Jack Thompson, WTH?

Old article on the BBC (well, about 4 months old) that links violence to video games <A href=´http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4119408.stm´ Target=_Blank>here</a>

Yes, I know all about this. He realises he´s running out of steam. There have been no good murders lately so he´s got to think of something. <A href=´http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/?t=archives&amp;date=2005-10-12´ Target=_Blank>Have a look at this</a> Still, a bit pointless, really. Why not have a game company give 10k to charity instead of spending millions building a game that no-one will want to be associated with.

i´ve been saying that for ages.

<font size=1 face="trebuchet ms"><BLOCKQUOTE><hr size=1 noshade><A href=´http://videogames.yahoo.com/newsarticle?eid=384830&amp;page=0´ Target=_Blank>Sims 2 content &quot;worse than Hot Coffee&quot;</a> [UPDATE Miami attorney Jack Thompson claims cheat codes make EA´s life sim a pedophile´s paradise by showing genitalia; calls for ban on T-rated game. [... He cites a cheat code that can remove the blur that covers the nether regions. &quot;The nudity placed there by the publisher/maker, Electronic Arts, is accessed by the use of a simple code that removes what is called ´the blur´ which obscures the genital areas. In other words, the game was released to the public by the manufacturer knowing that the full frontal nudity was resident on the game and would be accessed by use of a simple code widely provided on the Internet.&quot; It´s not just the adults that are liberated from their wardrobes. Sims kids can also be nudified, &quot;much to the delight, one can be sure, of pedophiles around the globe who can rehearse, in virtual reality, for their abuse.&quot; Were this to be true, Thompson would have his smoking gun, and EA would be forced to recall all copies of The Sims 2. However, it´s what´s under the blur that Thompson´s after. And what happens when the blur is lifted? A simple mannequin-esque smooth body, according to EA. <hr size=1 noshade></BLOCKQUOTE></font><font face=´trebuchet ms, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica´ size=2> I stopped taking Thompson seriously they day I was born. How about this on Thompson? <font size=1 face="trebuchet ms"><BLOCKQUOTE><hr size=1 noshade><A href=´http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_(attorney)´ Target=_Blank>Loss To Janet Reno</a> In 1988 Thompson was the unsuccessful GOP challenger to Janet Reno for the Office of Dade County State Attorney. Following this, as the &quot;Man in Miami&quot; for NewsMax.com, he made a series of bizarre allegations regarding Reno, met with incredulity in the press, claiming that she was a closet lesbian suffering from various mental disorders as side effects of Parkinson´s medication, and that she was being blackmailed by the Mafia. <hr size=1 noshade></BLOCKQUOTE></font><font face=´trebuchet ms, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica´ size=2>

Jack Thompson makes my brain hurt. The sheer idiocy of his actions seems, well, just plain stupid to me. <img src=´http://www.sloganizer.net/en/image,Aceaz,black,lblue.png ´>

Thompson never actually checked any of the Sims mods or others for their content, so I am firmly in the belief that he had no intention of going after EA at all. His intention was to hit headlines, and get his name out there. Same with the above as well - he knows it costs a fortune to create games these days, and a games company is never going to create a game on a $10,000 incentive - it´s far to small to make it worthwhile - especially if you then follow someone elses game script. He knows his money is as safe as houses - I am surpised he didn´t up the anté a bit more actually. This guy is just getting his name out there and known. The more famous a lawyer is, the more they can charge. High profile cases, or just a high profile - will ensure that he is the first person that the media will consult - simply because he is now such a &quot;well known figure&quot; in that area, and people will listen perhaps. In effect the guy is trying to create his position of being the man to talk to with regards to this type of item (lets face it, there will always be murderers who played games, and Jack Thompson will most likely comment in the media - or offer his &quot;expert opinion&quot; to the media every time. Makes money). Edited by - Chips on 10/15/2005 4:18:23 AM

