The videogame industry has bolstered the Texan economy with the creation of nearly 2,000 new jobs.
A report from the Texas comptroller of public accounts says that the videogame industry has created more full time jobs over the last two years than any other moving image entertainment industry in the state. The report also noted that the incentive scheme that the state had set up in 2007 had played a significant role in encouraging that growth.
The report showed that the videogame industry had created 1,700 new, full-time jobs in Texas between April 2009 and August 2010, aided by the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, which offers grants to movie and TV productions, videogames and anything else that qualifies, in exchange for bringing their business to Texas.
Texas comptroller Susan Combs said that in 2009 alone, the videogame industry had spent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in the state, which – along with the thousands of people the industry employed – had had a positive economic impact, both on a statewide and on a local level. She also noted that Texas was one of the first states to offer such incentives to the industry. It certainly won’t be the last, however, as other states, including Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and North Carolina, are starting up similar schemes of their own.
ESA Head Michael D. Gallagher said that report’s findings were a great example of the positive effects that investing in the videogame sector could have, and praised both Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Legislature for their vision.
Source: ESA via Game Politics
