Ah the ESA. It’s a love and hate relationship with them isn’t it? We hated them for supporting SOPA/PIPA, yet we love them for defending us in the Brown vs. EMA case, a California bill that wanted to ban sales of violent games to kids. Well, California lost the battle, and the biggest losers are the California taxpayers (that includes me). The State of California has now agreed to pay $950,000 to the ESA. The total now has reached over $1,327,000 to ESA. Legal fees can be a bitch.

The ESA has said that it will donate portions of the money to “develope after-school educational programs for underserved communities in Oakland and Sacramento.”

“Senator Yee and Governor Schwarzenegger wasted more than $1 million in taxpayer funds at a time when Californians could ill afford it,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. “However we feel strongly that some of these funds should be used to improve services for California’s youth.”

Thanks Arnold Schwarzenegger. At least I’m looking forward to The Expendables 2.

Source: ESA