In a press statement sent to Edge, the politician on Friday announced two initiatives to support the games industry: an industry networking website at PoweringUpBoston.com and an industry "steering commitee," both of which were originally conceived at the 2007 PoweringUp Conference at Northeastern University.
2007 is the same year that Menino backed Massachusetts' HB 1423, a law drafted with the aid of former attorney Jack Thompson that restricts the distribution videogames deemed "harmful to minors," the same type of law used to block the sale of pornography to children.
The measure drew criticism from outlets including The Boston Globe, The Entertainment Software Association and even author Stephen King. Massachusetts re-examined the bill in 2008. Similar laws had been previously deemed unconstitutional in other states.
But these new industry initiatives appear to find common ground between politicians and developers. The Boston-area videogames steering committee is made up of key members from local game firms, and will advise the mayor and the Boston Redevelopment Authority staff in "strengthening the Boston-area game development presence, raising Boston's profile as a global leader in digital media and specifically the game industry."
The group, which has members from Blue Fang Games, Metaversal Studios and Northeastern University, has been meeting since October 2008.
Some of the most successful games companies today reside in the Boston area, including Rock Band developer Harmonix, BioShock co-creators 2K Boston and Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine.
In total, according to the mayor's office, the Boston games industry contributes over $200 million to the local economy with over 1,500 jobs across 76 companies. Sixteen of those companies were formed since the 2007 PowerUp Conference.
Menino announced the launch of the initiatives at FableVision, a company that creates educational software and games that recently moved to the Boston area.
In addition, the PoweringUpBoston.com site is intended to serve as a virtual community, where developers can list jobs and access a directory of area game makers.
Menino's economic development initiative CreateBoston recently received a $30K grant that will used towards 2010's PowerUp2conference.
"The creative industries sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in greater Boston, and I’m committed to creating the conditions that will allow this sector to continue to grow and prosper," Menino stated.