Jack Thompson's "Modest Video Game Proposal"

wautd · Post by **wautd** » 2005-10-14 05:25am

Praxis wrote:comic

Ok, that was suprisingly good and it sold me to check this webcomic out.
It was also bad in that way i need to somehow find time to combine it with tthe work that has to be finished today

Tolya · Post by **Tolya** » 2005-10-14 05:40am

sh*t like this really pushes my buttons. I know the majority of people are stupid, but some catholics really push the definition over the edge.

For example, my friend has a catholic family as neighbours. One sunday they began like this:
"What the f*ck do you want now woman?! Im f*cking going to the f*cking Church!"

etc.

Sorry for the halfrelated anti catholic ranting.

On the second hand, I'd like to cash in those 10k. I'd make a game set in a city where everyone's name is Jack Thompson. It would be a horror game. A game that would make System Shock 2 re-rated as LGG - Little Girls Game.

You can write Shit, Fuck... and whatever other profanity you want here, we are not afraid of "bad" words

Just be sure to have some sort of context

~Faram

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2005-10-14 10:43am

And just a fun look at how bad he is at debating

Link

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-10-14 01:06pm

From Penny Arcade:

You may have seen Jack’s proposal mentioned on various news sites. He’s offering 10 grand to charity if a game developer makes a game based on his insane proposal.

So I got his email address and I went ahead and sent Jack a note this morning:

10 grand is pretty weak man. Through our charity www.childsplaycharity.org gamers have given over half a million dollars in toys and cash to children’s hospitals all over the country.

I’ll let you know if he responds.

My email sig had my phone number in it. Jack actually just called and screamed at me for a couple minutes. He said if I email him again I will “regret it”. What a violent man.

Jack can't be bothered to respond rationally to anyone.[/u]

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2005-10-14 01:10pm

Cool, someone copy and pasted me

Companion Cube · Post by **Companion Cube** » 2005-10-14 02:39pm

Again, from Penny Arcade:

This next mail elicited a second call, which we have detailed in the strip. Gabe's own voice rose triumphantly throughout this phase, I thought perhaps he was just getting into the rhetorical spirit of the thing, but the reality is that Jack screamed at him the entire time. The point he submitted went without answer: if a company made his reprehensible game, he would literally have to sue himself and talk about what a bastard he was on national television. Of course, he's not serious. Machination is too glorified a word for what he's doing. Ruse would make it seem debonair. He's essentially holding money hostage from charity, and if someone did make it, even as a joke, he would say that it didn't conform to his "design." This sort of thing is usually called a shell-game. The song license itself he mentions - Lawyers In Love - would probably run anywhere from ten to fifteen thousand by itself.

This vile "challenge" Jack Thompson has put to the supposedly monolithic "game industry" is like a topographical map of the twisted fantasy realm he inhabits. I could excerpt it, but I don't want to be accused of selective editing. The reality is that what he suggests is grotesque. I mean that it is literally disgusting. Of course, the violent acts he's cobbled together here from other games are robbed of a narrative context in which they make sense. Killing Gamestop and EB employees, though? That's not metaphor. He's not being metaphorical. He is batshit fucking loco insane.

Spyder · Post by **Spyder** » 2005-10-14 02:52pm

Zing!

National Institute on Media and the Family distances itself from vociferous lawyer

Florida attorney and anti-videogame campaigner Jack Thompson has come under fire from America's National Institute on Media and the Family for claiming to have the support of the group in his regular open letters.

The decision of the group to distance itself from the attorney and his headline-grabbing tactics comes despite the fact that like Thompson, the institute is a vocal critic of games such as Manhunt and 25 to Life for their violent content.

The institute's founder, Dr David Walsh, wrote an open letter to Thompson, a copy of which was obtained by US website Game Politics. The letter was also sent to the likes of senator Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates and Doug Lowenstein of the ESA - the same Doug Lowenstein whom Thompson has previously compared to Hitler.

It begins with Dr Walsh explaining that he established the institute ten years ago "to engage in research and education about the effects of media on children's health and development." Walsh writes that one of the areas of most concern to the institute is the effects of violent media.

"I know that you share that common concern and I am well aware that you have frequently cited me and our organisation as a source of scientific information," Walsh continues.

"However, over the past few months, I and members of my board have a growing concern that your use of our name, without our permission, has had a negative influence as we try to educate the public on this important issue.

"Your commentary has included extreme hyperbole and your tactics have included personally attacking individuals for whom I have a great deal of respect... Some of the people that you have publicly criticised are not only people of integrity, but are people who have worked to improve the lives of children."

Walsh goes on to note that Thompson has been using his name in correspondence even though they have no formal relationship, creating the impression "That we condone these tactics. We do not.

