Since when does God of War have guns, infact it doesn't even have archers!

Hmm loaded pistol, M rated game, LOADED PISTOL.. umm LOADED PISTOL IN CHILDS HANDS.. feels like I'm missing something here MAYBE ITS THAT ******* PISTOL.

Yeah it's definatly Kratos' fault for teaching that poor 12 y/o boy to shoot his "friend" in the head with a loaded pistol. Or maybe more plausable that The kid just wanted to kill someone.

This sentiment has already been said, but I know it's the first thing running through my mind. How the frick did a 13 year old get a loaded 22? And what does God of War have to do with that?

(Although I will admit, in defense of the devil - the GoW is pretty over the top for a 13 and 12 year old.)

At the risk of being labeled as evil. I suspect they're just looking for a payday here, and they probably can't sue the parents who left a loaded 22 where a 13 year old can get at it, because people like that probably don't have allot of money in the first place.

Something else occurs to me:
“You’re the one lawyer in America who can help this family.”

This must be some odd new definition of the word HELP that I wasn't previously aware of. Can someone enlighten me, has Thompson EVER won any kind of help for the families he's represented in these sorts of situations? Has he ever even won a case like this? Much less a settlement?
These people need grief/disability counseling, not John Bruce Thompson.

What kind of mother allows, or fails to notice, that their son has a loaded handgun?

"There is no question that but for the play of the game, this would not have happened. This lawyer said, 'You’re the one lawyer in America who can help this family.'"

Not only does this entire statement insult the collective intelligence of the human race, it also shows how Thompson's priorities are definitely in need of sorting.

First off, if violent video games were in fact the cause of all violence there wouldn't be a single school, workplace or home that hadn't been shot up. And to quote Adam Sessler, "I believe violence existed even before the creation of Pong."

And to the latter part of my previous statement; Thompson should really be more involved in how a 13 year old got his hands on a gun. Or why the parents let their sons interact with someone who is clearly unstable to begin with.

Take the kid away from his parents.

They let him get a gun and obvoisly didn't read the warning sings telling them the kids an idiot..

GIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGLES!

"There is no question that but for the play of the game, this would not have happened. This lawyer said, “You’re the one lawyer in America who can help this family.”"

Because Jack's been SO successful so far hasn't he?
Jesus H Christ, when will people give it a rest...

I'd like to know more about the context of the situation in which the boy was shot. Right now it seems to have absolutley nothing to do with the game.

GP: I don't think it has anything to do with the game, either. But that never stops anyone from suing...

"There is no question that but for the play of the game, this would not have happened. This lawyer said, “You’re the one lawyer in America who can help this family.”
"


there is now question huh... weird. I dont remember .22 pistols in god of war. Plus it says he shot the victim 'when they were playing' . I dont get it. Your holding a controller, playing a game, and for some reason the game then what, flashes up on screen 'pick up a gun and shoot your friend'. um.... i dont get what the shooting had to do with god of war other than it was basically in the games console at the time the shooting occured.

In other news the kid also had a comic on the floor, and a burrito in the microwave. There is no question , but for the burrito in the microwave, this would not have happened.


ps on a sidenote i love how JT made sure he quoted the 'one lawyer in america who cn help this family'. He is so full of himself n loves every bit of ego boosting he can get. shame he wont be able to 'help' after he loses his license. (although looking at his track record, id hardly call wasting money in frivolous lawsuits that have always ended in failure 'helping')

Well, we certainly know that the boys didn't pick up their knowledge of firearms from playing the game.
And yeah, not only is a 12 yo playing an M-rated game (and one of the most M M-rated games out there), but they also had access to a .22? The event is tragic, to be sure, but there's more at work here than God of War.

I can't imagine how thy would pursue this case. We're talking about God of War. Last I checked, Kratos wasn't packing a glock. If it was a stabbing, they might have something, but come on.

Here's one of the stupidity of the American legal system.

He only has to win one.

He can lose a thousand cases. But if Jack wins just one, everything comes crashing down. Jack wins.

And we lose.

Sucks, doesn't it?

And how do I know this?

McDonald's and a cup of coffee. Look at the stupidity that has resulted from that case. "Contents may be hot." No kidding.

I hope I'm reading this story right, but...

What about the kid who refused to help the other dispose of the body and instead called 911? If the morally corrupting influence of video games were so powerful as some claim there would be two kids facing charges in this, not one.

Looks to me like you have one kid who did the wrong thing, and one kid who did the right thing by contacting the authorities. He's a gamer too, right? Where is the praise on this kid for doing the right thing and turning his friend in, possibly saving his other friend's life? Where are the speculations as to how video games have shaped his habits and morals?

this will be laughed out of court.

i mean, wacko jacko, a lawyer on the verge of being disbarred, will attempt to say that a game without guns encouraged one child in the face with his illegal firearm.......

this sounds like some greedy, muck raking parent, looking at their blinded child, and thinking 'how the hell can we make some money from this?'

Seriously, I wonder if Jack is under an obligation to disclose his disabarment hearing. After all, if he's thrown off the bar he isn't a lawyer anymore and he can't do anything.

This Texas lawyer probably should have done his research. If he's representing Jack as some big time game lawyer that's going to win this he could be in serious ethical trouble himself.

How can the general public ( us ) understand this, and these 'highly educated' lawyers and such not get it.
12 + 15, too young for the game. Sue the parents.
Loaded Gun in the house. Sue the parents.

