The Entertainment Software Association have received major backlash from the gaming community over the past 24 hours due to comments made by Jennifer Gibbons, the ESA’s vice president for state government affairs. Gibbons responded to a comment made by California state assemblymember Chris Ward by stating private servers for video games such as Minecraft and Call of Duty to be “illegal” and “piracy.”
We here at Gaminerd decided to do some investigating and what we found on the surface will not surprise you.
According to the nonprofit organization OpenSecrets, the Entertainment Software Association have spent over $1.5 million lobbying U.S. politicians so far this year. Agencies lobbied by them include the Department of Commerce, US Trade Representative, Science & Technology Policy, Federal Trade Commission, and the White House.
Many bills they have lobbied for have been criticized by free speech advocates who fear that these bills are creating a government surveillance state disguised as online safety. Some bills lobbied by the ESA include Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, Kids Online Safety Act, Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act, and NO FAKES Act of 2025.
You can view their First Quarter Report here.