"The result is that our position and reputation as a research based, non-partisan, solution-focused organisation has been jeopardised.

"Consequently, I ask that you cease using the institute's or my name in any way that would give the impression that we support your efforts." Walsh also requests that Thompson remove the link to the institute's website from his own site.

Walsh's letter comes just days after Thompson issued an open letter to the videogames industry in which he outlined his idea for a game where the CEO of fictional company Take This, Paula Eibel, is murdered along with her husband and children. Should any developer agree to make the game, Thompson will donate $10,000 to the charity of choice of Paul Eibeler, the CEO of Take Two.

Mike Krahulik, the artist behind popular gaming culture comic Penny-Arcade and a founder of the hugely successful Child's Play charity, contacted Thompson after he made this offer to point out that Child's Play has raised over half a million dollars for children's hospitals around the USA since its inception.

Commenting on Penny-Arcade.com, Krahulik reports that Thompson proceeded to call him directly - keen, no doubt, to congratulate such a successful fellow organiser of videogaming-related charity efforts.

Or perhaps not. "Jack actually just called and screamed at me for a couple minutes," Krahulik said. "He said if I email him again I will 'regret it'. What a violent man."

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2005-10-14 04:43pm

"Consequently, I ask that you cease using the institute's or my name in any way that would give the impression that we support your efforts." Walsh also requests that Thompson remove the link to the institute's website from his own site.

This goes past

straight into

Post by **Dalton** » 2005-10-14 06:40pm

Great article. I love watching blowhards getting popped.

And damn, U-man, you are the shit.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2005-10-14 08:04pm

Sign you might be too insane: NAMBLA flames you.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-10-14 08:07pm

SirNitram wrote:Sign you might be too insane: NAMBLA flames you.

Wait, what does pederasty have to do with this?

Or was that just a Daily Show reference?

Admiral Bravo · Post by **Admiral Bravo** » 2005-10-14 09:03pm

... this man is now officialy insane.

Davis 51 · Post by **Davis 51** » 2005-10-14 10:38pm

http://www.gamepolitics.com/

GamePolitics wrote:GP EXCLUSIVE: National Institute on Media & Family Disavows Jack Thompson

It appears that Jack Thompson's act is wearing thin lately, and not just among gamers.

GamePolitics has obtained a hard copy of a blistering letter faxed to the Miami attorney on Thursday by Dr. David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family.

Walsh has been a leading critic of video game violence, and stood beside Senator Hillary Clinton during her Hot Coffee press conference in July as Mrs. Clinton called for an FTC investigation into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

The two-page document sent by Walsh to Thompson reads as follows:

"Dear Mr. Thompson,

I founded the National Institute on Media and the Family ten years ago to engage in research and education about the effects of media on children's health and development. Our original premise that "media are powerful" has been validated scientifically and socially many times over. Our work has been cited by organizations around the world and our credibility has been well established.

One of the areas of greatest concern is the issue of violent media's effect on children. I know that you share that common concern and I am well aware that you have frequently cited me and our organization as a source of scientific information. However, over the past few months, I and members of my board have a growing concern that your use of our name, without our permission, has had a negative influence as we try to educate the public on this important issue.

Your commentary has included extreme hyperbole and your tactics have included personally attacking individuals for whom I have a great deal of respect. I believe that respect is essential in all our dealings, including respect for those with whom we disagree. Some of the people that you have publicly criticized are not only people of integrity, but are people who have worked to improve the lives of children.

Even though we have no formal relationship your use of my name and your inclusion of my name in correspondence have created the impression that we condone these tactics. We do not. The result is that our position and reputation as a research based, non-partisan, solution-focused organization has been jeopardized. Consequently, I ask that you cease using the Institute's or my name in any way that would give the impression that we support your efforts. I also ask that you remove the link to our website that appears on your site.

Sincerely,

David Walsh, PH.D."

EDITOR'S NOTE: cc's listed on the letter include Senators Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, Sam Brownback and Rick Santorum; the governor and attorney general of Minnesota, Bill Gates, the CEO's of Target and Best Buy, Pat Vance of the ESRB, Doug Lowenstein of the ESA, as well as several other Minnesota political figures.

GP tried to reach Jack Thompson (pictured at left) for comment. However neither a phone message nor an e-mail was returned by press time.

UPDATE 10/14 8:30 A.M. Thompson acknowledges receiving the letter, and GP has received a pair of response letters from the controversial attorney to Dr. David Walsh. We will be publishing them.

And Thompsons Reply:

GamePolitics wrote: Thompson Fires Back at Walsh, NIMF

Miami attorney Jack Thompson wasted little time in responding to a very public censure delivered yesterday by Dr. David Walsh, founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family.

