Officials in Rhode Island think that drawing Curt Schilling’s video game company, 38 Studios, from Massachusetts to Rhode Island could be a game-changer that vaults the state into the forefront when it comes to the gaming industry. But the Bay State isn’t sitting still.

“Video games are the new biotech,” the Worcester Telegram & Gazette declared in reporting that officials there will establish the Massachusetts Video Game Institute at Becker College, a small private school. State money won’t be used to fund the institute, although Lt. Gov. Tim Murray says an economic development agency could kick in “seed money.”

Apparently Becker is a leader in the subject, ranked No. 1 in New England and No. 4 nationally for video game design by The Princeton Review. No Rhode Island schools are on the list.

Officials from Becker and MIT also presented their own ideas for how to keep the industry thriving in Massachusetts; here’s more from the T&G:

The plan called for allowing video game startup companies to use state-owned buildings for free or reduced rent, developing low-interest loan programs, providing tax credits and other ideas. …

About 16 other states have policies targeted specifically at the video game industry, [Timothy Loew, director of academic planning and operations at Becker,] said.

State Rep. Vincent A. Pedone, D-Worcester, said that with help from advocates, he plans to file a bill to help the video game industry. In just the last 10 weeks, the topic has received a lot of attention from lawmakers, he said.

“We want to be on the right side of history here, because we were on the right side of history for biotech, and look what it’s done, with this biotech corridor starting from Cambridge and coming all the way through Worcester,” he said. “It is an industry that we have to harness.”