RipTen Videogame Blog » Jack-Thompson

Games Don’t Desensitize Us To Violence (And The SuperNanny Talks Out Her Fanny)

Murray Hibble — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:00:43 +0000

My love of pixel on pixel violence began with the 1993 Commodore Amiga hit Cannon Fodder. Pouring out grenades and bullets in a frenzy of 16-bit death I soon sought more and more ways in which to satiate my frenzied appetite for carnage. Manhunt was the next major milestone in my slaughtering ways and it saw me sinking glass shards into eye sockets and pulverising bricks into plastic-wrapped heads as I chortled and butchered my way across Carcer City. Since then it’s been a decades-long, red-hazed trail of headshots and murdered hookers, all in increasingly vivid detail as blood grew from blocks of simple red to viscous rivers of DX-11 scarlet.

It was around the time when I was perpetrating my first pixel murders that the torches and pitchforks of public outrage were hoisted by angry pundits across the world. I’m not going to run you through the chronology of devil’s games that have attempted to corrupt the youth of each generation, we know the culprits here. What I am interested in is the ridiculous squealing of Jo Frost in the face of the recent riots in London. Jo, who works with families that have fuck-all of a clue about raising children with discipline, said that;

Research shows that within 15 minutes of playing one of these games young men become highly aggressive and lack empathy in normal situations. It is not too fanciful to suggest it’s a short step from being immersed in this war-like world to taking that nightmare mindset on to the streets with all the consequences of anarchy and violence we saw rip apart cities.

I know, I know, I want to smash her in the face with a hammer as well. But I’m not going to because that would be awfully painful for her, psychologically damaging to her family and friends and I just cannot live with those consequences.

Instead, as someone who has been gaming for 30 years, I want to share something with you. Today I again experienced proof that I am a well-adjusted human being who is able to empathise with pain and loss in others which therefore renders me completely incapable of rioting or looting.

"Commando Pro" Being Used To Quell Rioters

You see, in Siberia, Olga was eaten by bears.

This poor girl called her mother three times across an hour and a half ordeal wherein she was being devoured alive by a family of bears. There’s no black humour in this, no internet meme waiting to be born, it’s a horrific story from any aspect. This might seem to be a poor example and could illustrate that I’m so far gone that it takes a bear mauling to get my attention. So how about the fact that in Sudan 10 percent of the children under 5 are dying every 11 weeks? This might still be too dramatic. How about that I listened to a random guy on the bus talk about how his letterbox was vandalised and I completely understand how this feels like a violation to him?

Like most gamers, I’m a working adult who has healthy relationships with other human beings. Is it any surprise then that the most horrific memory I have from childhood isn’t the evil music and dangerous movies I was exposed to or the frequent gaming violence? It was a news report about a woman dying from a mysterious disease in her own home because the ambulance driver wouldn’t let her in his vehicle until she cleaned herself of her own blood. What kind of monster becomes a Paramedic only to visit such a terrible indignity on a person in need? That news report, shown on public television at 6pm when I was 9 gave me nightmares for months and still carries an emotional weight 25 years later.

All of the psychologically unsettling and emotionally upsetting events in my life have come from real life. I haven’t lost sleep from MW2′s “No Russian” (although it did make me think), I don’t think that playing the sniper kit makes me a real-life marksman and I certainly don’t think it’s acceptable to kill prostitutes to get your money back a-la Grand Theft Auto. What keeps me awake at night is the horror of what humans do to other humans (and to animals and to their planet).

Grand Theft Griffin

To blame the behaviour of rioters and looters on gaming is a naive and juvenile assessment of the situation. That the media thought Jo Frost’s words worthy of reporting says more about their understanding of what kind of news sells ad space than a respect for her point of view. Also, I’m not a political analyst or a societal commentator, but just off the top of my head I’m guessing that high unemployment in low socio-economic areas and the shooting of Mark Duggan held more important roles as catalysts for the crowd’s behaviour.

Gaming and entertainment have always and will always be scrutinised for its influence in the shaping of human behaviour. According to various moral panics of the past, Chuck Berry’s “The Twist” was a ruinous and provocative influence on the younger generation, Rock and Roll brainwashed our daughters into having sex with bikers and Dungeons and Dragons made you kill your best friend with a sword. As long as there are people unwilling to question information and as long as people continue to be intellectually lazy, we’re going to see this kind of scapegoating perpetuated through each new medium as it arises.

All I ask dear reader is if you’re in a position to argue ‘gaming related violence’ that you put down the clawhammer and demonstrate your basic humanity.

Moreover, to avoid further looting and rioting, I kindly ask that you discipline your fucking children.

Psychologist: Blaming Video Games For Violence Is Racist!

