The board of directors of the Game Manufacturers Association has proposed new bylaws for the organization, which provide for greater representation for non-publishers on the organization’s board of directors.  Currently, publisher members elect most of the board and all four officers, with the retail and wholesale divisions each electing one board member. Under the new proposal, each of six groups (creators, publishers, wholesalers, retailers, media and events, and production) would elect two members of the twelve-person board of directors.

In another major change, the officers of the organization would be elected by the board of directors, rather than by the publisher members of the organization directly.

The board cited three reasons to make the bylaws change:

• Publishers want more retailer involvement, and the board believes that this change will lead to more retailer members and higher participation levels.
• Attracting more members from non-publisher categories will allow the organization to increase the percentage of its revenues from dues, reducing its dependence on events for revenue.  Prior to Covid, events were 70% of the organization’s revenues.
• Attracting a broader membership will help GAMA remain relevant to new companies entering the games business.

A thirty-day voting period is now running; current voting publisher members have until 12 ET on July 2, 2021 to vote for or against the proposal.