January 27, 2008 -
Last week's announcement that the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto IV would be released on April 29th did not escape the notice of Miami attorney Jack Thompson.The anti-game activist, who has been abnormally subdued since the conclusion of his Florida Bar trial last month, issued an e-mail on Thursday threatening unspecified legal and political mayhem for Take Two when GTA IV launches. Thompson, of course, has a contentious legal history with Take Two and its Rockstar subsidiary.
The controversial barrister's predictions of dire consequences were typically vague:
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.
GP: Actually, we have to wonder how inclined McCollum will be to support Thompson. The Florida A.G.'s deputies have been obligated of late to put in hours defending the Florida Supreme Court and Judge Dava Tunis, referee of Thompson's Bar trial, against Thompson in federal court.
Judge Tunis, by the way, is conducting a review of transcripts and documents from Thompson's December trial. A ruling - which could affect Thompson's status as a licensed attorney - is expected by spring. Wouldn't it be fascinating if the decision came down on the same day that GTA IV released?
Comments
Oh that's right, I forgot. He can't sue them DIRECTLY, but he's found a loophole where he can get others to do it for him.
1) It involves using children's mascots(Well, most of em, including Sonic)
2) It involves using violence(Ex: Baseball bats)
3) It lets you play the game online
4) It can be sold to children
But I distress. People like Jack Thompson can be a pain to gamers, especially when they keep beating the dead horse around and not prove any point.
I think you miss the point of the entire issue. Nobody is against M rated games being sold to kids. The debate is how this is to be done. The industry has plenty of efforts to do so, and will continue to improve as time goes on- as the statistics show.
The anti-games crowd, however, wants the government to regulate not only game sales, but also the very content. They consider games to be as dangerous as narcotics, tobacco, and firearms and believe gamers are sociopathic porn addicts ready to snap at any moment. The goals of these people is no different than if someone wanted the government to control the content of books and music. A game banning by the government is no different than a book banning.
This is similar to the moral panic decades ago that seriously hindered the advancement of the comic book as a creative medium. That is why american comic books are still relegated to mostly kid/adolecent themes and audiences. Only recently has the bulk of the medium begun to evolve expressively (note the term "graphic novel" being used more frequently)- the comics code is diminished and the people who fought comic books are dying off.
If the anti-games people have their way, the videogame medium will suffer the same creative slowdown comics saw. Interactive storytelling, characterization, and theme will all be watered down for decades to come.
To allow people like JT, Yee, the NIMF, and others to have their way would result in a creative medium being stifled so they can exert control over masses they consider to be their moral inferiors.
if grand theft auto- San Andreas sold over 5 million copies, and GTA causes murders, how come there weren't over 5 million murders since it has come out?
that one usually shuts people down
Wouldn't surprise me if he was also upset that Fox didn't even contact him about this game....
Oh no! It's the tried and true method of stopping games from being sold. We are all doomed!!!
/end sarcasm
Anyway, I was wondering when we would be seeing Jack again. Its been forever since we last saw him.
Thus, by the very definition of his situation, we, gamers, have a perfect enemy.
Nevertheless, it's nice to see Thompson is still out there doing his best to entertain us all.
Andrew Eisen
It didn't go anywhere; it's still in effect. According to the terms of the settlement, Thompson can't sue or threaten to sue Take-Two to block the release of its games.
He can write all the state and federal officials he wants though. That's not against the settlement.
Andrew Eisen
"Thompson will be, in the days and weeks ahead...
...tilting at windmills, jousting with utter futility against a foe he can never overcome nor even slightly impede...
...Indeed Thompson has today...
...covered himself with his buckler, raised his lance and spurred his steed, and, striking his lance into the sail, was swung about with such fury, that his lance became shattered into slivers, and Thompson tumbled off into the field, in evil plight.
----
Here lies the noble fearless knight,
Whose valour rose to such a height;
When Death at last had struck him down,
His was the victory and renown.
He reck'd the world of little prize,
And was a bugbear in men's eyes;
But had the fortune in his age
To live a fool and die a sage.
--Don Quixote of La Mancha
--Miquel de Cervantes Saavedra
Thompson's burnt so many bridges it's going to be difficult for him to find anyone to side with him. Even if he does, whatever legal action they come up with will ultimately fail.
Why?
Simple. Despite what anyone may think about the game itself, Take-Two and Rockstar aren't doing anything wrong.
Andrew Eisen
It didn't work with Halo 3, with Bully, with any other game he's threatened, and now he expects a man who has had to deal with his manner of bullshit to go to bat for him? It beggars belief.
Subject: I formally condemn you for your inaction.
WHERE WERE YOU?!
WHERE WERE YOU?!
FOX News knowingly and intentionally spreading misinformation, lies,
and deceit to individuals and Parents regarding the video game “Mass
Effect”.
Your reply to FOX News for LYING TO PARENTS?
Silence.
You condemn the Gaming industry.
You condemn the ESRB.
You stereotype those who play video games.
You state how “dangerous” video games are.
But when it comes to FOX News and a supposed “expert” (Cooper
Lawrence) making FALSE claims and LYING TO PARENTS, you say nothing.
