Nearly a dozen companies, mostly in the Hunt Valley area, total over 600 employees, and represent the East Coast center of activity for this growing industry. Baltimore firms hold relationships with industry leaders such as Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Disney, CNN and Take-Two Interactive. They have created blockbuster history, sports, strategy and puzzle games for PC and consoles, including Sid Meier's Civilization, Gettysburg, Railroad Tycoon and the Battleground Series.
Digital entertainment is a blend of infotech, manufacturing, fine arts, film and video.
Today's game development companies use cutting edge technology, in many ways serving as entrepreneurial incubators for the animation technologies that are used in feature films and advertising. Some firms have applied the same technologies to other fields such as military war games. Some do quality control and testing, while others manufacture peripherals such as joysticks. In fact, the world's largest manufacturer of game peripherals, InterAct Accessories, is headquartered in Hunt Valley. Sid Meier, considered one of the founders of computer games and creator of some its best selling titles, is based at Firaxis Games.