GP on Joystiq: Pax Jack?

January 15, 2007
...the one in which GP explains why Jack Thompson's recent "olive branch"  to the video game industry is more like a sharp stick in the eye.

Catch it here.

Comments

The crap Jack slings is so dumb that its not even funny. He's pretty much saying that big companies have to police the dumb fucks that misuse their products. Why not make McDonalds responsible for the kid whose parents buy him three cheeseburgers every day and then bitch about what a fat little bastard he is.

Oh right, it was the mayan books that were burned. My mistake.

Echoing what Eisen said. Performing internal audits on members would only make it that much easier for Jack to file his next suit.

Kobra, I would just like to point out a minor error in your point. The Aztecs never had any books. Of the "big three" in pre-contact history (Aztec, Maya, and Inca), the Maya were the only ones with written language but, yes, the Spanish were quite aggressive in destroying any traces of that culture they could find.

As the article says, who will police this? Starting to deny sales to stores will quickly prevent all sales of all games to anyone. Jack's idea is a child's black-and-white concept. No one will ever admit to selling a game to a minor. If discovered, someone may get fired, but what incentive do you have to report your own store?

Jack's other actions seem whimsical at best. Therefore, it's a safe bet to also take this as whimsical. He'll be back to shaking his fist in protest in no time.

@Gil

Heh, yeah, you're right. I hadn't thought of that. ;)
-- If your wiimote goes snicker-snack, check your wrist-strap...

As I said on Joystiq, Thompson is attempting to put them in a lose lose situation. They let him in, he looks for info and such to bring them down, the don't and he'll label them once again as mental child molestors because they chose to keep him out of their clubhouse.

Poor loony Jack. The funny thing is I bet he really is trying to make the world a better place for us all...he just sucks at actually making it happen.

Freekill: Just like the Spaniards thought they were doing the Aztecs a favor by forcibly converting them to Christianity then burning all their books when they discovered the Aztecs still practicing their cultural traditions in secret, right?

This sounds like Jack's attempt to constitutionally destroy the game industry. If people stop shipping games to businesses, then it wouldn't matter of ANY legislation, since you couldn't get games there anyway.

In an e-mail to departing ESA boss Doug Lowenstein and ESRB president Patricia Vance, Thompson suggested that the game publishers warn the game retailers not to sell M-rated titles to those under 17. According to Thompson's plan, if retailers failed to comply, the publishers would simply stop shipping games to the offending stores. And then all of this nasty video game legislation would go away.

Am-....am I the only one who sees this on the box?

He's just grasping for straws.

I've been saying it since day one: "Eventually, the realization of the magnitude of political suicide he commited will sink in and he'll offer a draw." It looks like that day is fast approaching. Unfortunately, this "draw" is nothing sort of a crock.

Let the parents do their job. And if they fail to do so, then it's their fault their kids are fuck-ups.

You know, I really doubt Jack's trying to be helpful here. My best guess is he wants this to happen because he assumes they'll be no enforcement from the game stores. No enforcement means no sales, no sales means no games. no games means the death of gaming, hoo-ha, and all that jazz.

I have to say, very Grima Wormtongue-ish. Doesn't chance the fact that it's poorly planned though.

I'm just going to copy/paste what I said last week.

Thompson’s proposal is not new or original. Walsh from NIMF has proposed the same thing. The reason it won’t work (besides being completely unnecessary) is because auditing your own members results in discoverable information that can be used against said members in a civil court case. Would you open up your members to civil court attacks in this anti-game climate? Of course you wouldn’t.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6163854.html (linked again for convenience)

By the way, Thompson’s wording shows that he has little understanding of what the ESA and ESRB are for and can and cannot do.


Andrew Eisen

Make all of the industry's legislative troubles go away?! That's by far the funniest part, I think. Every time the industry has challenged a state's law (to restrict sales of games to minors), they've won! And been awarded legal fees!

I knew it would happen. Jack's finally been forced to resort to the oldest trick in the book: Force your policy on someone else by acting like it's for that someone's own good. Unfortunately for JT, it's as likely to work as Dubya's new plan for Iraq.

Sorry, Jacky Boy. You fail. AGAIN!

Does Paramount Pictures check up on theater chains to make sure they are not letting kids into R-rated movies? Of course not.

/whines But that DIFFERENT! ;)

His offer presumes a degree of clout extending far beyond his own keyboard, as in, "if the industry does this, I'll make all of its legislative troubles go away." But how would he do that? Where is Jack's coalition?

Duh, it's Jack & Jesus. He's on a mission from God, and if you can't take God's word... Er, but you're taking Jack's word that he's speaking for God... Nevermind...

Third, the video game industry simply won't parley with Jack Thompson. That is largely his own fault.

Never! Burning bridges worked for GWB, it's gotta work for JT! ;)
-- If your wiimote goes snicker-snack, check your wrist-strap...

I have to say, it is an interesting idea to say the least. It's kind of like the health inspector. If the store doesn't follow the rules, it gets penalized for some time, and is then given a second chance. I don't think the companies will lose TOO much money since there are always other outlets to buy the game. If a small store is not trustable, then go to a bigger store. If Burger King A is shut down due to a rat being found, you can still go to Burger King B a little further away.
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