June 2, 2007
A few days back, GamePolitics learned that the Penny Arcade crew was planning an extraordinary event at PAX in late August: a debate involving vitriolic anti-game activist Jack Thompson.To make an extra splash - and for security reasons - Penny arcade planned not to announce the debate until about an hour before it occurred.
PA's hope was that Thompson's opponent would be someone knowledgable about video games like Entertainment Consumer Association (ECA) president Hal Halpin, or perhaps Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA).
Because negotiations were going on behind the scenes, GP was unable to report on the proposed Thompson debate. Yesterday morning, however, things began to fall apart, supposedly over Thompson's objection to keeping the debate under wraps. Last night Kotaku got hold of the story. In an e-mail circulated to certain media outlets - including GamePolitics, the Miami attorney wrote:
...I would be delighted to do the [debate], but Penny-Arcade's positon that this must be kept "under wraps" and that I cannot tell the media and others about the event is both absurd and troubling.
For Penny-Arcade to take the position that there must be a news blackout on this strikes me and others as hypocritical to the max. You guys are the ones who think that even adult entertainment materials should be marketed and sold to children because of "freedom of expression," and yet I am not allowed to tell media and others of this debate? Come on, how transparently double-standard-bound in your machinations can you all be?
GP: Thompson consistently twists the position of those who support the First Amendment's application to games into "adult entertainment materials should be marketed and sold to children." This is perfect debate material.
If you want me to come to Seattle and address 6000 hostile people as to why the United States is the only backward nation in the world when it comes to the distribution of adult video games to children, then I will be happy to do it. But your position that only Penny-Arcade gets to tell the world about this event and in the way that only you all get to decide is patently ridiculous.
Man up and realize what the First Amendment is really all about, Robert and I'll be happy to celebrate it with all my "admirers" in Seattle, including Gabe.
I've been in far more hostile environs than what you offer. You all need to grow a pair of what a kid can cut off in Manhunt 2.
GP: Actually, Thompson really blew it here. Penny Arcade's invitation amounts to a tacit recognition of Miami Jack's high - albeit, negative - profile among gamers. Now that he has blown the lid off the secrecy of the proposed event, we'd like to see it go forward anyway. But Thompson's intransigence may have exhausted the patience of the Penny Arcade guys.
GP POLL: What do you think about this? Would you like to see the debate go forward? Vote in the GamePolitics Poll on the upper right sidebar.
Comments
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CONVERT NOW OR FALL FOREVER
Who uses phrases like "hypocritical to the max?"
Anyway I would actually have liked to see this argument take some form of civilized debate. Guess so long as the other side is represented by him we'll be out of luck.
and if they don't, some idiots plan, Jack gets attacked, and then suddenly anyone with the same agenda as him aside from media attention has a perfect reason to have games banned form the Us completely.
IF something did happen to him what would happen? Would the industry get the blame?
I just wish that if something did happen to him it would be explained that it happened because Jack was provoking and aggrovating it. Persons did what they did not because "games make you voilent"....but because Jack was being a bully and asked for it.
First off, he won't be swaying anyone attending. Secondly, he probably wouldn't debate so much as spout logical fallacy after half-truth. Third, he doesn't really have anything relevant to say on the matter. He thinks he does. Some legislators think he does. They are wrong, and we all know it.
Please, Jack. Respect our freedom and get your arse out of our lives.
In other words, PA knew this would be the case and decided it would be in the best interests for them and all of the PAX attendees to keep it under wraps to keep the chances of the seriously unhinged fanatics from showing up specifically to target that event.
Now see, JT also knew this and wanted to capitalize on such an event by inviting all the media to see the possible unhinged fanatic attack him and therefor validate his claims in a roundabout way. He basically is egging people on for this type of thing to happen just so he can use it as a weapon.
Basically, I'd just laugh my ass off if he got the pie-in-the-face treatment and was done with it...I'm sure he'd take that as some sort of violent outburst and have a field day.
A debate involving a figure to which claimed to of resceved death threats from various "gamers", to take place in a setting which is to play host to various "gamers", should of ment something. Sure things will be hostile, but all it takes is a single idiot to prove the fool correct. Many of us know this, but are we the idiots?
Honestly. I would've been happy with them keeping the thing underwraps until a month or so before the event.
And I think that this latest development shows what jack is really about. Being an attention whore.
What a hilarious statement.
A. You don't play as a kid in Manhunt 2, so no kid is cutting off anything.
2. One can see this as an invitation to (how should I put this?) "provide him visual evidence proving him wrong" (I do NOT condone this)
Shall we report him to the FBI by fighting fire with fire, and by "fire" I mean "taking quotes out of context"?
Nad yet he complains that his own "open challenge" for a debate is also contingent to him making a finanical gain in the process.
Wow....just wow.
