Why the game industry stays vigilant on violence claims, regulation, and disruption

The game industry is bigger than ever, with estimates of revenues as high as $150 billion worldwide. And it will draw billions of views this week at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. But as it moves from subculture to mass culture with more than 2 billion gamers, it still has growing pains.

Mike Gallagher is the CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which puts on E3. He’s also the industry’s chief lobbyist, and he has to address those pains. These include complaints from parents and politicians about video game violence, which flare up with every mass shooting. He must also address attempts to regulate games, such as recent moves to classify the sale of loot boxes (or random awards of virtual goods) as gambling.