Justin Carter — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:14:57 +0000

If you wanted to count the number of times video games have been blamed for tragedies, you would need the fingers of yourself, your immediate family, your neighbors and Jack Thompson. More recently, the man behind the Norway massacre, Anders Behring Breivik, revealed to have used Modern Warfare 2 and World of Warcraft as both training aids and an excuse to isolate himself while he was planning the massacre. Well, a clinical psychologist at Texas A&M has not only spoken out against the blaming of violent video games, but goes to far to say that it reaches the point of racism. The psychologist, Christopher Ferguson, spoke with Forbes on the matter recently:

I know it’s a little controversial to say, but there’s a certain type of racism
in place with these killings. When shootings happen in an inner city
in minority-populated schools, video games are never brought up. But when these
things happen in white majority schools and in the suburbs, people start to
freak out and video games are inevitably blamed. I think that there’s a certain
element of racism or ignorance here.”

“Scientifically, the idea that video game violence, movie, or television
violence contributes to mass homicides is pretty much a debunked idea that has
no real basis to it. I think certainly the Supreme Court case helped, especially since they were so clear
in pointing out that current research was not able to support that line of
reasoning.”

While it may seem like an outlandish claim, it also has some truth to it. Looking at the news today for inner city crime, I didn’t see video games come up once, but in cases like the Columbine massacre or Virginia Tech, video games were brought up faster than ironsighting in Battlefield. If you can think of a time, comment below or hit me up on Twitter-@GigawattConduit.

[Via Game Informer]

Jack Thompson Claims Victory in Medal of Honor Debate – Says Gamers Can, “Go To Hell”

Dave Oshry — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:56:32 +0000

You can call Jack Thompson many things, but modest is not one of them. In the wake of EA’s decision to change the name of the Taliban in Medal of Honor, Jack Thompson has claimed victory, and has a message for gamers.

Like it or not, as a gamer, you’ve probably heard of Jack Thompson. The outspoken and now disbarred Florida attorney who has made it his life’s mission to stop the sale and production of violent video games.

Well, as you may know, his latest crusade was against EA’s controversial Medal of Honor. The game which was to include the Taliban as a playable side in it’s multiplayer. Jack sent a letter outlining his opposition to Robert Gates, the U.S. Secretary of Defense. He also criticized the U.S. military who took part in the design of the game. Part of his letter reads:

With all respect for everything else on your plate, but as someone who has represented the surviving family members of such video game-caused massacres, I personally urge you, as Secretary of Defense, to do what is necessary, proper, and legal to stop the release of Medal of Honor on October 12 on the basis that it poses a demonstrable danger to our troops by providing a training tool for those who wish to kill them.

I would also strongly suggest that the Defense Department find out who these Special Ops people are who have acted so foolishly in this regard.

Finally, I believe the full weight of the federal government should come down upon Electronic Arts and the video game industry’s Entertainment Software Association for their allowing, presently and fraudulently, despite promises to Congress, the widespread pre-sale of this adult game to minors throughout the country and around the world.

No response was made to Thompson’s letter or actions, yet after much debate and heated argument, including opposition from Liam Fox, the U.K. defense minister, segments on Fox News and the game itself being banned from U.S Military bases, EA finally decided to change the name of the Taliban within the game to the Opposing Force.

Here is part of the statement from the game’s Executive Producer, Greg Goodrich:

We have also received feedback from friends and families of fallen soldiers who have expressed concern over the inclusion of the Taliban in the multiplayer portion of our game. This is a very important voice to the Medal of Honor team. This is a voice that has earned the right to be listened to. It is a voice that we care deeply about. Because of this, and because the heartbeat of Medal of Honor has always resided in the reverence for American and Allied soldiers, we have decided to rename the opposing team in Medal of Honor multiplayer from Taliban to Opposing Force.

So therein lies the reasoning behind the changes in Medal of Honor. Upon learning of this change, for some reason or another I decided to reach out to Thompson, who I’ve previously spoken with about games like Mafia II and Grand Theft Auto, to see what he had to say on the matter. In a simple e-mail, I said the following:

Hey Jack,

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that EA changed the name of the Taliban in Medal of Honor. Care to comment?

And this was his response:

Sure. I win again, as usual. Any gamers who don’t think so and who don’t appreciate what I do to protect our culture can go to Hell.

Wow. I had expected perhaps a long diatribe about gamers and the industry as a whole, as is common in Jack’s emails, but I was not expecting a statement like that. Yet, as I was still in near shock from the audacity of his previous statement, a follow up email arrived …

and please add: Any gamers that don’t know how to get to Hell on an expedited basis, let me know, and I’ll send along the cheat code to get there more quickly.

So EA claims to have removed the Taliban due to the outcry of the families of fallen American soldiers, and yet Jack Thompson claims a personal victory and tells us to go to hell. Bravo Jack, you have proven once again that you are a world class asshole.

*The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of the RipTen staff, although we all pretty much agree that Jack Thompson is an ass.

Excerpt from Thompson’s Letter: PC MAG

Headline Image: Chad Lakkis

If you’d like to speak with me further about this article or have questions you’d like me to send to Jack Thompson, feel free to email me at Dave@RipTen.com or find me @DaveOshry on Twitter.

