Video Game Industry Reaches Boss Level

The video game industry has grown up and is going to start putting some quarters into Washington, the New York Times reports. Game makers have formed their first political action committee and will soon start making campaign donations to candidates, in hopes of steering more of them to the industry's side and head off attempts to further regulate their products.

Politicians used to find the industry an easy target, but are waking up to the fact that gaming has become a lot more mainstream and plenty of players are old enough to vote. The Nintendo Wii, in particular, has succeeded in attracting more women and older people to gaming, and even congressmen couldn't wait to try it out at a recent Washington reception for the industry. (More video games stories.)