12.99
* New York Anime Festival 2007/2008 show will give 10% off to ECA members
* The independent Publishers Group is offering 50% off Book of Games to ECA members. The original cost is $29.95. Book of Games, is a massive tome of information on current games. It features the most important games on the market today. It is a great tool to explore available titles, and is full of information on games, research, hardware, and the future of games.
* ECA T-shirts
* LAN centers across North America will offer ECA members 10-20% off any hourly or daily rates. Visit our LAN Centers page.
* Patriot Memory offer exclusive discounts on their memory products through Newegg.com




VIDEO GAME ADVOCACY & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

From a political and cultural perspective, these are challenging times for gamers. More than ever before, video games have become a favorite societal "whipping boy" of certain elected officials. Since 2005, legislators in California, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana and Oklahoma have attempted to curtail the rights of gaming consumers to purchase video games. Fortunately, the courts have so far struck down restrictive video game sales laws as attacks on free speech.

But we can't continue to assume that the courts will protect us while we stand idly by. As gamers, we must make our voices heard. That's where the ECA comes in. On behalf of the game player community, the ECA works to protect our collective game player rights by working directly with legislators as well as through a variety of grassroots digital initiatives.

As a matter of policy, the ECA opposes legislative efforts to unconstitutionally restrict access to video games. Other forms of media, including books, music and movies, are protected by the First Amendment; video games deserve no less.

To learn more about ECA's grassroots advocacy for gaming rights, visit our Grassroots Advocacy page.

To receive timely advocacy e-mail updates on important legislative issues, sign up for the ECA Grassroots Network.

To learn more about the facts on video games and violence, visit our Video Games and Violence page.

To learn more about current legislative attempts to restrict the creation and purchase of video games, visit the ECA Video Game Regulations page.

If you want to make your voice heard on the major issues confronting gaming consumers today - anti-game legislation, consumer rights, and more - join ECA today. Together, we can make a difference.

ECA COMMUNITY

Along with our grassroots advocacy efforts on behalf of gamers, the ECA is dedicated to providing a wealth of community benefits to our members. With membership, you can connect with like-minded gaming fans, explore career and educational opportunities in gaming, and more.

Even better, by supporting the ECA you'll instantly become part of an energized network of passionate, politically aware gamers.

This page will be updated as we work with our members to build the ECA online community. Explore the links in the left-hand navigation bar to explore our current and near-term community offerings.

We are also working toward the following additional community functions:

* ECA Local Chapters: Start or join your area’s regional ECA chapter and meet-up with other gamers in your community.
* ECA LAN parties: Create or join LAN parties or clans, including sponsorship opportunities from the ECA and/or our strategic partners.
* ECA Surveys: As influential members of the gaming community, ECA members will get a chance to voice their opinions and influence how companies create, market, and sell game-related products and services.

If you're already a member, let us know what you want from the ECA community. We value your opinion!

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