Latest Episode of Penn & Teller’s Bullshit! Tackles Violent Video Games

Demi Adejuyigbe — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:30:19 +0000

Violence and video games is a topic almost as old as time itself, and we’re all getting tired of hearing people discuss whether or not violent video games are a stimulant for violence & aggression. While the entire gaming community will probably answer that query with a resounding, unanimous “NO”, many analysts and therapists alike disagree. The comedic, critical duo of Penn & Teller recently tackled this topic in the latest episode of Showtime’s Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, and the outcomes of the so-called “investigation” might surprise you.

The first part of the episode is embedded above, courtesy of Kotaku, and the second & third parts are embedded after the jump. Everyone’s favorite Floridian makes an appearance in the episode, but unfortunately, they made him out to some sort of game-hating misanthrope, rather than the forthright, but misguided man he seemed to be when I heard him speak at SGC last week. While I enjoyed the episode, and thought they made a lot of good points, I could’ve done without the crying kid at the end. Luckily, no one at his age probably watches or even gets Showtime, or the kid would be teased for life.

Reward Reaches $50,000 for Missing Ont. Teen, Microsoft and Jack Thompson Offer Assistance

Chad Lakkis — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:17:04 +0000

The search continues for the missing Ontario Canada 15 year-old, Brandon Crisp, who fled his home after an argument with his father over their decision to take away his Xbox.

According to Barrie police spokesman, Sgt. Dave Goodbrand, Microsoft Canada has offered to do “anything they can to expedite the process to find Brandon,” and the company is putting their money where their mouth is as they doubled the reward for information leading to his safe return, bringing the total amount to $50,000.

The teens father Steve described his son as being “obsessed” with the online aspect of the popular Call of Duty 4 game. Microsoft is closely working with authorities, divulging the IP addresses of anyone that may have come into contact with Brandon via the game.

Over 400 volunteers have assisted the police in a six day search spanning 40-sq.-km from the point the boy was last seen riding his bike by eye witnesses. Having received well over a thousand tips thus far, the community remains optimistic that they will find Brandon as they plan to resume their search tomorrow.

And yes, even the disbarred Miami lawyer, Jack Thompson, reached out to Barrie police lending his perspective on video game addition.

“It’s a psychological and physiological condition … These are tough things to have the kid go cold turkey.”

It must be equally “tough” to quit meddling in the video game related news arena. I’m going to add that it may even be considered a “physiological condition”. Move on Jack.

If you have any information that you believe may help lead to the finding of Brandon Crisp, please contact the Barrie police at 705-725-7025.

Source: canada.com

Firefox Add-On Helps Counts Down to Jack Thompson’s Disbarment Date

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:10:37 +0000

If the constant Jack Thompson disbarment updates aren’t giving you the kind of instant gratification you hunger for, thank GamePolitics reader E.Zachary Knight, who took the time to create a Firefox plugin that will relentlessly count down the remaining moments left in Thompson’s well documented legal career.

Jack Thompson Disbarred! Oh Snap!

John Kershaw — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:52:30 +0000

In news to be filed in the “couldn’t come soon enough” category, anti-videogame lawyer extraordinaire Jack Thompson has been disbarred, permanently.

In 30 days time, Thompson will loose all power of attorney, will not be able to practice law and will never be able to attach porn to court documents again. Summarising the court order, GamePolitics assembled the key points to Thompson’s disbarment.

[Thompson] made false statements of material fact to courts and repeatedly violated a court order
[Thompson] communicated the subject of representation directly with clients of opposing counsel
[Thompson] engaged in prohibited ex parte communications
[Thompson] publicized and sent hundreds of pages of vitriolic and disparaging missives, letters, faxes, and press releases, to the affected individuals
[Thompson] targeted an individual who was not involved with respondent in any way, merely due to “the position [the individual] holds in state and national politics”
[Thompson]falsely, recklessly, and publicly accused a judge as being amenable to the “fixing” of cases
[Thompson] sent courts inappropriate and offensive sexual materials
[Thompson] falsely and publicly accused various attorneys and their clients of engaging in a
conspiracy/enterprise involving “the criminal distribution of sexual materials to minors” and attempted to get prosecuting authorities to charge these attorneys and their clients for racketeering and extortion
[Thompson] harassed the former client of an attorney in an effort to get the client to use its influence to persuade the attorney to withdraw a defamation suit filed by the attorney against respondent
[Thompson] retaliated against attorneys who filed Bar complaints against him for his unethical conduct by asserting to their clients, government officials, politicians, the media, female lawyers in their law firm, employees, personal friends, acquaintances, and their wives, that the attorneys were criminal pornographers who objectify women.

As somebody who has spoken to Thompson in the past about his views, I can’t help but feel a slight pang of sadness over all of this. Most gamers are very quick to simply mark all of his views and opinions off as madness, taking little to no time to listen to the man. It’s true that he may take things to the extreme, but his points about selling inappropriate material to minors, and the damaging effect it can have on them, is worth thinking about.

Another angle woth a thought is that with Jack all but reduced to a Fox News talking head, is this going to be the end of anti-videogame activism? Not by a long shot, and Thomson’s departure may just be the catalyst. There are hundreds of anti-videogame groups and speakers out there, but up until now they have all been masked by Thompson’s overbearing personality and ability to be noticed. With his departure we may well begin to see a new wave of people targeting videogames.

