Hal Halpin

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Hal Halpin

Hal Halpin is an American computer game executive and entrepreneur. He is perhaps best known as the founder of the game industry's retail trade association, IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association), which merged with the VSDA (Video Software Dealers Association) to form the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA).

Hal is currently the president of the Crest Group, a consulting company serving the $10 billion video and computer game business. The Crest Group is the Association Management Company (AMC) which previously managed and ran the IEMA and now runs the day-to-day operations of the ECA.

In July 2006, following the successful merger of the IEMA and VSDA, Hal founded the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), a non-profit membership organization which represents gamers. The concept of the ECA was born following an IEMA board of directors meeting, in which Halpin recognized a need for consumer representation.

The association was launched in response to the need for consumer rights advocacy following a string of anti-games and anti-gamer legislation which would have criminalized the sale of certain video games if not for the efforts of trade groups in opposition. The industry itself was well represented by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), and the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA), but those that purchase and play games went completely unrepresented until the launch of the ECA.

Hal founded the IEMA in 1997 and its member companies - including Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Circuit City, Target Corporation, and Blockbuster Entertainment - accounted for approximately 75% of the sector's business. He also managed and ran the Executive Summit, which was the game industry's senior-level event for the top 700 decision-makers in the business.

Previous to Crest, ECA and the IEMA, Hal was the founder and publisher of IE (formerly GameWeek), which was the leading trade publication serving the sector. "Interactive entertainment" was a phrase that is attributed to the magazine, but became part of the industry's vernacular and was coined by Hal - representing the convergence of the console, online and computer games sectors. He also previously founded and was the publisher of GameDaily, the category's primary daily news outlet.

He also launched the leading interactive entertainment business recruitment site, GameJobs.com, which remains a staple HR tool serving the trade. Hal re-published the authoritative novel covering the business, Game Over, which is often referred to as the "Bible" of the videogame business. He successfully re-launched the industry's first charitable organization, Games for Good, and is frequently called upon to represent the trade in mass-media outlets, speaking at conventions and trade shows, and in representing the sector to federal and state government representatives.

Halpin's brother Spencer has created a documentary about video game violence, Moral Kombat, in which Hal is one of the interviewees.