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Boston mayor forms game development expansion committee

Griffin McElroy

Updated Sat, Mar 14, 2009, 11:30 AM·1 min read

Thomas Menino, who has served as mayor of Boston for nearly 16 years, is one of the most intriguing political figures in the gaming realm. He first antagonized the gaming industry in 2007 by endorsing a Jack Thompson-authored bill that would treat the retail practices of mature games (as deemed by the state) like the retail practices of pornography. It failed miserably, and we doubt any of the many Boston-based game studios sent him any fruit baskets to console him.

In the midst of this political blunder, Mayor Menino announced he was interested bringing more game developers to work in the city. We thought it was solely a political soundbite -- but the city recently formed an advisory "Steering Committee," composed of local industry figures, to inform the mayor on how to bring further game development to Boston. In addition, the city launched PoweringUpBoston.com, which provides info and resources to Boston's game studios and potential new developers. Wicked Ahhhsome!

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