Or maybe I’m just being pessimistic. Cake anyone?

Jack Thompson: Anti-Videogame Advocate and Clairvoyant Threatens Take 2

Justin Arnold — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:22:57 +0000

Thailand just got an ally in its war on Grand Theft Auto: Jack Thompson.

A caricature of thriving in the face of adversity, besieged Florida lawyer and video game industry critic Thompson has given his two cents on the Thailand ban on GTA.

As reported by GamePolitics.com, Thompson wrote in an e-mail to Take 2 heads Strauss Zelnick and Ben Feder stating:

“I warned you both that copycat killing by teens would occur upon the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. Now my prediction has come true…”

The killer, 19-year-old Polwat Chinno, was arrested after killing a cabbie with a knife, confessing that he did so to support himself. It is not known if Chinno owns a copy of GTA IV as Thompson suggests.

Thompson went on to make threats, writing:

“This is just the latest killing incident prompted by your murder simulators. I aim to make it the last.”

Source: GamePolitics

Christian Conservative Essay on Videogames Fumbles and Falls Flat

Justin Arnold — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:11:51 +0000

Jesus takes time to teach a child about the PS3 rumble feature

Jesus wept.

The Christian Examiner Online has weighed in with a lengthy dissertation on videogames in general and – gasp! – Grand Theft Auto in particular, outlining the evils involved in the medium and their contribution to the social decay afflicting the United States, not the world.

“The game delivers the kinds of thrills teenage boys love, with plenty of high-speed chase scenes, noisy shoot-’em-ups and risqué sexuality,” writes Steve Rabey. “But questions about the game’s violence and the ability of some gamers to unlock explicit sex scenes in an earlier version of the game have led to complaints and a class action lawsuit against “GT4’s” manufacturer, Rockstar Games.”

Posted through the “Christian Newswire,” the article is being touted as an “in-depth report on the impact of video games on families and the culture.” However, there are no quotes or statements from any learned scholars on the topic of videogame violence, nor scientific data regarding their claims to addiction, violent behavior, or anti-social tendencies.

The article also includes the usual tempered rhetoric of the Christian right that goes on to play their greatest hits: financial irresponsibility for buying virtual goods, a deluded work ethic for playing more hours of World of Warcraft than your nine – to – five job, and an honest to God Columbine reference.

The mind recoils in horror. This is quite possibly the most nugatory story regarding the ills of gaming that I have ever read, replete with assertions so banal that even Jack Thompson would blanche.

Source: christianexaminer.com

Game Over? Court Recommends Permanent Disbarment of Jack Thompson

Justin Arnold — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:29:01 +0000

Game Over? Court Recommends Permanent Disbarment of Jack Thompson
Could it be the beginning of the end for gaming’s loudest antagonist?

In a stunning finding released today by the Florida Bar Association, self-proclaimed anti-video game advocate Jack Thompson may be facing possible lifetime disbarment as has been recommended by a referee between the Bar Association and Thompson.

The recommendation comes after the Florida Bar filed for disbarment in Feb. 2007, citing allegations of professional misconduct. The 169 page file, which reads like a handout on jurist misconduct, details five distinct cases in which “thirty one violations of specified disciplinary rules and conduct occurring over a period of three and a half years.”

We contacted Mr. Thompson by phone, but he was unavailable to comment.

Source: Gamepolitics

Hands-On with Dark Sector Multiplayer (Bonus Official Screenshot Gallery!)

Dan Landis — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:08:22 +0000

During GDC, the Ripten crew was privy to an exclusive invite-only shindig presented by the good people at D3Publishing. What did we do? Well, we sat down in front of some system-linked Xbox 360s and proceeded to tear the shit out of each other in a few rounds of Digital Extremes’ new game, Dark Sector.

Steve Sinclair, Project Lead for the game, ran through a bit of the single player with us first. He showed us what is essentially the tutorial, the events leading up to Hayden (Dark Sector’s main character) getting infected with awesomeness, and then skipped around to later levels to show us some upgraded bad-assery.

As you probably know by this point, Dark Sector is synonymous with “giant throwing star thingy that looks like it’s from Krull” — a reference to Hayden’s main weapon, the glaive. Later in the game, you can enter a bullet-time-like mode where the glaive flies through the air in slow motion and you get to steer it around like a UFO.

You can use this time to appropriately slice and dice your enemies, literally. Body parts are sent airborne in the process with a playful amount of gooey redness, just enough to make Jack Thompson weep for the children. Josh Austin, the game’s producer (and the guy holding the controller), said there is even an achievement for cutting off two heads in one throw! Slightly more understandable now as to why it’s banned in Australia, eh?

So after our appetites are adequately whetted (with the thirst for blood, no doubt), we are handed controllers and sent off to kill each other.

The game controls much as you would expect a third-person, over-the-shoulder shooter to control. It does feel slightly slower than, say, Gears of War, as if the character is a little floaty. Maybe I was just used to playing other games, but it didn’t matter — I got used to it in 5-10 minutes.

