Texas Government honoured for helping to grow local game industry

Governor Rick Perry has received an award for his efforts in boosting the economic growth of the computer and video game industry in Texas.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) presented the award to Perry this week. The governor was praised for his personal pitch at E3 2008, which invited computer and video companies to Texas.

Since then, the Perry has worked to implement and enhance programs which created a welcoming environment to video game companies. According to the announcement, video game companies invested $643.5 million into in-state productions between 2006 and 2009. The video game industry also reportedly added more than $490 million to the state economy.

Microsoft recently hosted the Titanfall launch party at South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. The event saw several Xbox executives in attendance, including personalities Yusuf Mehdi and Major Nelson, as well as Respawn Entertainment cofounder Vince Zampella and community manager Abbie Heppe.