Who says that video games are just child’s play? State and local governments certainly don’t. Its $30 billion—and growing—global industry brings a plethora of opportunity for a community. Some states are capitalizing on the high volume sales by proposing a surcharge in video game purchases, using the money earned to fund community programs.

Perhaps friendlier to consumer pockets and business owners are states that are including video game companies in their long term economic development plans. Georgia, New Jersey and Louisiana are examples of states that are banking on the industry’s growth and are providing tax incentives for companies looking to set up shop in their areas.  In fact, Raymund Flandez of the Wall Street Journal today reported on Baton Rouge’s success in luring a video game company from Dallas due to its attractive incentives.

It was also published that the growth rate of the video game industry significantly outpaced the nation’s growth rate. With that, would it be so frustrating to hear that your community leaders are spending their time playing with video games?