The controversial anti-game activist dashed off a pair of letters to Walsh, forwarding copies to GP. Thompson added increasingly scathing comments in several subsequent e-mails. In this post GP reproduces Thompson's letters.

Thompson's First Letter:

Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 6:01 PM

Dave, I received your letter today. A couple of clarifications, if I'm allowed to do that.

I have never given the impression that you are anything other than a remarkably talented and insightful professional who has been sounding the alarm for many years about the dangers of adult entertainment when consumed by kids. I started doing that in 1987. Not sure as to the precise date you started, but it has been a long time.

I have never said to anyone that you and I are in league with one another. I did recommend that 60 Minutes and Reader's Digest talk to you about the Alabama wrongful death case. I think it is fair to say you would not have been on those programs if I had not recommended you. I was happen to do it. As you recall, I got you the video gamer to sit with in Tuscaloosa to show the violent content of GTA: Vice City. I was happy to do it.

You will also recall that it was I that urged you to go forward on the "Hot Coffee mod" scandal. You repeatedly called me for legal advice and I freely gave it. As you know, I prepped Senator Clinton, per her staff's request, before she had her splendid "Hot Coffee" news conference. As you will recall, you called me to let me know you were on your way to Washington to do that press conference with her. I was happy for you.

I certainly did, however, lose respect for Senator Clinton when she decided, after that, to attend a fundraiser thrown for her by the video game industry and by ESA's Doug Lowenstein. To me, that was a sell-out for campaign cash. It may be that because you raise money for your organization you understand the needs of fundraising, but to take money from the ESA is to take blood money. The parents I represented in Paducah would not understand, nor do I. I note you send Doug Lowenstein, your letter to me. That is quite odd, given the things you have said to me about him in the past.

I am wondering just who, David, these people are whom I have criticized "who have worked to improve the lives of children." Do you have in mind the folks at Best Buy, one of whom you copied with your letter? I know you get money from people connected with these folks, David, but you do know that Best Buy is presently pre-selling, to adults and to children, the Columbine simulator game, Bully? You do know that, right, David? Of course you do. I told you Best Buy was doing that. So is the Target Corporation, whose Chairman Bob Ulrich you copy with your letter. I am wondering, David, what these men have to do to get on your bad side? Do they actually have to do the physical bullying of kids, as selling a bullying rehearsal trainer to kids is okay?

Finally, Dave, I understand that your letter is more about protecting your funding sources than criticizing me, so I understand what you felt you had to do. But there is something else here. Your role in this fight is indispensable - or I should say has been, as you maybe have decided to go a different route now - and I applaud you for what you have done.

But the thing that makes you feel uncomfortable with me is no so much that I have gone too far but that you have not gone far enough. The time for hand-wringing and trying to "persuade" the bad guys to stop being bad was over quite sometime ago. Now I understand the mindset of the upper Midwest, especially in the Twin Cities. Everybody likes to get along, assume that everyone "means well," and things will all just work out for the best in the end.

I know, and you know, if you are being honest, that that is not how the world works. Evil people sometimes have to be stopped, or at least their evil has to be stopped. You can cite all the studies and all the findings and keep giving your video game report card to Congress, and it will not matter unless somebody gets into the trenches and stops these people. While you have been giving report cards on a bunch of sociopaths, the violent games have been getting more violent.

Senator Lieberman, bless his heart, wants with Senator Clinton to fund a study with taxpayer dollars to find out if violence in entertainment really makes kids violent. That was decided years ago. It is a dodge from having to do something about the violence. The entire ESRB rating system is a joke. It is a tool for marketing violence to kids. It does not stop the sale of violence to kids. You know that. It would be better if we had no system, and then parents would not have been fooled for more than a decade into thinking that the system was actually protecting their kids.

Liberals, like you, love to label things and then think that the labeling has accomplished something. If that had been the case, then Churchill's calling Hitler a Nazi would have ended the war. But no, people like me had to get into the trenches and stop the Nazis. And there were always those tut-tutting back home about what a nasty business it is to stop the bad people, and can't we all just "get along."

Actually, Dave, and this is the point: We can't just all get along. You want to criticize retailers like Best Buy, while at the same time taking their money. That is what prompts your letter to me decrying my tactics and my hyperbole and so forth.

I have been dismayed by your being on both sides of the fence, because it undercuts your credibility.

Dave, it is laughable, it is absurd, that you have copied your email to Bill Gates, of all people. This is a guy whose Halo trained Malvo to kill in D.C. This is a guy who now has put all the Grand Theft Auto games on his XBox. This is a man who is going to release Bully when the coast is clear in the spring.