There were two multiplayer modes available: Infection and Epidemic. Infection pits one buffed-up Hayden character against a group of normals — regular old hazmat-suited soldiers. Whoever takes down Hayden becomes him in the next round. Epidemic is team-based, with one Hayden on each side. He serves as the team’s VIP — protect your Hayden while trying to kill the other team’s Hayden.

Both game types are fairly straightforward, but they offer something most other multiplayer games don’t: bots! Both game types can house up to 10 players, but if you don’t have (or want) enough actual people to play with you, you can fill out the remaining slots with AI-controlled fodder. This is a great feature, something I never understood why it wasn’t implemented in more games.

I was Hayden in the first round of Infection, and I got two kills before being gang-banged. After that it turned into an every-man-for-himself type of deal because everyone wanted to be Hayden. There was very little team play, but I think that’s just because everyone I was playing with was a selfish bunch of dicks. Then again, where’s the motivation to team up and take this guy down if your best bud becomes your enemy? It really is just an exercise in kill-stealing, but it was fun.

In Epidemic, my team was slaughtered repeatedly until I got my turn as Hayden. Once that happened, we won 5 rounds in a row before I was dethroned by a backstabbing insta-kill (sneaky bastards!). Steve showed me where to get a freeze power-up for my glaive, which I then used to “ice” one of my opponents. Ha, see what I did there with the words and stuff? Needless to say, Epidemic was the favored of the two modes.

Overall, the game looked fantastic and felt pretty solid. Steve and Josh both stressed that the single-player game will be constantly evolving, giving you more powers and more things to do. “Never stop learning,” they say. That’s what keeps people interested and driven forward. As for the multiplayer, it will ship with just the two modes, but more are being considered.

Dark Sector is scheduled for a March 25 release on the PS3 and Xbox 360, and I’m itching to play it again.

[album=17]

Video Tribute to Jack Thompson

John Kershaw — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:27:04 +0000

With the recent antics of everybody’s favorite neighborhood lawyer stirring gamers everywhere to utter a few choice words towards the man, the guys over at Pure Pwnage decided to give him a musical tribute. Hit the jump to watch the music video that’ll be stuck in your head for at least a week.

Credit: PurePwnage.com

WTF: Jack Thompson Defends Mass Effect?

Roly Reyes — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:17:41 +0000

Brian from Kotaku and Jack Thompson seem to exchange e-mails fairly frequently, and what came from this exchange may very well shake the ground that we walk on. Jack “I’ll Sue Anything That Walks” Thompson has stepped up to defend Mass Effect, also known as “Luke Skywalker meets Debbie Does Dallas”. Well, defend is a relative term. Jack actually said, “This contrived controversy is absolutely ridiculous. Report that, why don’t you?”

Here’s the e-mail exchange as Brian himself posted it:

To: Brian
From: Jack
Immediate News Release – January 24, 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV to Be Released April 29; Culture War Begins Now

To: Jack
From: Brian
I like your new glasses.

To: Brian
From: Jack
Wow, as usual you’re grasping the real news here.

To: Jack
From: Brian
I’m surprised you haven’t been looking into Mass Effect.

To: Brian
From: Jack
Why would you be surprised. I don’t see any problem with it. The guy who shot his mouth off about it had no idea what the Hell he was talking about. [Editors note: he may be talking about Debbie Does Dallas dude, see video below]

To: Jack
From: Brian
You mean you’re OK with mass effect?

To: Brian
From: Jack
Of course. This contrived controversy is absolutely ridiculous. Report that, why don’t you?

Brian, I don’t know how you managed to spike his drink from across the internet but you are a kind man, a scholar, a legend and a god.

And for those of you that missed out on Geoff Keighley and EA standing up to FOX News’ erroneous and downright offensive report of the sex scene that takes place in Mass Effect, please read our coverage of the situation and the eventual retraction by Cooper Lawrence.

If the helmet doesn’t fit, you must acquit.

Source: Kotaku

Jack Thompson Winding up for GTA IV

John Kershaw — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:58:45 +0000

With the announcement earlier this week of a release date for GTA IV, the always accurate Miami lawyer Jack Thompson has begun his annual attempt to save the young and the innocent from the murder inducing evil that is video games.

In a letter sent to Take-Two on Thursday, Thompson has threatened that he will not only frown really hard at anybody he sees playing the game, but that he will also write lots of letters to people who don’t care.

Take-Two shares have jumped approximately 12% today on this news. What the market is not factoring in, however, is the downside risk coming Take-Two’s way with the sale of this “Mature” game to kids, which is a murder simulator for violence against women, cops, and innocent bystanders…

Thompson will, in the days and weeks ahead, be contacting state and federal officials to stop the improper sales of Grand Theft Auto IV to anyone under seventeen years of age, as any such sales violate state and federal fraudulent and deceptive trade practices statutes.

Indeed, Thompson has today contacted Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, who has supported Thompson’s efforts in the past.

Going of his past record of great successes, I can’t see Take-Two being worried by any of this. If anything, I would expect them to be happy with Mr. Thompson’s interest. With the increase in controversy surrounding the game, they not only get free advertising, but also an increase in sales.