Sigh, I'm amazed by this :
“There is no question that but for the play of the game, this would not have happened.
REEAAAALLLLY.
If they had been playing scrabble and the boy had stolen a 'U' to go with his 'Q', would that statement still have been made ??
or would they be saying 12yo with a loaded gun made this shooting happen.
Bloody mind-numbing.

how does that work anyway. Was the Glock on the sofa next to the boy incase he got beat?
Or was one boy playing 'God of War' whilst the other was roaming the house looking for trouble and found the gun????

I've read about much better cases than this one.. this seems a tenuous link at best. What I can see happening is:

"Where did you buy the M rated game"
"My son/grandson bought it"
"Can you prove it"

If yes: then its the retailers fault. If no: its the parents fault... either way, it only establishes that the kids were playing a game they shouldn't have. "Playing God of War" could have easily been substituted with "Smoking cigarettes".

I get the feeling that if they were playing Operation, this kid still would have shot the other one. Then where would Milton Bradley be?

Hmm...this was from one of Laddy Jack's latest Florida Supreme Court filings? Looks like it didn't do much--from this morning's docket:

"ORDER-OTHER SUBSTANTIVE DY Respondent's Motion for Court-Ordered Mediation is hereby denied.

DISP-REHEARING DY (RC) Respondent's Motion for Rehearing Via Oral Argument and all supplements thereto are hereby denied."

As Wile E. Coyote would say (while covered in smoldering ash): "Well...back to the old drawing board."

You know.. I would understand the logic, twisted as it is, if...

He was playing a stealth shooter that involves disposing of corpses...

He had attacked the other kid with large knives..

He had been caught having sex with two girls while trying to knock a candle off a desk..

He was randomly wondering around screaming "Zeus! You will pay for what you have done to me!"

But no, he shot another kid, while playing a game absolutely unrelated to guns.. a game with some of the most mature content out there. while adults were not paying attention.. and somehow got hold of a loaded gun..

This does not work..

@ Colonol Finn

As you can see it's been a LONG while since I last played. I can only remember sadly enough Athena's naked boobs. Might have just been a single one but I do remember seeing one.

Oh for the love of...

Please, please, please, PLEASE don't let Thompson into my state. I like Texas and I don't want it to be soiled with his presence.

Perhaps the lawyer who is possibly planning the suit was thinking that God of War is the game version of the movie Lord of War. That or he's just the usual tragedy-chasing, scum sucking, looking for a quick buck lawyer.

*HEADDESK*

Its a bloody "M". Cant parents read?

The suspect's grandmother was arrested for making a firearm available to a minor:

http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=8073239

That should give people a hint on the real culprit.

What gives me great comfort is that I know, one day, one day Jack will be gone. how do I know? well I am much younger than him, and I take comfort in the fact that I will live a part of my life knowing full well he is gone and not ruining the justice system anymore than it already is. He will go down in history just as the critics of comic books did. Crazy out of touch people who have no idea what they are talking about. I can't wait for that day, maybe I'll be in my 40's or 50's, I dunno. but oh... it will be glorious. come on old age, get em!

Actually, first thing that comes to me is:

God of War = throwing blades attached to chain around = a gun? Only thing remotely close is Zeus' lightning

My question is where the kid actually got the gun. I mean seriously, if the gun wasn't there, then I'm pretty sure this wouldn't have happened.

"Yet Dean Wagstaff, another mentor to the accused shooter, said video games had nothing to do with the incident.

"I've worked with this young man in the past many times," Wagstaff said. "They're trying to mingle it with the facts that there was a shooting, that we grant, but until all the evidence is in how can they possibly come to the conjecture that this and that happened." "

It's nice to see the voice of reason speaking up here.

This reminds me of something that just happened in class. We were writing to CBS's The Early Show, and the first stor is about that plot to hurt the teacher in Georgia, I think it was, that involved a large number of third graders. They had an expert via sattelite that suggested that most of the kids were just going with the crowd, but the ones that hatched this scheme may have coem from an abusive background or seen abuse in their home life.

One of the regular hosts and another expert they had invited to be in the studio had a discussion afterwards. The host first thought that the kids had seen too much Scooby-Doo. The expert dismissed that as ridiculous and basically echoed the same sentiments as the other expert and also went on to talk about some legal implications, such as a conspiracy charge, also adding that none of those involved in the plot could be tried as adults because they're all under the age of 13, which is the minimum in Georgia to be tried as an adult.

tl;dr version: They didn't blame video games and blamed upbringing/home life/parents! We're making progress!

I could easily straight up attack all the obvious and literal flaws in the argument that God of War made him shoot the other kid, but I will reframe.
Now I might just be reading this incorrectly:
"The mother of the 12-year-old witness said the boys were playing the video game “God of War” …The woman said after the shooting, the suspect asked her son to help take Guthrie’s body out back and put it in a barrel. The boy refused and instead called 911."
So is it just me or did the mother say in short "help me hide the body" while the kid said no? I am not sure.
As for the "the game made him do it" line, I highly doubt that the game directly caused any sort of prompting for this sad event since Kratos never EVER uses a gun. Maybe if the kid had attacked the victim with knives there would be more of a connection, but not guns. You might be able to say since the game is full of violence and Anger that the kid was being fed it at a moment in which he himself was angry thus causing him to come to the sudden conclusion that violence was the best course of action.(Heck that argument makes more sense then any other argument that has been made against video games.) However if that is the case then I bet any sort of violent and angry media exposure at the scene of the attack could have just as easily caused it.

Then of course there is the two issues of 1. two underage young teens playing a Mature(thats 18+) game, and 2. the readily accessible .22 caliber pistol. I could blame the parents or poor gun control, but I won't without more details. Had the mother already cleared her son to play the game since she possibly thought nothing bad would happen or had the older boy brought the game with him without the mothers knowledge. And seeing as those of us who Live in the US do have a constitutional right to possess firearms, the family was in their right to have one, but it might not have been put in a safe place where the 13 year old could access it.
There are plenty of unknown details and we may never know.

