Jack Thompson: The Untethered Mad-dog Continues His Rampage

[Phades]

Next Generation (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=646&Itemid=2) has a story of yet another attack on video games from everyone's favorite, Jack Thompson. This time he's going after GTA: Vice City. It appears his overall goal is just to shut down the ESRB.

Editor: From henceforth, the crap that spews from Sideshow Thompson's mouth will not be considered newsworthy to this editor. He will be ignored.

[Racknahm]

How dare you cheapen the "Sideshow" legacy.

[balamoor]

Every time I hear anything from Jack the mouth Thompson, I am reminded of that old 80's song Lunatic fringe.

[bobbler]

Why can't he just DIE!

[jacktion]

Well, Jack is crazy, but isn't his point valid? He established that San Andreas had dry humping with supposed "penetration" that wasn't onscreen. And that was AO. Vice City has a porn shoot with actors dry humping with less clothes on and it also has penetration, so shouldn't it be AO too?

Jack's details are a little incorrect but after looking at the footage it is the same. So maybe he is right? I know that no one is going to like to hear that.

[Phades]

Calling the man braindead is to compliment his intelligence. Why on Earth would he want to shut down the ESRB? Does eliminating the ratings board make the situation better? If he was legit, he'd just want to reform them. He just wants to take down something that has to do with the games industry. Obviously he sees this as what is going to make him rich. That's all he cares about.

[LilBunnyFuFu]

If I kill him, does that prove his point? Because i live close enough. I could make a day trip out of it, get some good cigars, maybe head to the beach, then, after I've had my fill, I could just run him over, or chop him up with a katana. I don't think anyone will miss him...

[kathode]

The thing I find odd is that with all this ruckus he's basically saying that extreme wanton violence is ok, but throw in some extremely lo-fi, no-nudity, poorly animated sex and we've got major problems.

[Intruder]

Ignoring him will not make him go away. Plus some of the things he says are downright comical. We need our Jack "Crazy Ass" Thompson quotes of the week. :D

[amusedtoe]

If I hunt him down, run him over, beat him with a golf club then kick him a little do you think I'll be able to get away with the "GTA made me do it!" excuse? :p

[Herald42]

He'd probably defend you pro bono, too.

[Stalwart]

The more I read of Thompson, the more his apparent agenda reminds me of another great American freedom fighter: Harry Anslinger. :mad:

http://adrugwarcarol.com/ADWC.php?next=14

[Kelegacy]

The more I read of Thompson, the more his apparent agenda reminds me of another great American freedom fighter: Harry Anslinger. :mad:

http://adrugwarcarol.com/ADWC.php?next=14

Or fucking Joseph McCarthy and his Red Scare.

Agenda is exactly what it is.

[fndarkone]

i dont dare ignore him...lest he do something terrible when noone is watching anymore.

[Arcon]

Who watches the watchers? Someone has to keep an eye on Jackie Boy else he'll start making up even more outlandish shit.
I'm waiting for his connections between GTA and international terrorism/voter apathy/cuban missile crisis to be made in a press release.

In all fairness though, why hasnt EA brought a libel lawsuit against Thompson for his made up on the spot claims about the sims 2? His allegations are 9 parts comical 1 part distorted truth, he should have his day in court. Maybe after repeated loss the guy will finally realise he's a moron.

[amusedtoe]

Or fucking Joseph McCarthy and his Red Scare.

Agenda is exactly what it is.

Exactly what I was thinking!

None of the companies would dare bring libel suits against these chumps out of fear they'd tick off the guys senator colleauges and got some stupid legislation passed against the industry.

[MongolHunter]

Could you compare the 'scandal' that people can access this explicit material that the developers left in there via a mod in the same way that nobody could sue a driver for taking the restrictor off a car and get caught speeding in it?

[Heretic Machine]

You know, I seriously think the best way to deal with guy would be for every serious gaming/tech news site on the internet to just ignore him completly. No more news posts, no more name dropping... Just let him disapear. Then the only attention he'd get would be from Christian fundamentalists.

[Crabby]

Our requests for additional supporting materials (e.g. proof) from Thompson were met with attacks upon our reporting methods. The irony is killing us.

This made it worth the read.

[amusedtoe]

Could you compare the 'scandal' that people can access this explicit material that the developers left in there via a mod in the same way that nobody could sue a driver for taking the restrictor off a car and get caught speeding in it?

Wouldn't the proper analogy be more like suing the company because of the drivers actions? Best idea I've heard so far to curtail the devolopers sneaking this stuff through is that they commit to a legally binding agreement with the ESRB that the footage and material they've submitted is the worst that can be found anywhere on the disc.

