Video games, as a business, are becoming so big, with so much money attached, that states are falling all over themselves to attract the companies that produce them. PaidContent says 21 states are trying to get in on the action by offering incentives adapted from those originally created to lure movie production. Among other things, states like the idea of "hundreds of very well paid individuals settling down in an area."

While Northern California remains the pre-eminent hub for game developers, places like North Carolina and Rhode Island are creating hubs of their own through aggressive loan and tax incentives. In some states, like Louisiana, the incentives are in the form of cash subsidies that can be redeemed or exchanged.

Game studios tell me that people with the right skills are hard to come by, on both the design and development sides. Some cities, like Austin, have set ambitious goals to build wide and deep talent pools to satisfy the demands of companies already based there, and new businesses they hope to attract.