Irresponsible parents trying to blame a video game company for their own irresponsibility. Welcome to America! The land where nothing is your fault so you can sue the pants off big corporations! Maybe we'd actually get something done in this country if people would take responsibility and quit filing frivolous lawsuits about video games and fast food.

I got another one for everyone: what is a 13 year old boy doing with a .22 calibre pistol?

So if I shoot someone at a football game, can I blame the NFL?

I'd like to point out that the kid certainly wasn't emulating anything from the game. GoW doesn't have guns. Some kids are just psychotic little bastards.

I in no way believe for one minute that a Texas lawyer called Jack. I have $5 that says Jack sprang for this opportunity once he heard of it and called that lawyer. Another $10 says he is going to use this as part of his disbarrment trial somehow to the effect of "I even took on other cases to fight this evil and the Florida Bar still disbarred me!".

Who I really feel sorry for is the family of the boy who got shot. Jack is going to raise their expectations of somehow getting some kind of settlement from the gaming company or something only to realize they aren't getting a dime (well Jack will get his cut of the fee's). Its sad to see this modern day molestor of distraught families using another victim to promote himself in the FOX News world and spread disinformation to people everywhere.

I wish the boy a speedy recovery and hope families everywhere learned a valuable lesson from this....If you have a gun for the sake of the kids and your family..LOCK IT UP!

Oh yes, forgot to add (not that facts make any difference to the JT's of this world).

God of War 2 does not contain any guns. No pictures of guns, no shooting of guns, no guns full stop. The nearest you could say it comes to depicting firearms is a magical bow and arrow. Now, had the child shot his friend with a bow and arrow, and claimed he was trying to be cool like Kratos, then maybe you could say the videogame had some influence. In reality though, this is a horrible accident that has occured due to children having access to firearms.

I would love to see how they are going to try and make a connection between the shooting and God of War. Seeing as how Kratos never is in possession of a gun in any of the games. They cannot claim the game influenced the kid to shoot his friend or trained him how to commit the crime and try and hide the body. Yet knowing how these morons think they will try it anyway and claim the game awards points for these kinds of actions.

You think Jack would stay away from these cases at the moment seeing as this will only strengthen the case against him in is disbarment trial. Seeing as how the man lacks tact when he talks to people, I can see more and more harassment and unprofessional conduct charges being filed against him.

"There is no question that but for the play of the game, this would not have happened. This lawyer said, “You’re the one lawyer in America who can help this family.”

Obviously this Lawyer who Jack refuses to mention is either A) Someone who is unfamiliar with Thompson's practices B) A moron only wanting to get his name out there or C) Does not even exist. Seeing as how Jack loves to name those who seek his help any chance he gets I am going to have to go with option C.

@ omegaman

“this is very dangerous, don’t ever touch it” I laughed when I read that When my father first showed me a gun he said and I wish I was kidding

"This is a gun, the go boom; also they're super cool!" It's a wonder I turned out sane.

Fact of the matter is they are at an age when they can decide what is wrong and what is right. Everyone is just looking for a scapegoat since no one want to take personal responsibility.

@attackgypsy

Zero tolerance is bullshit, however. It enforces humans to not err, to not screw up. That's unhumanlike.

@ Peter

Law and Order: GP

wait... when did God of War had guns?

oh... it doesn't!

but it's kinda cool to imagine Kratos with a 45, shades and lots of bling...

*imagnes*

ok.... maybe not...

Two objects are placed on a table in front of a young boy. One is a new unsealed copy of Grand Theft Auto IV. The other is an assembled and loaded handgun. Which would you rather have him holding?

You know who should be shot? The parents. I'm a former resident of Texas and I feel somewhat justified in the following blanket statement: there are literally millions of idiots in the state of Texas.

"The woman said after the shooting, the suspect asked her son to help take Guthrie’s body out back and put it in a barrel. The boy refused and instead called 911."

Holy,Shit
Seriously where the hell does a 13 year old get a gun.
And where does a 13 year old get a sick idea to shoot someone and then dump them(still alive) in a barrel to rot.

Sounds more like a mental patient than a videogame promoted crime.

Oh and MaskedPixelante legally they can't refuse to sell you the game unless they hang up a sign stateing that they reserve the right to refuse service to any and all customers....but i can definatly see why the guy wouldn't sell it to a little kid and his mom seeing as how the game would have been returned the next day(after mommy saw the content) with much grief.

As usual, Johnny Bruce Thompson will try ANYTHING to get a lawsuit against the video game industry going.

Disbarring him won't stop him, and there are plenty of ignorant parents who would love to play the blame game than deal with the problem head on...

@ A Viking

The gun, I'm hoping the kid doesn't know how to work the safety while I run off with my GTA IV copy. And I'll be praying that if he does manage to work the safety the gun is unloaded.

I find it interesting that the father isn't defending his kid. If anything his is providing damning evidence his kid intentionally shot the other kid and then knowingly attempted to cover it up.

Alright, let me get this right and if I mess up, someone please correct me. Kid A was playing a game that Kid B wanted to play. Kid A refused, so Kid B shot him. Explain to me, how any part of the video game plays into this? If I get shot over a car jacking, and live, Do I sue Ford over it?

If JT is going by the always failing assumption "playing violent games led to the kid using the gun, blah blah" It's going to fail. Where were the parents? How does a child have such easy access to a hand gun? Did the child have to load the gun? if so, did his parents teach him how to do it? How did underage kids buy a title that is rated for people 17+?