[Meshyf]

You know, I seriously think the best way to deal with guy would be for every serious gaming/tech news site on the internet to just ignore him completly. No more news posts, no more name dropping... Just let him disapear. Then the only attention he'd get would be from Christian fundamentalists.
That's still a huge audience for him to spew his stream of mouth diarrea

[Evil Avatar]

Editor: From henceforth, the crap that spews from Sideshow Thompson's mouth will not be considered newsworthy to this editor. He will be ignored.

In addition, I think we are also done with any "Anti-Rockstar" posts. Rockstar as a developer has always been very supportive of Evil Avatar.com and I want to return us to the business of promoting their kickass products in the normal way... by linking to legitimate previews, reviews and screenshots and not linking to articles about hate-mongering losers trying to take the fun out of gaming.

[Commissar Rob]

The thing I find odd is that with all this ruckus he's basically saying that extreme wanton violence is ok, but throw in some extremely lo-fi, no-nudity, poorly animated sex and we've got major problems.

Well they've tried getting everyone stirred up about violence - all the links from Doom to Columbine, the killing simulator analyses, etc. etc. - but it just didn't take. The hot coffee scandal has got some legs - the ESRB changed a rating, the whole issue got loads of attention - therefore he, and others who agree with his agenda, will continue to hammer away at sex.

Well I can certainly understand the editors' growing weariness with these issues, I'm a little worried about not including this type of news. Who speaks for the videogame industry and gamers? Who points out that 99% of what runs on television makes Hot Coffee look like Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood?

To quote the stonecutters, "We do!" Or "You do!" Or something like that.

[Goronmon]

Ummm...if anything, gaming sites like EA should make sure the gamers know about whats being thrown against them.

IMO, Thompson could give two shits about whether gaming sites post his crap. Its the mainstream media he is after. I for one would rather read a newspost a day on Thompson then some useless crap like that "More Sony lies" newspost that came up yesterday.

[Intruder]

Editors, to ignore him and his rhetoric will not solve anything at all. He will not simply go away just because Evil Avatar doesn't post stories about him. I don't understand this mentality.

I may be totally off base, but if seems like you are now beginning to censor what gaming news is "newsworthy" based off your personal opinions of it. That is poor journalism, and like it or no you are Gaming Journalists. So can we expect soon, that all storys about EA (Elec Arts) being dropped because a large portion of people can't stand EA anymore?

Also to quote you "done with any "Anti-Rockstar" posts" Does that mean if someone posts such a thread in the forums that it will be erased? If so that kinda reminds me of a recent snafu concerning gaming review sites getting benifits for giving positive reviews to certain companies.

Where does the censorship of storys end?

The absolute worst thing that I can see happening is the road you may be embarking upon. To say that certain storys are now longer legit news and we can't critisize certain companies is a very scary prospect. I really hope that you do not continue down this path. I abandoned others sites due to very similar things and came here to avoid them.

We here at EA have such a great community, please lets not screw that up.

[Phades]

Editors, to ignore him and his rhetoric will not solve anything at all. He will not simply go away just because Evil Avatar doesn't post stories about him. I don't understand this mentality.

I may be totally off base, but if seems like you are now beginning to censor what gaming news is "newsworthy" based off your personal opinions of it. That is poor journalism, and like it or no you are Gaming Journalists. So can we expect soon, that all storys about EA (Elec Arts) being dropped because a large portion of people can't stand EA anymore?

Also to quote you "done with any "Anti-Rockstar" posts" Does that mean if someone posts such a thread in the forums that it will be erased? If so that kinda reminds me of a recent snafu concerning gaming review sites getting benifits for giving positive reviews to certain companies.

Where does the censorship of storys end?

The absolute worst thing that I can see happening is the road you may be embarking upon. To say that certain storys are now longer legit news and we can't critisize certain companies is a very scary prospect. I really hope that you do not continue down this path. I abandoned others sites due to very similar things and came here to avoid them.

We here at EA have such a great community, please lets not screw that up.

Nice post and well said :) I think I actually agree with you. My original thought was that I didn't blame them for not wanting to hear it any more. But you're right, just because you're sick of it doesn't mean it's not news.

Then again, all news outlets decide what stories they think are worth running and obviously the editors don't think these kinds are. So, what's the difference?

[Nerv]

I actually agree with the Ed'.
Genuine news is one thing, there is no point in putting up a front page story every time Thomson foists a press release onto the 'net.

Also, every Thomson thread quickly goes the same way:

1) Righteous Indignation
2) Derision
3) Pah! The content in _____ is far worse!
4) Wouldn't it be funny if someone killed him and blamed it on Doom?
5) I'm going to kill him!
6) I'll help!
7) Lolz
5) Boobies!

etc.