I could go on about how Mr Thompson should leave the house more often or maybe play some video games, but I’m far to busy violently running over hookers and babies in my stolen police car (which was taken from a blind policewoman collecting money to help abandoned puppies, kittens and unicorns).

Via GamePolitics

Copy of Grand Theft Auto III Signed By Jack Thompson For Sale on Ebay

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:15:16 +0000

Very ironic, however I am not impressed as this pales in comparison to the bible I found in a hotel room, signed by none other than Satan himself.

If you are interested in the unique mix of pop culture and politics that this particular ink stained copy of GTA III offers up, you will need to dish out $4000 for the chance to make it yours — or you can just show up at Jack’s next debate hoping to get something signed like our boy Nick did.

The only positive thing here is that the seller promises to give all earnings from the sale to the Child’s Play foundation.

Buy it now on Ebay

Jack Thompson & Oddworld’s Lorne Lanning Debate Video Game Violence

Josh Pankratz — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 07:21:46 +0000

Jack Thompson vs. Lorne Lanning — an epic duel to the death refereed by Newsweek’s N’Gai Croal. Ok, we were kidding about the whole duel to the death thing, but with the way Jack Thompson has been attacking gamers lately it wouldn’t surprise us one bit.

After watching Spencer Halpin’s Moral Kombat, the two master debaters (sorry I couldn’t resist) took the stage at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

Joystiq’s Christopher Grant reported on the story…

3:55pm – N’Gai lays out the rules (no cameras, sorry folks) and introduces himself and the participants. N’Gai asks Jack how he came to be involved with the film. Jack delivers what appears to be a sincere appreciation for the film and the opportunity to be involved with it. He commends both N’Gai and Lorne, as well as director Halpin, for being will-intentioned, and that’s a major reason he was in the film and he’s here tonight.

4:00pm – How does Jack feel about Lorne’s point in the film saying that it’s easier for games to contain violence – canceling something out? Since Lorne’s games aren’t known for being the most violent on the market (Oddworld, Stranger’s Wrath), how does he see himself in the debate? He wanted his games to be more “substantive” in their content, address socio-political issues he saw on the news, for example global warming. He points to the control over science regarding global warming, and how what used to be fact is now a grey area.

Does what Lorne said resonate with Jack at all? “We’ve lost the idea of the public space, public square, whatever you want to call it.” He argues for the common good, and encourages people to see things beyond money. He said a gamer thanked him for uniting gamers the world over (in opposition to him, obviously) and got a hearty laugh. He says the first time he saw the documentary, he wept. He’s audibly choked up as he says that the film clearly shows both sides of this issue care about people.

4:10pm – Lorne points out that Jack chooses to go on network media, “permeate those sound bites” and can disseminate his argument uncontested for free, while the industry pays $300k per 30 second ad. He says if it’s not Jack on the air, it’s “Ms. Nazi with the blonde hair.” Jack says that he’s almost always contested, whether it’s by a guest or a host. On a recent show, Take-Two was invited and they turned it down. Lorne points out that he can be on the news within hours of a school shooting.

Jack says, “They called me.” Lorne argues they’ve called because these networks pursue sensationalism and he’s built up the brand of Jack Thompson as the defender of violence in video games. Jack says, “And I thought this was going to be friendly.” The audience claps and laughs. Alright folks, Mr. Thompson has taken the gloves off. He brings up Paducah and argues that the shooter there was trained on Doom – his behavior was not commensurate with a first-time shooter. Lorne says Jack’s not qualified to make those claims.

4:17pm – Jack says he was concerned about this before video games. He got the first FCC decency fine and “there were no video games in that.” He says he’s proud to represent people whose families are ruined by people from Lorne’s industry who don’t have the ethics that he does.

Lorne chastizes N’Gai for not calling out something that’s untrue. N’Gai says, “Stop. Stop. I’m the moderator.” Ouch, it’s getting awkward up there. N’Gai addresses Jack’s claim that the killer was trained on Doom, and says that the mechanics of Doom don’t line up with the reality of this particular shooting. Jack says the individual played other games as well as citing The Basketball Diaries as a major influence.

“No one in their right mind would say that a video game by itself would turn an angel into a demon.”
“The incredible extent that adult and adult-rated products are sold to people in other age groups.” He says the only issue for him is the industry’s failure to properly label their products, and enforce those ratings. N’Gai notes that the failure rating is roughly analagous to that of the movie theater industry allowing underage people into movies.

4:23pm – Lorne points out that there are two different issues here: the violent content in games and selling those games. He talks about consumer deception – big food company applying the label ‘organic’ on food that isn’t to deceive consumers – and how that is uncontested. Meanwhile, he feels the ESRB has been doing a phenomenal job and, if anything, there’s a problem at retail.

Jack mentions GamePolitics (hey Dennis, wave!), and says that he’s proposed that developers and publishers threaten retailers by withholding products to those outlets that break their self-imposed rules. The retailers aren’t serious because the industry does not enforce the rules. He agrees with Doug Lowenstein saying if it’s supposed to be a parent’s decision, “then don’t sell them to my kids.” Lorne points out, “He didn’t.”