Though it's not enough for a case. Slander/libel requires that the would-be defendant say something that is demonstrably false, that the defendant knew was false, and that he said anyway for some malicious reason. For one the statement may not be false enough - it's a twisted, extremist version of the anti-legislation camp. And for another I'm not sure how much harm is actually being done. Neither the video game industry nor PA are likely to lose business or reputation in the eyes of those they care about because of this statement. It's pretty shaky, and to my knowledge especially in the US the courts will always err on the side of it not being slanderous.
Now then.
I hope jack DOES NOT come. He does not deserve the publicity he gets.
a) who would care
b) you want 6000 angry gamers to be surrounding you?
I don't think PA believe that. So wouldn't that be libel/slander or which ever it is called there?
Find some expo hall in a cheap hotel near the airport. Is this PR event really needed at some expensive hotel?
Jacky is psychotic enough to want to become a martyr to prove his point, despite how it'd fall short. The only good thing that could come out of it, is that Jack would be shut up forever and that means some money could be saved, and less frivolous cases.
However, PAX would show up on Fox News and the owners would feel terrible, and their wonderful event could go to ****, along with their charity.
Anyway, it is better safe than sorry. A mental sicko like Jack doesn't deserve to be in a place where it is likely he'll be hurt. It is similar to hitting a handicap person, as Jack has a handicap of being crazy.
It just shows that Jacky Boy knows that if he agrees to a debate with people who actually understand everything about the business, he's screwed.
Gamer: You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair debate, I'd kill you.
Jack: That's not much incentive for me to debate fair, then, is it?
(Oops, thinking of the wrong Jack - silly me. And fifty internet points to anyone that can recognize the source of the somewhat edited quote.)
The same should be said for Hilary Clinton and her constituents.
To think that our constitutional rights should be compromised to protect the false concept of innocence in children is bad parenting, bad lawyering, and bad presidenting. To limit children's exposure to this material is one thing. To limit the industries exposure to "protect" children is a completely bass ackwards way of doing things.
These anti-videogame headfigures need to be questioned for their allegiance to America and freedom.
As a previous person mentioned, it was most likely meant to keep the event from becoming a circus and a media frenzy controlled by Thompson. If it would was widely known that Thompson would be there before hand the overcrowding alone would lend itself to a "security" issue. Maybe this is simply giving Thompson too much credit (and I certainly hope that is the case.) By keeping things on the down low PA would have been able to much more easily maintain a professional environment where the discussion and debate could have happened in a very positive environment where everyone, including Ole Jack, could have learned something.
The bottom line is that Jack doesn’t WANT to learn anything. As mentioned by many before me, all he wants is every excuse, exploit, legal act, death, dismemberment, and anything else conceivable to push his agenda. He is the opposite of what Americans should be. His behavior, both personal and professional, is blatantly opposite to his (supposed) Christian beliefs.
When all a person can do is threaten legal action to anyone who even goes as far as simply disagreeing with him, he has crossed the line. This kind of flagrant abuse of the law is appalling. My hope is that he will be permanently disbarred from the Florida bar ASAP.
Also from a security standpoint, minimizing the amount of time someone has to plan something is vital. This is why even slight changes are made to the positioning of security and there are also small changes made to the layout of stages between events. Its simple and goes unnoticed by spectators but security actually thinks of these things.
Jackie just doesn't want to actually debate someone who knows what they're talking about in front of an audience that can see through his lies and half-truths.
While one might argue, as John Bruce did, that PA wanted to control who would be witness to the event (not one that I believe was happening, but it's a rational probability view), one might also intelligently argue that PA was trying to keep John Bruce from the increased swamp of ignorant bafoons who love to email John Bruce stupidity such as making threats, even if they didn't mean them.
Of course, John Bruce has had a history of running from debates for one reason or another. So, his argument that PA wasn't brave enough to let him participate reeks of deceit. Let's face it, John Bruce has had a lot of bluster, only to back down at the last second. The debates proposed with The Game Attorney Tom B. and Della Rocca on previous occassions were two examples. By this time, you expect John Bruce to puff out his chest... then run in the other direction yelling a familiar quote (possibly not quite correct as I've heard it only once) "he who runs away, lives to run away another day." Oddly enough, that person was also named "Jack".
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
That's exactly what he wants. He wants gamers to plan an attack against him, and he wants as many recorded calls and death threat emails as he can stuff in a brief case for this, he wants this to be known about so he can have ammo. If it's kept under wraps, then this sort of thing can't happen. and i bet JT would want some of his own supporters such as the Larouche cult to show up.
"You all need to grow a pair of what a kid can cut off in Manhunt 2. "
Unless you've see tnhe game JT, then shut it, unless Rockstar has been sending you more "exclusive screenshots and info", in which case present it, or shut it, and crayon drawings don't count, and nothing you wrote yourself, as we can smell fabrication.
@Clyde Wyman
Too bad those "mental patients" and "anti-game fools" make up most of the US population...