Happy Video Game Innovation Day!

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has taken the bold step of deciding that it won’t persecute video games today, instead honoring them by celebrating innovation in the field. Noting that the MIT students created Spacewar!, one of the first video games ever made, and recognizing that Massachusetts “is home to one of the largest and most diverse clusters of video game companies and talent in the country,” the state is declaring September 9, 2009 “Video Game Innovation Day.” The proclamation also notes today’s release of The Beatles: Rock Band, a hopelessly derivative title, but we’ll give the state a pass for the nice gesture. And because 2K Boston gave us Bioshock. [via Boston Post Mortem]