Jack says a Harvard PhD revealed that there are T-rated games with more violent content than M-rated games. Lorne quips, “PhDs said there were WMDs and those weren’t there either.” The crowd likes that one.

4:30pm – N’Gai asks Lorne why people like Tipper Gore – a product of the 60s – is one of the most outspoken voices against things like media issues. Will gamers grow up to replace those politicians and render the debate moot? Lorne doesn’t think so. Jack brings up religion and says that our founding fathers built a Christian nation. Lorne asks the Christians in the room to raise their hands (about half do, including Lorne) trying to point out the “neocon” belief that we’re a Christian nation.

Jack mentions the Bar complaints raised against him by the video game industry. Says that speaking publicly about faith isn’t tolerated. N’Gai points out that the major political candidates have all spoken publicly about their faith. Lorne points out the boom in religious radio by Clearwater and the growth in tax-free churches. Jack says, “I don’t hear the Christian line on the news?” Lorne says, “Well, you watch Fox, don’t you?”

4:37pm – Jack says that Rupert Murdoch is “certainly not an honest person.” Lorne responds, “We agree.” The audience laughs and the two stand up and shake hands. N’Gai says, “Rupert Murdoch is the new Jack Thompson.”

Lorne addresses Henry Jenkin’s comments in the film about how our media is always violent. He points out the violence of the Old Testament, and Jack jokes, “How about Grand Theft Ark?” Hey, we’d buy that! Lorne discusses the permeation of violence in the media, like the evening news, and says he doesn’t feel video games are explicitly different. Gives an example of people watching 12 hours of violent films, like video games, versus 12 hours of violent multiplayer games. Which activity is more antisocial? He says that neuro-scientists would admit they know nothing about the human mind.

4:43pm – Lorne points out one of video game defender’s favorite stats: that violent crime has gone down as video games have become more popular (marked by the introduction of the PlayStation). He relays an anecdote about a prison warden he rides motorcycles with saying that violence in younger people isn’t as bad as it used to be (anecdotal evidence FTW!). Jack rebuts that FBI crime statistics show that teenage violent crime is way up in the last two years (including here in Philadelphia, where violent crime is way up).

Thompson addresses the propensity of criminals to shoot police officers (this raises the eyebrow of this Philadelphian who’s been inundated with news of three police officers shot in the last week or so). After a brief chat about the errors in Jack’s Wikipedia entry, Lorne asks how much money Jack’s seeking in his cases? “A lot.”

Lorne thinks of himself as a craftsman, creating things by hands, working hard for his money. The industry has exploded with virtually no support from the government, built on the creativity of its creators. He says that Jack’s business model is “to convince grieving families” that the video game industry is responsible for their loved one’s deaths all in pursuit of huge settlements, like $600m huge (wow, that is big).

4:52pm – Jack defends himself, says he’s willing to continue to pursue this case, in the face of disbarment in Florida, against Blank/Rome, one of the largest law firms in the world. (He knows his audience, and points out that Blank/Rome is one of the largest contributors to Bush and Cheney).

N’Gai asks the audience to raise their hands if they’ve played a GTA game. The entire audience raises their hands. He says to keep your hand raised if you think the primary goal of a GTA game is to “kill as many cops as you can,” which Jack had just claimed. No hands. Jack retorts, “What about prostitutes?” Again, no hands.

Lorne says, Jack has faith that video games teach kids to kill, but the facts don’t bare it out. Jack makes some humble cracks about his intelligence, and says that he still understands that violent video games cause increased aggression and points to several studies. He says that corporations can only be punished financially and says they pose a great threat to our liberties. The crowd applauds the sentiment.

5:01pm – We’re onto the Q&A session. Amber from PMS Clan asks the first question: “I know you’ve come into a den of wolves here, so I wanted to thank you.”

“Well, you’re a very attractive wolf, so …”. Hehe, good one, Jack. The crowd giggles. Lorne and Jack tussle for a moment. Next questions is basically, “Do you think Pac-Man is a violent game?” Remember this one? Jack says he doesn’t recall that game being included in the study.

5:12pm – A dude rocking a Power Glove asks if Jack is a gamer and manages to completely blunder his point by forgetting David Walsh’s name, asking generic questions about agreeing with him or not, and then wanting to continue to follow up the same line of ineffective questioning. Jack is exasperated and, for once, we totally agree! Next guy introduces himself as a developer at Multisoft (?), says he’s surprised at how much he agrees with Jack (Jack replies, “God bless you.”) and wants to know how Jack sees the difference between ‘simulators’ and entertainment software as simulator tools.