Nevermind, thats logic, my bad *slaps forehead*

Ohnoes, we'd better outlaw poker games next, how many people have been shot due to disagreements over THAT particular game?!

I haven't done an exhaustive search, but in my cursory search I can't find anywhere that says that the parents of either boy are blaming video games for this tragedy. In fact, the victim's family blog only mentions video games in the context of being a bond between the two friends, and never once mentions "God of War" by name (that I found, anyway).

I've got to wonder if this is another John Bruce Thompson "Un"-news event, and if it had not been for his email it would have never involved video games at all (as it rightly should not).

My sympathies to the victim and his family, and to the family of the shooter, even though it appears that their negligence was the root cause of this incident. Life for all of them will be a nightmare for years to come.

I learned to shoot before I was 8 years old. I didn't know where the gun was kept in the house till my TEENS. I was taught gun safety at an early age and how part of the "right to keep and bear arms" incluses the responsibility to do so safely and intelligently.

Amazingly enough, I've never had a single accident with a gun, never shot anyone or anything.

Back in the 80's at least one state tried to make a law where the owners of guns would be responsible, legally, for any crimes comitted with them by minors in thier household.

What an absolutely fabulous idea.

Just reading over this I have an idea of what may have happened that lead to violence over the video game.

15 year old playing video game while 13 year old watches.

15 year old is not sharing the controller - GoW is a 1 player game as we all know. He just keeps trying and playing and not letting any of the other kids play even though they really want to try the game. Afterall who doesn't want to play GoW??

13 year old feeling frustrated and angry that he isn't getting a turn to play gets agressive and might involve fisticuffs or trying to take the controller away from the 15 year old.

15 year old - obviously stronger manages to fend off the 13 year old and keep the controller and continue playing. Mild taunting ensues and he continues to play while making fun of or laughing at 13 year old.

13 year old - now more angry - grabs the gun (do not know where he got it but obviously he had access to it) and in his anger points the gun at his friends head. He has no intention of shooting his friend - simply is trying to threaten him and make himself look tough and perhaps stop the taunting or get a turn playing the video game.

Terrible tragedy - the gun goes off - Its loaded and the 13 year old didn't know. Or he pulls the trigger accidentally when the 15 year old goes to knock his hand away.

13 year old panics - scared of the trouble he is going to get into - wants to hide the body. Probably in tears and shock that he has just shot his friend. Other kid realizes that this isn't a good idea, calls 911. Everyone in tears and just want to get their friend help.

Either way - the only link to video games that I see here is the fact that it was a single player video game that 3 kids were trying to play. One kid more than likely was feeling that he wasn't getting his fair turn to play the game and the end result is a tragic event that many people would argue is reason for gun control. Video games and this tragedy are not at all related. It could have been Kids playing with a cool transformers action toy - one kid feels he hasn't had a fair turn. Kids playing with a really bitching remote control car - and the youngest doesnt get a turn to drive. Either way I think this can break down to misplaced anger over the fact that one kid felt slighted by the others and in his frustration grabbed a gun cause he wanted to appear tough or have his fair turn.

Thats all I got....

@illspirit
People here aren't blaming the gun. They're placing the blame on the fact that the gun was left loaded, safety off, within access of a 13 year old.

Also I'd love to know where you get your statistics from... these sound like NRA statistics. Please note that no inanimate object is to blame here. Poor supervision, education and controls placed over a deadly weapon are to blame.

The handgun didn't have an age rating. How were the parents supposed to know it wasn't for kids?

LOL @ Dick Ward. Nice one.

I should put an "AO" rating over everything that I don't want my brother to touch.

Well Kudos to the 12 y/o for doing the right thing and calling 911.

And Kudos to GP for this line: "Troy was shot with a gun, not a game."

After that I'm not sure what I can add that isn't already said or thought...

-Game = M rating kids parents to blame for buying it (kids weren't siblings so 1 of 4 didn't mind)
-Are there guns in God of War? How did could it simulate or train the kid for this shooting??? Since he used a gun...
-Why worry bout a minor getting a game w/ parental consent when it should be more difficult for him to acquire a pistol? "Mommy, the guy won't sell me the .22.. can you buy it and leave it out for me?"
-*sigh* JT won't be a lawyer for long... soon he'll just be an faux news "expert" of whatever needs and an "ex-expert ambulance chaser". I shouldn't say that, it really demeans ambulance chasing attorneys... to compare them to a scaremongering jackass that chases violence caused by the mentally ill, demanding money for his own twisted agenda.

@ Azhrahn

No, during shipping though guns can not be loaded and in some cases the ammo must be shipped seperatly from the weapon. Storing in person home doesn't and as far as I know theres no federal or state law requiring guns to be locked up tight, that I could be wrong about.

@ illspirit

Not to de-rail this thread, but why on earth should a teenager need (or be allowed) easy access to a gun?

I mean, nobody's killed anybody with a videogames, but a gun..? Shouldn't they be left in the hands of responsible adults?

Incidentally, there's more on this story here.

'...the town newspaper reported the 13-year-old shot the victim over a video game.

Yet Dean Wagstaff, another mentor to the accused shooter, said video games had nothing to do with the incident.

"I've worked with this young man in the past many times," Wagstaff said. "They're trying to mingle it with the facts that there was a shooting, that we grant, but until all the evidence is in how can they possibly come to the conjecture that this and that happened."'

Thankfully there will be at least one voice of reason if this ever goes to court.