The problem with Jack Thompson is that he falls prey to the Fundamental Attribution Error all too easily. ´Boys are turned into murderers by video games!´ ...he doesn´t seem to understand, however, the sheer number of gamers who do <i>not </i> murder. Stastically the game cannot be the only factor in leading to the murders; it´s physically impossible. And one cannot construct a sound argument from that. Furthermore, I would dare to assume that Thompson has never been in a fight of any kind. He does not have the direct experience to judge one´s reaction to violence in simulated reality and one´s reaction to violence in life. Most psychologists don´t either.

i wouldnt worry about wacko jacko much longer: <A href=´http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=12259´ Target=_Blank>NIMF distance themselves from thompson</a> <A href=´http://www.livejournal.com/users/gamepolitics/107140.html´ Target=_Blank>Thompson gets shirty and starts burning bridges</a> muha! -arc

There is a really easy away around this... Thompson said &quot;based&quot; on his idea. So all they have to do is create it word for word accurately. Simple solution - extend the game. But make the hero become a pitiful character obsessively encouraged by tv news reports showing Thompson condemning games writers as being the devil´s spawn. Twist Thompson´s opinion so that he becomes a fundamentalist leader in charge of a covert underground gang of terrorist-like, over-obsessed, right wing parents bent on destroying the game industry. As the story progresses, the antihero can realise that he´s being twisted and manipulated by the extreme opinions of others and then turn on the very man that began it all - Thompson. The game could conclude with a scene were the antihero stands over Thompson´s crumpled body and realises that it was his own fault in the first place, because he should have talked to his kid more about the games he was playing. I actually would do it myself if I had the funding <img src=smilies/icon_smile_big.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> Edited by - gromit on 10/15/2005 7:39:04 AM

Evil Thing : I go there everyday, thats where I heard about him, just decided to bring the topic over here. @Aceaz : I like you sloganizer One reason this ticks me off so badly is the parents who listen to him, then they look strangely at me whenev

It´s not just parents. It´s all mentors. A teacher has an obligation to pass on vital life skills to the students being taught; among them are basic concepts of morality! <font size=1 face="trebuchet ms"><BLOCKQUOTE><hr size=1 noshade>This is a guy whose Halo trained Malvo to kill in D.C. <hr size=1 noshade></BLOCKQUOTE></font><font face=´trebuchet ms, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica´ size=2> I find it funny that Thompson forgets Malvo´s father was coincidentally a military-trained sniper with a blood-stained history of domestic abuse and violence. Edited by - Wilde on 10/15/2005 12:07:06 PM

Do parents actually take responsiblity for their own childrens upbringing at all anymore? Apparently they have very little responsiblity as it currently stands... most basic values and morals should have been instilled by the parents before they get near school teachers (age 5). Teachers help develop them further...

Ladies and Gentalmen; boys and girls of all ages, i give you; your fool! Let´s applaud mr. Thompson for acheving this award. Death to the salad eaters! And mr. Thompson! Edited by - mrdeaths on 10/15/2005 3:07:31 PM

I agree with that Mike. My parents still make sure that its a family dinner even now, except when 1 person is missing, then its kind of a free for all.

Chips--one doesn´t really have a fully developed cultural-mental frame until about eight to ten. As Eddie Izzard puts it, you´re basically on drugs. Children lack the capacity to reason or think in any deep sense about their own personal moral values. One can teach the concepts to children, and they´ll know it in theory, but in practice it doesn´t hold up in any similar fashion. One has to look at any group of primary school children to prove this: they constantly resort to hitting out of rage and fury, even when they ´know better´. A true mentor, on the other hand, can cultivate the faculties of reason and morality in children past puberty--at the point when we don´t listen to our parents. I´m not claiming that parents are useless. Just not as instrumental in building up a sense of right and wrong as myth would have it.

I never thought of that Wilde. Great point.

That is a great point Wilde....man,i´m agreeing with wilde for once!