Game Manufacturers Association
Encyclopedia
Trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
based in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, dedicated to the advancement of the non-electronic social game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
- Board/Tabletop Games, Miniatures Games, Card Games, Collectable/Tradeable Card Games, Role-Playing Games, and Live-Action Role Playing Games. Its members are game manufacturers, retailers, distributors, suppliers, conventions, clubs, and independent professionals related to the games industry.
The association was formed in 1977 to protect the interests of the Origins Game Fair, and was incorporated as a non-profit venture in 1982.
GAMA organizes two shows each year, the GAMA Trade Show (GTS) in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
- a professional trade show aimed at game retailers, and the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
- a 15,000 person consumer show that is aimed at the game-playing public.
GAMA has a number of programs designed to advance hobby games as a business. The Games in Education program strives to teach educators how they can use games in their curricula. The retailer mentoring program is aimed at helping new game stores become successful businesses. The Industry Watch Committee helps stores and publishers deal with negative press about games. In all they do, they endeavor to strengthen the business of publishing and selling games.
In 2006 GAMA began the Games to Troops program, working with the MWR offices of all four US military service branches to establish a permanent games library at every MWR station on the US front lines. The social games industry has since sent over a quarter of a million dollars in games to the US troops through this program.