Post by leunas on Aug 19, 2006 22:34:28 GMT -5
Tricky bunch, politicians...
In an article posted at St. Tammany.com, Louisiana State Rep. Steve Scalise (R) discusses his desire to attract video game developers to the Katrina-ravaged state.
"Content production in video is similar to film." Scalise said. "It is a market sector that the state has not tapped into that could generate millions of dollars in revenue. It is mobile, driven by creative talent, is a big growth industry that provides a large number of high paying jobs - it is the kind of business we want to bring to Louisiana."
Scalise told St. Tammany that he and others had reached out to the game industry nearly two years ago, but Katrina "knocked everything back to square one."
There is, of course, a well-publicized court fight going on these days as the video game industry battles Louisiana's recently-passed video game law. Scalise said he feels that the "taint" of the controversial legislation could be overcome.
"Louisiana has an incentives package that no other state can match," he said. "This is a business we want to grow. If people knew about the jobs available in these sectors, they would stay in Louisiana. The universities and colleges would create the programs. Tulane University already has a program in place with regard to film and more and more films have video tie-ins."
A picture of Scalise included with the article bears the caption "Video Game Proponent."
Perhaps, but is there a contradiction in the fact that Rep. Scalise voted for HB1381? The fate of the contested video game law currently rests in the hands of Federal District Court Judge James Brady.
To be fair, the bill, proposed by Rep. Roy Burrell and drafted by Jack Thompson, did pass the Louisiana House and Senate unanimously, so perhaps Scalise really believes in the measure. Or maybe there was simply political safety in numbers.
gamepolitics.livejournal.com/343584.html