[fitbabits]

Would someone please shove the cork back in this guy's ass! Seriously, his name is becoming synonymous with verbal diarrhea.

[Liquidize105]

Editors, to ignore him and his rhetoric will not solve anything at all. He will not simply go away just because Evil Avatar doesn't post stories about him. I don't understand this mentality.

I may be totally off base, but if seems like you are now beginning to censor what gaming news is "newsworthy" based off your personal opinions of it. That is poor journalism, and like it or no you are Gaming Journalists. So can we expect soon, that all storys about EA (Elec Arts) being dropped because a large portion of people can't stand EA anymore?

Also to quote you "done with any "Anti-Rockstar" posts" Does that mean if someone posts such a thread in the forums that it will be erased? If so that kinda reminds me of a recent snafu concerning gaming review sites getting benifits for giving positive reviews to certain companies.

Where does the censorship of storys end?

The absolute worst thing that I can see happening is the road you may be embarking upon. To say that certain storys are now longer legit news and we can't critisize certain companies is a very scary prospect. I really hope that you do not continue down this path. I abandoned others sites due to very similar things and came here to avoid them.

We here at EA have such a great community, please lets not screw that up.

Well, I've been around EA for a while now, and I'm the one who edited this post with the new thread name and the promise to ignore Thompson. Short comments from Editor are from me most of the time.

I'd say nothing short of blatantly profane will be censored in the forums, but that goes for all topics. As for Thompson, it's just getting a little same-y, whilst he is just not a very savory character to be getting the amount of attention afforded to him from news reporting.

So get all your view points in as usual. Thompson is absolutely unworthy of our readers' time, and the front-page estate. News about Thompson can go to the forums under "garbage."

[Arcon]

while this is a gaming news site, its all really voluntary and the news covered is all done by the opinions of those who post it. I think the real thing here is not that Thompson posts will be censored, but just that news reporters think twice about reporing every bit of sensationalising news that Jack Thompson tries to put out there.

No other gaming news sites that i read ran this story and their reasons are their own, but i think unless the story is actually newsworth and not just his sabre rattling and trying to get more attention now that the san andreas 'scandal' has pretty much been dealt with, he should be quietly ignored in favor of actual news.

This site picks and chooses what the readers gets to hear about and usually its the good stuff, the important news, kneejerk reactions from gamers who are outraged by his statements gets him on the frontpage. What i see from the editors is just a call for a bit of objectivity.

[Intruder]

Okay I am seeing waht your saying now. I agree with not posting every little dribble that comes out of this guys mouth, I was simply afraid that if something important happened, it would be ignored by EA. As long as that is not the case I am all good. :) Thanks for clearing that up Liquidize

[bean19]

In addition, I think we are also done with any "Anti-Rockstar" posts. Rockstar as a developer has always been very supportive of Evil Avatar.com and I want to return us to the business of promoting their kickass products in the normal way... by linking to legitimate previews, reviews and screenshots and not linking to articles about hate-mongering losers trying to take the fun out of gaming.

EA - I think this is a mistake. While I think that Thompson's agenda gets far too much media coverage, it is most often not covered WELL by anyone.

How about a no new links to inflammatory yellow journalism policy, but please allow links to video game censorship stories that contain some Thompson in them but are fair and well reported to keep being posted.

I think Thompson's rescent trumpeteering against UNRELEASED games like "Bully" and ridiculous accussations against games like "The Sims 2" are newsworthy. You fight misinformation with correct information. . . not silence.

[Shodan2020]

If I hunt him down, run him over, beat him with a golf club then kick him a little do you think I'll be able to get away with the "GTA made me do it!" excuse? :p

Only if you chased him in a golf cart.

I love Vice City for that reason. I run around town in a golf cart doing drive bys and beating people with golf clubs.

[bean19]

Also, interestingly, Gamespot's #1 game today is now "Bully".

I think Rockstar profits from fair and measured coverage of these stories.

[MowAlon]

I just submitted my own news thread about this, but I don't know if they'll actually post it. For those interested, there's an uncut audio interview with Jack Thompson freely available at http://www.chatterboxgameshow.com

The interview gives a lot of insight into Jack's opinions and beliefs without all the editing and slanting that most sites have done. Don't get me wrong, you can still hate him, but he just doesn't sound as crazy as you probably think he is.

ChatterBox Video Game Radio is a weekly radio show that airs on 1100 AM KFNX in Phoenix, AZ. It's also streamed live over the internet and archived episodes are downloadable and podCast.