Something else Jack may get slapped with. His release to a press outlet saying, in effect 'I can't tell you who I'm representing (rymes with Croy Futhrie... um... Zunior?) or what state they are in (rhymes with Mexas!), but let me give you all the details!"

If there is any "confidentiality requirements" he needs to learn to keep his mouth shut, e-mail shut down, and for heaven's sake stay away from that fax machine!

If anyone is able to identify JT's ambulence chaser in training (hasn't moved up to massacres yet), someone send him a note that the first thing JT did after getting off the phone was to blab to the press.

This case is full of fail. The kid that did the shooting wasn't the one who was playing the game, unless they are going to claim he was so impressionable that seeing the game played for a short period of time DROVE him to find a gun (or pull out the one he was already carrying) and shoot the player.

I put five cents up that says that the second thing JT did after getting off the phone was fax the police commisioner there and demand he go out and grab the God of War game as evidence or he'll have the guys badge.

Something that I'm happy about is the victim survived. At that point, even though there is some damage, he is a lucky son of a buck. I wonder who HE blames for shooting him?

@ Chris,
JT goes around and cherry picks experts who are trained to say exactly what he wants them to say... unless he doesn't let them speak at the trial. He could find an 'expert' willing to say that Judges signatures were forged on documents that there is no benefit to forging them on. I'm sure he can get someone to come up with a lung X-Ray that he will tell the jury is a brain scan proving that playing video games makes kids want to kill everyone.

Jack is going down.

If he tries to prove that GoW taught this kid to shoot his playmate (brother?), it'll be laughed out of court because THERE WERE NO GUNS IN G.O.W. NOR IN ANCIENT GREECE!!!

If the parents find out Jack is going to be disbarred, well, they had better get the case over with, fast. Bet you five he'll be disbarred before the case is even close to being closed. Otherwise, they should find a different lawyer.

uh-blee uh-blee uh-blee Thass all, fokes!

There were no guns nor even black powder cannons in ancient Greece, God of War is set in ancient Greece.

END OF STORY!!!!

Ohnoes, we’d better outlaw poker games next, how many people have been shot due to disagreements over THAT particular game?!

That just brought back memories of the movie Life Aquatic in the scene where Jeff Goldbloom says, "Steve? You came to save me? I fold." and then one of the pirates across the table from him shoots him.

@ GRU

Terry Pratchett FTW!

He's making it up.

“You’re the one lawyer in America who can help this family.”
I bet he was really jazzed after typing that.

Jack: "That's...that's good!"

Well, he did twist a complimentary "thank you" to being thanked profusely, the lawyer who called is probably another ambulance chaser who called asking for pointers/"experts".

Arrg!

We have overlooked the most obvious answer!

Let's look at the facts.
1. JT said this in a court filing.
2. Quoted language is over the top and rediculous.
3. JT said this in a court filing.
4. JT denied it was the Texas case
And finally, the biggest clue of all:
5. JT said this in a court filing.

We have been focasing on the story so much we over looked the obvious answer that JT just lied about it. He likely wasn't contacted by anyone. He read the story and made up the idea that a lawyer contacted him, after all due to "confidentiality requirements" no one could prove that it iddn't happen that way, and that's all that matters to JT.

Also, did anyone else note the main difference between the news story and what JT said? In the news story, the 15 year old was playing the game and a 13 year old went, found a gun, and shot the 15 year old. In JT's story, the 13 year old was the one playing the violent game, and while playing it, managed to somehow shoot the 15 year old. Even if JT was talking about the Texas case, he couldn't manage to file a court document without lying.

The only other explanation is that someone not in Florida, another 13 year old shot another 15 year old, in the head, not killing him, but instead imparing vision (did these kids train on God of War or Trauma Center, cause that is some freakin' brain surgery there)... if that is the case, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

Also, I'm in the middle of reading Monsterous Regiment, so please don't compare JT to anything dealing with Discworld. It would just sully my enjoyment. He belongs no where near Rincewind, who is as brave as JT is honest. There are TOADS in Discworld that are better lawyers then JT. If you must put him in the setting, it would be closer to Mr. Pin.

Hmm...well so far It doesn't look like there are any big news outlets that are trying to link the 3-year old game to shooting.

And yeah, I'm more concerned about how this kid got a gun in the first place.

@mogbert
The comparison of JT's competence with Rincewinds courage was kind of what I was going for, not any insult to discworld in general or rincewind in particular. I loved Rincewind. I like to think that Vimes would end up sending Detritus to arrest JackTom were he in Discworld. Or the time monks would simply not tolerate such idiocy, and would remove him from the fabric of the universe. multiverse. whatever. Or some other ridiculous and fitting punishment would befall him.

There is more to mcdonalds coffee lawsuit. Do not use it as the example of frivolous lawsuits. Use Jack Thompson suing for 100 million dollars but not the mcodonalds one. The public does not know what the suit was actually settled for and there is a fine line that mcdonalds may have inched or set a foot over. I dont know about you but I dont want to drink coffee that can cause 3rd degree burns maybe something that something that will burn the first layer of skin on the roof of my mouth but not 3rd degree burn where it would scar and permanently damage my throat.

*****

Seriously what is going on here. It seems we sue anyone or anything that has a relation to the incident that occurs. What next? are we going to the NFL when a child shoots another because they were wearing an opposing team uniform? How about the NHL when there are fights at school because NHL players fight on the ice. I know I wanna sue congress for causing stupidity and Bush and Gonzales as well. I m tired of hearing I dont recall from 10 yr olds.

This case is confusing to me. Did the 13 year old have the gun on him while he was playing the game? I'm not an advocate of gun control laws, but this is ridiculous.

