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Luckily for him, I doubt anyone who cares what he has to say either knows he was disbarred for being a raving loony or they don't care since they believe the same crap. | |
Yeah, pretty much. Now Jack Thompson has only about as much power as the average forum-goer or blogger. Let him scream into the swirling nether that is "internet" as much as he wants. | |
Uh. That sounds like a fantastic idea to me. Then nutjob lawyers like Thompson won't be able to blame the game when a 12 year old goes on a 'Grand Theft Auto inspired' killing spree or something. After all, it would be ILLEGAL for them to be playing said game. Not that I think things would ever work out that way, but I can hope and dream. Honestly though I can't see any way the law above would be a bad thing, though. Movies are under the same jurisdiction, no? | |
Brilliant we all get we want. He gets to rant about how video games will destroy the world and we get him out of our way. noone is gonna listen to him now. | |
Why shouldn't the sale of mature games to minors be banned? It already kind-of is here in the UK- the most "mature" games (think GTA etc) tend to be given "18" certificates similar to films- the technical equivalent of a US "NC-17" film cert (though many "R" rated films get "18" in the UK; there's much less stigma attached as there's a seperate rating for porn films). Anyway, officialy the sale of an "18" game to an under 18 is banned, as is buying such a game for an under 18. Of course, the law is very poorly enforced, but the thought has to count for something, surely? And some shops do stick to it- I was in a shop a year or two back when I was approached by a couple of teens asking me to buy Gears of War for them. They seemed a bit miffed when I didn't just say "no", but had a word with the shop assistant... | |
I don't think that's the point of contention here. Also that is not the crux of Thompson's crusade. We all agree that sales of games rated Mature should be restricted to people not of or above the age marked by the rating. However we don't go about this by being a raving lunatic like Jack Thompson. | |
We can agree that kids shouldn't be playing games like Fallout 3 or GTA 4; where it gets sticky is how that restriction is enforced. In the US, it has been determined time and again that videogames deserve the same First Amendment protections as other forms of artistic expression, and if you think they don't take that shit seriously, bear in mind that the Second Amendment is the one that keeps them balls-deep in guns, and we know how they get when you try to take away their guns. From my own perspective, as someone not legally entitled to enjoy those Constitutional protections but who believes in them nonetheless, I think we need to meet the enemy on the beaches. Does anyone really believe that the game-haters out there, ranging from the nutjobs like Thompson to people with actual legislative pull like Leland Yee and Joe Lieberman, will be happy if the sale of M-rated games to under-18s is made illegal? Do you think they'll suddenly declare that all is well in the land of sunshine and butterflies, and finally leave us alone? Or is it possible that it will instead serve as a foothold to greater encroachments upon our rights as adults? It sounds paranoid as hell, I know - something you'd be likely to read on that site John Bruce is writing for now - but at its core, it's a legitimate concern. | |
A law against mature video game sales to minors is not a horrible Idea, but Thompson's and other's raving nonsense about games destroying children and blah blah blah. At least he won't be a thorn in our asses anymore! | |
Him and Ann Coulter swinging for the same team?(look at that anyway you want) | |
Sounds like closure to me. A great ending to an epic tale. | |
I do that all the time and noone ever stopped playing Naked Pedestrian Killer 4 | |
It's the same thing they said about rock 'n' roll, comicbooks, rap music, cartoons, pro wrestling, etc etc etc... Guys like Thompson have more damn excuses for why kids go bad then you can shake a stick at. | |
For s***'s sake Jack, maybe if you paid attention in Con. Law or bothered to read a single video game lawsuit you would know that people have been trying and failing at that for years. Video games are free speech. You cannot inhibit that, no matter how much you think it would make a difference or save the world. The reason this country has not had to change constitutions or shoot their leaders is because that document keeps wackos from doing anything too crazy. It just survived 8 very tough years and it's not gonna break from something like this. | |
Indeed - I don't quite 'get' why all the fuss over mature vs adult. I do feel the British system at least gives shops and parents a clear no-nonsense number to use as a guide - further, the BBFC in general aren't as over-reactive of things than the American equalant. Ok, they banned Manhunt (I think) but to be honest, I don't really want to get involved in that argument (see the Yahtzee video on why). But when 'Hot Coffee' was making GTA:SA get pulled off the shelves, the BBFC said words to the effect of 'it has to be modified to access the material - ie. its not accessable in the normal course of the game - hence does not count towards the rating'. EDIT: Oh, and Jack Thompson === Uber Troll! In real life! | |
Amen! | |
Evidently we also agree farmers are forbidden to have children. | |
wow he didn't get scooped up by foxnews? such a shame the thing about m rated games and such is it's the new version of rap music, r rated movie but just updated for this day and age | |
I disagree. I will post why... tomorrow. When I have access to either a) over 3% of my brain or b) caffine. | |
that will soon be the most trolled website on the internets | |
I hate to say it, but I agree with Jack for once. The sale of M rated games to minors should be prohibited by federal law. I've always felt that way. | |
A law prohibiting mature games being sold to minors sounds completely silly to me when it is proven that video games themselves are not rated by how harmful they are to kids, but by what main stream media portrays as taboo or unethical. way to go knee-jerk emotional reactions as being the end all of logical thinking! | |