5:17pm – Jack says the questioner is using the definition more narrowly than he has in the past, so he attempts to clarify. N’Gai points out that Full Spectrum Warrior is really about squad tactics (as opposed to just killing). Next question is about the link between video games and killing. Jack says that in this country you only need to prove ‘causation’ from one event to the other, not direct link. Last question of the evening is from a lawyer (insert lawyer joke here). He asks about Jack’s comments in the film about the differences in violence in art or video games. Jack says, “I draw a distinction between Beowulf and Grand Theft Auto.” Lorne says, “Yeah, I think the distinction is six-hundred million dollars.” Asks why Jack doesn’t go after the gun companies or any of the other companies that could be held responsible; argues that Jack exploits the uncertainty and fear Americans have about video games “so that he doesn’t have to work for a living like I do, as a hard-working American.” Whoa, whoa, whoa Lorne. Let’s leave the blue-collar rhetoric out of this one, k?

5:23pm - Wow, alright, N’Gai calls it. The debate is over with one last gripe over Jack’s “business model” and the two stand up, shake, and Jack takes a bow. The audience claps enthusiastically, we grimace over not being able to snap a photo, and wrap up the liveblog. All right, folks. More on VGXPO and Moral Kombat, the movie this time, later.

Source: Joystiq

Jack Thompson Calls The Wii A Murder Training Device. What Do You Think?

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:08:35 +0000

Is the world ready for Nintendo’s “Wii”pons of mass destruction? Jack Thomson thinks that the Wii is just that, and in the hands of children can be used to train each of them to kill. Sounds crazy at first, but maybe he is on to something here. Please, allow us the opportunity to illustrate his point…

First, we recently obtained this photo which clearly shows that the military is using some sort of modified Wii device to train its snipers. I know, we were shocked as well but it is right there staring us in the face.

Jack Thompson recently called the M-rated Manhunt 2 Wii a “murder training device”. Nintendo is not fazed, stating that each game has a different audience similar to movies, television shows, and books … yeah right Nintendo, we saw that episode of Southpark. First you try and brainwash our children with Pokemon, and now you want to turn our little sacks of drool into killing machines.

Here is a portion of the letter Jack sent to Florida Governor Charlie Crist regarding the game.

Florida retailers are scheduled to sell a very violent video game called Manhunt 2 which will be available, remarkably, for “play” on the kids-friendly Nintendo Wii gaming platform. The Wii device does not utilize traditional push button game controllers but instead utilizes hand-held motion capture devices… It is a training device.

Wow, can you imagine an entire army of the future trained for less than $300 dollars a head? Alright, a tad more if you include the price of the game, but still that is a bargain.

Heck, if we get these kids going early enough we won’t even need an entire army. Years of Wii combat training combined with a healthy diet and plenty of exercise could help us produce a highly trained soldier capable of destroying anything put in his way. A one man show, our future John Rambo, and he could be sucking on his bottle right now with vivid dreams of Wii violence dancing through his head.

Jack Thompson, Bill Gates, And Master Chief Walk Into A Bar…

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 23 May 2007 05:13:24 +0000

Stop me if you’ve heard this one gamers. You guessed it, Captain Jack is back and we aren’t talking about the Caribbean Pirate variety, no this one’s a Miami based lawyer.

Jack Thompson is back in the news again, blasting video game makers … again, and there is nothing funny about it. Someone should remind this guy that he lives in Miami and there has got to be something better to do with your time then write letters to Bill Gates. If you have no idea what we are talking about then have a look below….

———————————————————————————-

Bill Gates
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, Washington

Re: Halo 3

Dear Mr. Gates:

As you know, the Federal Trade Commission has repeatedly found that games rated “Mature” by the video game industry-captured Entertainment Software Rating Board are routinely sold to kids under the age of 17 despite the age rating. The most recent failure rate of the ratings on “Mature” games, according to the FTC, is 42%. The entire rating system is a fraud, and “broken,” the latter description aptly provided by Senator Hillary Clinton.

As you also know, Lee Boyd Malvo trained on Microsoft’s Halo to further enable him to become the remarkably efficient “DC Beltway Sniper.” That was reported by NBC News at the time and was noted in Malvo’s criminal trial.

You appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes II and rather revealing and usefully noted that “the cool thing about these games is that they transport you to a world you think is real.” Precisely. Capcom has recently disclosed to investors that your video game industry’s violent games, sold to children, pose a real hazard to the health of the industry. Right on.

The hyperviolent Microsoft Xbox 360 game Halo 3 is scheduled by your company for commercial release in September of this year. The Beta version that was released last week shows us all just how violent the game is and how inappropriate it is for play by anyone under 17, as the “Mature” rating it will surely receive indicates.

Here’s the deal, Mr. Gates: Either Microsoft undertakes dramatic, real steps, through its marketing, wholesale, and retail operations to assure that Halo 3 is not sold, via the Internet and in stores, directly to anyone under 17, or I shall proceed to make sure that Microsoft is held to that standard by appropriate legal means. I have done that before successfully as to Best Buy, and I shall do so again as to Microsoft and all retailers of Halo 3.

Regards, Jack Thompson

———————————————————————————-

Don’t you just love it? Here’s “the deal” Jack, stores already do an excellent job making sure that games of violent nature don’t find their way into the hands of minors. So lets cut the crap here, this is not about kids, its not about violent games, it is about Jack Thompson, it’s about name dropping, and most importantly its about dead presidents.

Digg It