How can they blame the video game? This is ridiculous. At least there are no guns in GOW so at least they can't say he was mimicking it or some other BS.

And if he was acting like the game he would have hacked the other boys head off or something. Not shot him in the head.

It seems, from what I can garner that the person shot was the one that was playing the game at the time? That would make sense, since it would be impossible to operate the controls, watch the screen and manipulate the firearm at the same time?

If so, not only is Thompson's claim wrong that the 13 year old shot the 15 year old 'while playing a video game' but it is a complete reversal of the facts. Unless merely watching the game brings about this reaction, and if that is the case, there's even less reason to single out Video Games from other media, because you watch movies, and they can contain far more graphic violence (Look at Beowulf, Cert. 12 and involves mens heads being ripped off, a man severing the tendons in his own arm etc, all as mythological as Gods of War).

Thirdly, as has been pointed out, there are no guns in Gods of War, if the boy had been emulating '300', another piece of Media that is rated above their ages, and one had stabbed and accidentally killed the other, it would have been regarded as a terrible tragedy, and a lesson to parents everywhere. Because it is the 'evil' computer games, the dollar signs start appearing in people's eyes instead.

@Wyvern

Thompson would probably be someone like the head of the 'Campaign for Equal Heights' to be honest ;)

So, where the hell is the gun in God Of War?

I don't understand.

Did his copy of God of War include a .22 calibur PISTOL in the box?

I'd like to make an addition, and cross link this to the critics who think that gaming means that we don't read books (and JT who thinks we are 'morans'). I bet the people here are better read then most video game critics, most 'outdoors' people, and the average adult. I think the recent discussion is close, and if we were to open comparisons to other litterary characters (which I would suggest we hold to another JT article) I'm sure it would turn out a great number of novels that many of us have read in common.

I just can't wait till GTA IV this month and hear JT's rants (that is if he still has a job).

This comes down to one thing. Money. Who's going to pay more? An average middle class family or a multimillion dollar company? Lets blame the company and get rich. It's the American way.

i played this game when i was 13 guess what i knew it was a game and never effected me mentally except for the enjoyment of playing a good game. so even though they were playing a game they weren't allowed to you have to grow up in some f'd up society to think killing is ok, the only connection i can see between the game and shooting is he refused to share and thats not down to the type of game they were playing but instead a messed up family with a litlle brat who thought he would listen to his dad always harping on about if theres an intruder in my house ill just pop a cap in his ass, it is so messed up that society has sunk so low and pathetic to blame a tragic incident on such a trivial portion of the incident and not the physco kid who shot someone.

@Talouin

I'm not saying you, personally, are blaming the gun. Mainly just the people typing the word in all caps as if it's some terrifying, evil talisman.

With regards to safe storage, well, as you said, they've not released all the details. Perhaps the kid stole the key to his dad's safe. Maybe the father trusted the kid with a safe of his own. Who knows.

Even if it was out, the concept of safe storage can be quite subjective. Yes, one should always lock up a gun until you're ready to use it. But that depends on how you define ready to use. For instance, right now, I have a loaded 9mm with one in the pipe sitting in a holster on a shelf beside me. Naturally, should someone stop by (especially if they have kids with them) or when I go out, the gun goes on my hip. Either way though, it is always in a state of being ready to use, as an unloaded defensive firearm is just an expensive club.

Granted, my situation is probably quite different than the case in question. But, again, we don't know all the details. Was the house in a bad neighborhood? Was it in a rural or exurban area with coyote or other potentially dangerous animals roaming around? Was the gun set down temporarily while someone was going to or returning from the range? There are any number of reasons why it could have been out. Without knowing why, some of the knee jerk, conclusion jumping in the comments here strike me as being rather Thompson-esque.

I'm surprised Thompson hasn't come to taunt us yet.

Did I miss the bit in God of War with guns? I think if GOW had anything to do with it he would have knocked the kid on his arse and forced a knife down his throat.

Sorry about the double post, but: Yes, that barrel part... Has little Timmy had to do this before?... Did they have a barrel ready for such an occurrence?...

@axia777:

Agreed, that's really the only part of my first post I don't take back. Sorry everybody. :P

@Xero

ROFL!!!!

God of War, in the gun safe....

That is funny....

I didn't read all the comments, so if I'm repeating what someone else said here, my apologies. But to everyone saying that God of War doesn't have guns and therefore Jack's argument is ridiculous.

Jack's response will LIKELY be that if this kid was playing THIS M-rated game, then he's played others, such as Counterstrike and Halo and whatever other FPS games he likes to blame things on. That along with the whole "violence in games makes people violent" rant.

Jack will likely ask what other games the kid had for his system, and for a search of his hard drive, and once GTA or Doom or whatever else gets found, then he'll say "AH HA!"

So again, I don't think Jack is saying "God of War made this kid shoot someone else" but rather "This is proof this kid played violent games and therefore also played FPS games which trained him to shoot someone else."

1st of all why are people asking for more gun control? This wouldn't have stopped the asault, since the kid could've easily grabbed a steak knife instead, although really you blame the kid for deciding to take the gun and shoot his brother.

Really it seems like a lot of people here would be perfectly fine chraging the gun with acsessory to murder.

Oh and I believe Thompson when he says he's not involved with this case. The video game connection is so very very weak I don't think anyone would bring it up.

look at what the mom tried to do put the boy in a trash can

"This lawyer said, “You’re the one lawyer in America who can help this family.”" -Thompson

Yeah, right.

You didn't happen to receive that email on Tuesday, did you Thompson?


Andrew Eisen

Eh, phone call. Not email.