Your lack of clear condemnation for THOSE acts makes your “morally
superior” attitudes in the GamePolitics article regarding GTA IV seem hypocritical and an advocation, by lack of response to FOX News and Cooper Lawrence, of lying and deceiving Parents and individuals.
You are now deemed without vaule, without honor, and without ethics.
Your words no longer matter.
Andrew Rhodes
Wilmington, NC
Referenced FOX News story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKzF173GqTU
Use Google Advanced News Search and Google Advanced Blog Search for
"mass effect" over the last week to see many articles responding and
debunking the misinformation. Mass Effect may also be found on
wikipedia.org for further Factual details.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note to other readers, the above statement is a slightly altered version of the email sent to the PTC previously. This comment, however, was NOT emailed as I do not intend to be falsely accused of any act for which I did not commit. It's here. It's in the Public, my email address is known. If he wished to email me first, that's his choice. However, it WILL be pulicized, just as the exchange with the PTC has been so far.
I would send personalized emails to various senators and other politicians if I believed that they would read them. But most ignore comments from individuals who do not live in their states.
At any rate, the comment to him above stands. If he wants to laugh, cry, scream, threaten, or whatever, I don't care.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
"I personnaly WANT Jack Thompson around as the main enemy of all gamers ; He’s an awfully low, unknowledgeable, impulsive, uninformed, old, on the verge of forced retirement age, failed attorney."
As you know, grinding is a tactic in CRPGs where you try killing monsters within a given area for the sole purpose of gaining experience. While not as effective as choosing a more optimal loadout, it is good enough to gain a few more HP or damage/sec against the next powerful boss.
It is never effective to grind on low level opponents (or opponents that provide no benefit) when there's much more suitable targets.
Aside from media attention, which gamers have successfully squashed concerning Mass Effect, Jack Thompson has nothing to help him.
This is the case in point - the media is a much more suitable target than a single nut. We've (or at least the game manufacturer) managed to get one blogger and one news anchor to redact their statements, which means that the people who played games are a significant force. Whichever sources they got their information from will be treated as less credible since it made them look bad.
----
Papa Midnight
Oh, wait...
As for GTA4 coming, the utter shitstorm that we will see (Its an election year) will be utterly insane. Mass Effect was just a taste of the lies & stupidity that GTA4 will spur.
Its going to be a busy year for this crap.
The bigger worry is in glorified violence. Better targets for your outspoken disapproval would be war shooters like the Call of Duty series, or anything bearing Tom Clancy's name.
heh. Thompson thinks selling GTA to someone under 17 means a criminal offense under fraudulent and deceptive trade practices.
if the game is rated M, and the label clearly says M, that's not fraudulent at all. if a retailer puts a sticker or something over the rating, on both sides then it's the retailers fault.
beyond that farfetched idea, there's no other way to do it thompson. all about the fail boat, now departing.
...April 29th is my B-day, would love to have a major game released on it LOL
The man is little more than a joke these days.
I keep having dreams about the day when I read a story that he was run over (several times) while trying to cross a street to grab a microphone for The Trinity Network on national TV.
and potentially before release they can still change content..
so (in a wierd parallell universe) they could potentially release GTAIV with rainbows, candy and teddy bears where the aim is to spread joy an happiness wherever you go.
but its still ok for JT to move to ban it now.. before its even released...? befrore he even knows what content it contains?
wow you mean JT is judging something without actually playing it and doing any research.. im sorry i just cant believe that!
I just can't fathom how Thompson comes to this conclusion. Now I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on tv but I don't see how selling GTAIV to teens (if it does happens) is illegal, deceptive or fraudulent. Immoral in a lot of people's mind perhaps but not illegal.
We can all speculate on what it might mean (It doesn't seem like a long time to get a verdict would be good for Jacko) but I'm curious as to the opinion of someone who knows.
- Press releases from Leland Yee warning parents about the horrible GTA4 game. Also to include self-masturbating paragraphs about his (unconstitutional) legistation.
- Fox News running a series of reports with (self-proffessed) "experts" about the evils of videogames and GTA4. Expect to hear about the hardcore pornography within. Perhaps even virtual orgasmic rape and sodomy!
- The PTC, NIMF, and other faith-bas...er...parent based groups coming out against GTA4. They will release press releases and newsbites about how these evil games are being marketed to children.
- JT will spam email inboxes around the country with statements like: "I will destroy Rockstar games"; "I predicted Columbine", "The V-Tech gunman trained on videogames"; "Halo caused the DC sniper attacks"; "I am doing god's work"; "I'm going to heaven"; "Only gamers or hitmen kill people".
- Hillary Clinton, whether the 2008 candidate or not will try to push her party to back game legislation- citing GTA4 as a reason. The Dems will want to get the backing of as many Bible Belt voters as they can. Banning an un-christian thing like videogame porn is perfect bait.
I bet Take-Two are shaking in their boots!
See the thing is-they have REAL lawyers.
LOL1!!!!!!
He doesn't go after it, because it's not a T2 Game..