The Current and Potential Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Texas' Moving Media Industry Page: 19
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Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Texas' Moving Media Industry
companies while simultaneously pursuing policies to entice non-local companies to expand or relocate in the
state of Texas.
Leveraging Existing Economic Development Programs
As discussed above, video game development companies and publishers are more geographically footloose
than traditional film and television companies. Texas is home to many video companies, both large and
small, but ranks third in overall employment behind California and Washington. Despite the gaming in-
dustry's geographic mobility, companies tend to congregate in regional clusters - just as they do in the
information technology industry. With moderately-sized clusters already formed in Austin and Dallas, Texas
has a significant advantage over other locations in terms of becoming a major production center for digital
content. That being said, it may make sense to target several of the state's economic development programs
at game publishers and developers. As a 2006 study of Austin's gaming industry notes, due to the substantial
lack of game publishers in the city, "much of the value created by the intellectual capital developed in Austin
is realized elsewhere."24
One strategy to grow and attract video developers and publishers might be to leverage the Moving Image
Industry Incentive Program with other economic development programs, such as the Emerging Technol-
ogy Fund (ETF) and the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF). Indeed, Gov. Rick Perry has already indicated a
strong interest in this leveraging strategy.25 Serious gaming, in particular, would seem to qualify for funding
from either the ETF or the TEF, which both stipulate that grants should go to firms with the potential for
scientific breakthrough as well as firms offering partnerships with educational institutions. Much like the
aforementioned student film incentive concept in Utah, which uses several sources of funding, policymakers
should consider leveraging all or some of the three Texas programs in question to create an attractive reloca-
tion package.
For instance, a game development company in California might be enticed to relocate to Texas via a grant
from the Texas Enterprise Fund. Simultaneously, the company would already be eligible for incentives of-
fered by the Moving Image Industry Incentive Program. In addition to these two options, the company
could receive funding through the Emerging Technology Fund if certain criteria were met such as producing
a game considered to be of scientific merit, using proprietary technology that could be spun-off as a separate
product, or forming a partnership with a Texas public or private institute of higher education.
In short, by offering a "package" of incentives, grants and rebates, Texas might be able to attract entire com-
panies from California, Washington and other states instead of individual projects.December 2008 Susan Combs Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
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Weinstein, Bernard L.; Clower, Terry L. & Seman, Michael. The Current and Potential Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Texas' Moving Media Industry, report, December 1, 2008; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc30416/m1/25/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Center for Economic Development and Research.