Nevertheless, I don't believe for one minute anyone said, "Help me Obi Wan Thompson, you're my only hope."

My money's on an April Fools' prank.


Andrew Eisen

@Monkeythumbs

If my reality there is frightening, you should see the rest of it. After being one of the intended targets in a couple of drive-by shootings, and the victim of a home invasion which ended with me laying on the front lawn unconscious after being dragged out and kicked in the face repeatedly by skinheads, a holstered pistol is pretty low on my list of scary things.

But, yea, it's usually not a good idea to leave guns out where kids can get to them. However, there was once a time when kids that age were expected to handle guns, be it to protect livestock or to protect younger siblings while the father was out. In some places, this is still a somewhat normal occurrence. As such, I'm less inclined to automatically assume it's always a bad thing.

Whether this was an accident or an act of malice, even a 12-year-old is plenty old enough to understand and respect a firearm for what it is.


Andrew Eisen

@Monkeythumbs

Now that you mention it, I did play Manhunt, but that was after most of the above. Then again, I also played Ocarina of Time, so maybe that caused my past self to be influenced by a future game..

As for he-who-can-not-be-named, he'll probably say the grandmother was part of the secret Take2/Freemason/Illuminati conspiracy to turn children into little Manchurian Candidates. ;)

I like the point that NovaBlack made. First off, God of War isn't a two-player game. This rules out the fact that losing a multiplayer match may have upset the shooter.
Also, which God of War? Because if it's the first or second PS2 versions, then I'm pretty sure the only thing that Jack would focus on would be the two-some minigames. Not the violence. Nope. It'll be the minigames that only make noises and let the gamer use his imagination as to what's going on. He'll focus on this because it's the closest thing he has to a fact supporting his statement that GTA and the like are equivalent to porn.

But enough about Jack. Who's the other lawyer? And does he know ANYTHING about Jack's track record when it comes to game lawsuits?

Regardless of the facts (I think we all agree the insignificance of the game), nothing is going to stop this from lawyers, besides JT (hasn't he been put away yet?) from blowing this all out of proportion.

Controversy sells, and these guys are trying to make a bundle on it.

The biggest problem is that this is right in the middle of the election year. You know the candidates are all going to cash in on it. At least this will make the decision easier: Any candidate that speaks out against the games ain't getting my vote.

There are no guns in God of War, it should not be an issue the game was involved only that the game was the reason for the fight later to come leading to the shooting.

How could God of War possibly be the motive? First of all, the game has no shooting. Second, even if there was, the game is rated M and thus shouldn't be played by underage kids and thus the game company is not responsible. And thirdly, who the hell leaves a 13-year old anywhere near a pistol?

"At least this will make the decision easier: Any candidate that speaks out against the games ain’t getting my vote."

Amen to that, Vake Xeacons

@JackWessels

Granted, but looking at it from a candidate's point of view, there are alot more issues in debate than just videogames and violent behavior.

I think Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation put it best in his Manhunt review:

"Controversy and the games industry go hand-in hand like Ico and Yorda, if you'll forgive the incredibly nerdy analogy. And like Yorda, the controversy tends to stay focused for about eight nanoseconds before getting bored and drifting off to do something else. But when it does get focused it can get very exasperating, such as when youthful paragons of self-control are called nasty names and decide that murder would be the wittiest comeback, and then is found to have stood next to a videogame sometime in the past, then the media generallly start drooling the usual uninformed questions as to whether wholesome boyish pretend violence has any correlation with the real world. Short answer: No. Long answer: No, and go fuck yourselves, you ignorant scaremongering cockbags."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

@ zerodash
Seriously? That's just too funny. Can we see a link to his brilliance?

@GrimCW

"gun control LAWS have nothing to do with it.
the parents should’ve been taking care of their kids, and whoever owned the gun themselves should’ve had it locked up, ammo separate, and the kids not knowing where either item was......

......The rest of the time its either due to poor storage of the firearm by its owner (especially when a kid can find access to the gun and ammo) "


but i dont understand how stricter gun controls have nothing to do with it. In england all guns people do own are required BY LAW to be kept locked tight in some kind of locked gun cabinet, and the police will check and enforce this. (when they can prove they have a purpose for the firearm). So putting aside the debate of wether you NEED a gun (not getting into it again), if there had been tighter controls, this gun would hae been needed to be locked up tight and the police would have checked this, thereby more likely resulting in either A) the kid not being shot as he didnt have access, or B) the police prosecuting the owner for not keeping it locked away, and therefore either the gun removed, or the owner taking greater care.

I really dont get this blind pig headedness.

'There's no connection with having a gun and shooting someone with it, and not having a gun and not shooting someone, and you'd be a fool and a Communist to make one.' - Bill Hicks

"a thirteen-year-old boy, while playing a violent video game, shot his client, a fifteen-year-old, in the head, permanently blinding him"

JT needs to get his story straight and actually do research before making claims. The kid isn't permanently blind. I just finished reading the families blog and the kid started watching TV on March 30th.

http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewJournal.do?method=reload&scrollPage=2...

They also make no claims of the video game being the culprit. I get the feeling that Jack is *gasp* lying.

Ya know, this case MIGHT have something if the kid decided to bleach his skin, attach chain links to his wrists, get a red tattoo that covers 50% of his face, and HAD lead a great a powerful army against Sparda, pray to Ares because he was losing and then become his "blessed"

This case I would then be behind 100%.

@Tyler

I really think Jack is lying. He always want to be intimidating, but he only thing he managed to intimidate is his law licence. Glad to see that the kid's okay.

From what I read, the kid stole the key of the gun safe from his father and played with the gun. All it was is an accident.

