The Entertainment Software Association Will Meet With The White House Thursday To Discuss Video Game Violence

Last week, we reported on the news that Donald Trump was preparing to meet with experts in the video game industry to discuss their possible effects on real-world incidents. However, not too much was thought of that, mainly because video game companies noted that the White House hadn't reached out to them in any regard, leaving us wondering if the meetings would happen.

But it appears that some traction is being made. The Entertainment Software Association – or the ESA, for short – has noted that they will be meeting with president Trump this Thursday to discuss video games. With the meeting, the ESA will discuss the benefits of games with Trump.

A rep from the ESA noted, "Video games are enjoyed around the world and numerous authorities and reputable scientific studies have found no connection between games and real-life violence. Like all Americans, we are deeply concerned about the level of gun violence in the United States. Video games are plainly not the issue: entertainment is distributed and consumed globally, but the US has an exponentially higher level of gun violence than any other nation. The upcoming meeting at the White House, which ESA will attend, will provide the opportunity to have a fact-based conversation about video game ratings, our industry's commitment to parents, and the tools we provide to make informed entertainment choices."

Of course, there's still a question about who else will attend this discussion, since game makers can also make a convincing argument that video games aren't to blame with the recent string of school shootings. For now, though, at least the ESA is on board, so it looks like the company will try to make some traction.

Trump had previously linked the Parkland shooting on two occasions to video games, and has asked for some kind of rating system for them – unaware that the ESRB actually exists to list game content to concerned parents and other players. Maybe the ESA can remind him about this system while they're at it, and see if they can get things moving.

We'll let you know if we hear anything from the meeting.