Isn't there already something like that? Maybe not on a federal level, but I know I (17) can't buy M rated games without being asked for ID. Found that out when I went out to pick up The Orange Box and had to settle for Soul Calibur 4 instead, which is for some odd reason only T. | |
You may be overreacting a bit. If you aren't a minor, this doesn't affect you whatsoever. And if you are a minor...well I can understand how it might be upsetting. But just ask your parents to buy the mature rated games for you, and you can bypass the "completely silly" law. | |
I'm not a minor. This upsets me because it's an example of legislation that only has a chance of getting passed because of people's lack of understanding and care for what the real motives behind it are. | |
And may I ask...what do you think the real motives behind it are? | |
Since we're asking questions, let me ask one of you: Why videogames? Why should games be singled out as subject to federal legislation, and not books, movies and music? Answer that - convincingly - and you might have something to go on. | |
I kinda feel bad... I need to stop smoking weed, but seriously doesn't it feel so awesome to live in a world where Jackass Thompson has pretty much no power. | |
When it comes to government trying to pass anything, when the motives aren't clear, then I'm forced to assume that their motives are self-serving. Since you don't seem to know either, go right ahead and delve as deep as you want into what the motives might be and you can educate us all. But if we can call "bullshit" on them as soon as they announce it, then they need to withdraw their bullshit. | |
Assuming that their motives are self-serving at this point seems slightly rooted in paranoia. There's no way to call BS on their announcement because, as of yet, there has been no announcement. Whether violence in games actually increases aggressive behavior in children or not is irrelevant to some people. Personally, I don't believe violent games influence kids...but I still will not allow my children to play a mature rated game unless I approve of it first. I believe that Jack is right on this one. It will be wildly popular among parents to know that they don't have to worry about their child running out and secretly purchasing a game that they don't approve of.
I certainly don't think that video games should be singled out. They are merely the current focus of a media scare about the downfall of our youth. I believe that books, movies, and music should all be rated appropriately according to their content. I think it's then reasonable to enforce laws that prohibit sales of media containing "mature" content to minors. However, it should never become a crime for minors to use that content if a parent or guardian purchased it for them. It should always come down to the parent's approval. | |
I'd wondered what happened to that blow hard douche bag, video game cause violence huh? Well Mr. Thompson explain Hitler then, what's that? you can't? then fuck off.......... | |
Interestingly, the resolution of the 1st Amendment status of games at the Supreme Court level might come some day not from a case involving GTA, but one involving fantasy baseball. But not today: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2008-06-02-fantasy-lawsuit_N.htm +++++ Heh, speaking of free speech and games: | |
You know, I was really really hoping that he'd gotten a job at Mcdonalds... | |
The reason you don't want your government doing that is the same reason you want to keep religion and government separated. For some reason, Fundamentalists in America think that by electing a devout Christian, the government will be governed by the Bible. The reality is that the government is going to start using the Bible to govern you. They're not going to listen to religion, they're going to start telling you what religion says to do. Censorship, and the implications of morality, are no different. The government isn't going to enforce rules about what you can and cannot buy based on societies notions of what age you need to be to watch something. They're just going to tell you that you shouldn't be watching it based on whatever reason they think up to support themselves. | |
damn, i thought he got a job directing traffic or working a toll booth. You know, seeing how he is "ultra right wing", I guarantee you that he has a huge collection of gay porn stashed under his basement floor boards. | |
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Jack Thompson Gets A Job
It looks like disbarred attorney Jack Thompson has picked up a new gig as a contributor to the conservative website Human Events.
Thompson has already penned a couple of reports for the site, neither of which have related to videogames. But he couldn't resist taking a shot at gamers and the ESRB yesterday when he revealed the news to his favorite website, GamePolitics. "This new ESRB bandaid just gets more of the camel's nose into the video game industry's tent," he said, referring to the board's new rating summaries. "Look for a federal law prohibiting sale of mature games to minors in Obama's first term. It will be wildly popular with parents in both parties, as a recent video game industry poll proves." He went on to claim that the new approach is "constitutionally bullet proof."
Human Events is a hard-right magazine and website that features authors including Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Pat Buchanan, Phyllis Schlafly and numerous others. In his biography on the site, Thompson is described as "a writer and former lawyer in Miami who was Janet Reno's Republican opponent in 1988 for State Attorney. He secured the first broadcast decency fines ever levied by the FCC (1989) and represented Oliver North at the 1992 Time Warner shareholders meeting, persuading TW to pull rapper Ice-T's 'Cop Killer' from store shelves worldwide." Strangely enough, his permanent disbarment and the blend of unethical behavior, rule-breaking and outright incompetence that led to it aren't mentioned.
His new role as a pundit will give Thompson an outlet for his game-hating tendencies, and pay him a few bucks in the process, but at this point it's safe to say that his time as any kind of noteworthy force in the world of videogames is over. His rants on Human Events will be so much preaching to the choir, and while he will no doubt continue to taunt gamers with his continuing crusade against the industry, his "credibility," to use the term as loosely as possible, is gone.
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