But I can somehow see the logic of Jack this time and how he could counter some of your arguments (though I highly doubt he'd think of them):
- Even with no multiplayer, the boys could've played on terms like each player got 15 minutes or something, or competing on how fast they can clear this level (I play like that often with my little brother (not with God of War though))(although there's no way to know if the shooter played the game as well).
- Even if the game doesn't contain guns, it could have triggered an emotional reaction (like anger. What Jack always miss is that the emotional reaction occurs WHILE playing, not AFTER) that would have cause the boy to shoot the other (Jack ALWAYS rules out the possibility of an accident).

But knowing Jack, he'd just call those who disagree with them jackasses and morally corrupt. One thing for sure is that even if there was no game, that could have happened.

Another videogame costs a life. When are these games going to be banned and the producers held accountable for these terrible murders? Jack Thompson has a point and shame on all of you for sticking up with the sinners that glorify violence and murder.

ps

it was the point where you said 'jack thompson has a point' that made me realise it was intended as a joke

“You’re the one lawyer in America who can help this family.”

Obviously this lawyer hasn't seen Thompson's recent record.

Am I the only one who thought "Obi Wan, you're our only hope!" When they read that?

Isn;t God of War Rated Mature? Parents just love to ignore that game ratings, 12 and 15 year-old should be playing MarioKart.

Apart from that, what the diddly doughnuts is a .22cal loaded pistol doing in a house where the 12 year old child can reach?


America, America

sue the parents they didnt listen to the esrb's recomendation (if you can blame the game wich you cant) video games do not kill people people kill people.

in florida all hand guns that can be accesed by children are required to have a gun lock on them this did not stop a 22 month old baby from shooting himself because dad didnt care to have a lock. PARENTS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIER CHILDREN"S ACTIONS.

ONLY IN AMERICA -_- a lot of big (fat) people and a lot of small brains

I wonder, if the kids had been playing Snoic or Mario, do you think this whole thing would have occured?

You gotta hand it to the witness boy, he saw the kid shoot his friend in cold blood, then called the police instead of helping the shooter. That takes major guts.

@John

“Another videogame costs a life. When are these games going to be banned and the producers held accountable for these terrible murders? Jack Thompson has a point and shame on all of you for sticking up with the sinners that glorify violence and murder.”

I PRAY TO GOD THAT YOU WERE JOKING ON THIS. IF YOU WERE, THEN THE JOKE IS NOT FUNNY. IF YOU WERE SERIOUS, THEN PRAY THAT I NEVER MEET YOU. IF I DISCOVER THAT I KNOW YOU, ALL WILL END.

A Disgruntled Gamer Who Is Insulted By The Quote At The Top Of This Post.

EDIT: By the way, the kid who got shot is still alive.

@ John

Thank you for proving my point about christian "activists". Way to go there, "sinner".

You all know.... John was being sarcastic. At least I hope he was.

Jack says: "You're the one lawyer in America who can help us."

Jack is lying, of course. I know. He's lied about me hundreds of times.

He's getting sicker and sicker.

He reads about this tragic incident, fantasizes about coming to the rescue and getting his name in the papers and on television, calls a representative of the victim and says "I'm the one person who can help you", the person is polite, Jack twists the conversation for his own personal benefit--to try to save his worthless law license, and spreads it to GP so we'll all start talking about him again. He is a narcissist, and a liar.

Let's ignore him.

@Another Witness

I'm inclined to agree, it was like when he claimed he was involved with the Byron Report etc, he's a natural born liar.

@Ebonheart

Personally, I'm hoping he was being sarcastic. If he wasn't...

*Walks away into the shadows. Out of it come the sounds of someone sharpening a chainsaw.*

Living in Austin I had not only watched the reports on this but hear the other boys conversation on the news about this. Along with the fact that that boy was considered for some time to be charged also (an acomplice or something?? idk. )

The boy talked about what happened. The suspect went to an adults room and got the gun. It was supposed to be unloaded. The kid said something along the lines of "What have I done" then there was the 911 call. The comment about stuffing him in the barrel was a new one to me.

god of war? the one taking place thousands of years ago? the one w/o guns? yeah, blame that.

It's rather disturbing (if nothing else) that people with this level of logic are in positions of power. The bias is so mind bogglingly irrational that I'm surprised there isn't a gamer's march against this kind of crap. There whole case revolves around the "murder simulator" argument. This is incompetent on several levels. First, there is a huge Grand Canyon sized gap between pushing a button (even if the controller is gun shaped) and actually pulling a trigger of a real fire arm. Two, they forget that for a game to be a "murder simulator" the person has to actually view the game that way, as a research method for ending a person's life rather than entertainment in category with books. Three, if you're going to blame violent crimes by a minor on a video game than you can just as easily blame the Armed Forces of the United States of America for training seventeen year old inductees in the art killing someone. The Armed Forces train people so that they can kill (exceptionally well in most cases) when the politicians decide it's time to start a war (the next statement does not reflect my view point on the war in Iraq despite my using it in this example), for example when nearly the entire United States, the political side anyway, basically called for blood due to the 9/11 attack. It's highly hypocritical to say that training for governmental legal killing is okay when a fractured link between a game and the human psyche is not okay and produces a common result, a dead body. The human mind is not something that can be quantified, especially by the level of logic in Washington D.C. If your going to bring up violent stimuli causing violent crime related issues then at least pick battles that make sense in the possibility of victory and the quantitative moral value of actually achieving that victory, rather than pressing half-assed, no brained, media grabbing, publicly opressive messages on society. If you're going to take a "moral high ground" then pay attention to the kind of high ground you're taking.