Gates is a man who wants to be on both sides of a fence. Sound familiar?

Regards, Jack Thompson

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thompson's Second Letter:

October 14, 2005

Dear Dave:

It is interesting that you sent your useful letter (useful to us) to Doug Lowenstein immediately after you received my request for an affidavit in Strickland v. Sony.

If you shared this confidential affidavit with Doug Lowenstein, or with anybody else, as you shared your letter with the video game industry, then you have a problem.

Unfortunately, Dave, you have opened up the issue of your organization's funding. Bad move.

You liked your collaboration with me when I got you on 60 Minutes, but not when it inconvenienced your cozy relationship with Best Buy and the rest of the video game industry.

You got some pretty bad legal advice in this, Dave, but that does not surprise. You're talking to attorney Elliott Kaplan, who sits on the Best Buy board.

Regards, Jack Thompson

This is just too good!

I think it was his letter to Penny Arcade (Chlds Play Charity) that did it.

Davis 51 · Post by **Davis 51** » 2005-10-14 10:40pm

Oh shit, didn't realize it was posted in the other thread....

Can someone merge Thompsons reply with the other article?

Qwerty 42 · Post by **Qwerty 42** » 2005-10-14 11:28pm

Nice to see he's finally gotten in trouble for his attempts to beat on the people who can't do anything about it.

Post by **Dalton** » 2005-10-14 11:49pm

Davis 51 wrote:Oh shit, didn't realize it was posted in the other thread....

Can someone merge Thompsons reply with the other article?

Done.

Adrian Laguna · Post by **Adrian Laguna** » 2005-10-15 01:31am

Mike Krahulik, the artist behind popular gaming culture comic Penny-Arcade and a founder of the hugely successful Child's Play charity, contacted Thompson after he made this offer to point out that Child's Play has raised over half a million dollars for children's hospitals around the USA since its inception.

Commenting on Penny-Arcade.com, Krahulik reports that Thompson proceeded to call him directly - keen, no doubt, to congratulate such a successful fellow organiser of videogaming-related charity efforts.

I take it Gabe and Tycho are completely fictional characters then? Or I'm right in interpreting them as charicatures of the two guys behind the comic and wrong in assuming that the real life versions are also called Gabe and Tycho? Or perhaps Gabe and Tycho are charicatures of different aspects of Krahulik's personality... I'm confused...

Oh, and this Thompson fellow is a real laugh-riot. The guy is beyond reason and completely insane. He is basically another breed of fundy with a slightly different approach to the Lord's Righteous Moral Crusade.

Post by **Dalton** » 2005-10-15 01:57am

Adrian Laguna wrote:I take it Gabe and Tycho are completely fictional characters then? Or I'm right in interpreting them as charicatures of the two guys behind the comic and wrong in assuming that the real life versions are also called Gabe and Tycho? Or perhaps Gabe and Tycho are charicatures of different aspects of Krahulik's personality... I'm confused...

Gabe and Tycho are their alternate egos, so to speak. Net handles. Gabe is Mike Krahulik, Tycho is Jerry Holkins.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2005-10-15 03:26am

You know, I'm tempted to get me one of these so as to mock him further.

And is it just me, or does it sound like the second letter is a serious threat of legal action? I'm not sure what his grounds would be, but loony or no, he's a lawyer and I'm not...

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 2005-10-15 07:00pm

Clearly this man has been hired by the Video Game Industry to create negative publicity and draw sympathy with a "boogey man" spokesman.

Much in the same way Rev. Phelps and Jack Chick have been employed by the moderate and Liberal Christian churches.

At least that's what my conspiracy ridden mind wants to think!

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-10-15 07:34pm

Kurgan wrote:At least that's what my conspiracy ridden mind wants to think!

That's not conspiracy, that's syphilis!

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 2005-10-16 02:44am

I did rather enjoy NYPD Blue...

Davis 51 · Post by **Davis 51** » 2005-10-16 11:56am

Rogue 9 wrote:You know, I'm tempted to get me one of these so as to mock him further.

And is it just me, or does it sound like the second letter is a serious threat of legal action? I'm not sure what his grounds would be, but loony or no, he's a lawyer and I'm not...

Or how 'bout one of these!

Or maybe one of these!

sketerpot · Post by **sketerpot** » 2005-10-17 02:46pm

It seems that someone has made such a game, and Jack the Lying Scumbag refused to pay up. link.

Post by **Dalton** » 2005-10-17 03:13pm

Looks like that Tycho has donated $10,000 to The Entertainment Software Foundation in Jack Thompson's name after that article was posted.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Jack Thompson's "Modest Video Game Proposal"

NIMF Disavows Jack Thompson