Kotaku 
Enter your username and password.
Denver, 8:22 PM
Sun Nov 22
17 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip us: tips@kotaku.com
Editor-In-Chief:
Brian Crecente
Email | AIM | Twitter
Deputy Editor:
Stephen Totilo
Email | AIM | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Michael McWhertor
Email | AIM | Twitter
Senior Contributing Editor, Japan:
Brian Ashcraft
Email | AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, East Coast:
Michael Fahey
Email | AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Oceania:
Luke Plunkett
Email | AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Weekends:
Owen Good
Email | AIM | Twitter
Correspondent, San Francisco:
AJ Glasser
Email | AIM | Twitter
Columnist:
Leigh Alexander
Columnist:
Tim Rogers
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
07/25/09
If anything the guy has a lot more tact that most people who speak poorly about him.
07/25/09
I seriously doubt you would have to talk to Jack Thompson 1on1 to realize he's a giant douche. I mean, I never spoke to Hitler either, but I can tell you he was a right wing nut, mkay?
Also, OH MY GAWD was the voice over terrible. If this guy ever gets to do reviews/editorials for games related press, I sure hope it's written rather than spoken. Yikes.
07/26/09
Well, I don't know you, but I do realize that you jump to conclusions too easily.
I am sorry to stoop down to this level but I think that one needs to see the other side of the coin before they come to conclusions.
I find myself very liberal, and I believe that Socialized health care is the best solution to providing the service. But, on the other hand, I think that the way the current administration is handling it is somewhat ridiculous, and a change this dramatic would take a few years to plan, not months. While I do point to the fact that my home country, Canada, and the United Kingdom, are handling Health Care quite well. But these are different countries than the United States. The amount of people who live in California is greater than the population of the entirety of Canada, not to mention the 300 Million living in the rest of the US.
And the Idea of Hitler being a Right Wing Nut is entirely ridiculous. Albeit, the Genocide of the Jews was the most horrendous crimes committed in the 20th Century. And the underhanded tactics he used to drive his country were, arguably, unethical. But if you look at certain aspects of his life, he looks like a remarkable man. Recovering Germany from an economic depression, Vegetarian (arguably), WWI war hero, and a Dog lover (Blondi, his German Shepard was his best friend throughout his career). I am not posing the idea that I am a Nazi Sympathizer, but showing how not all things are as Black and White as all people say. A perfect symbol is the Taijitu, or the Ying and Yang circle, Where it is separated as two colors, being symbols of two opposing forces, but they also have a small dot of the opposite color in the end part respectively, representing how opposites contain aspects that tie them together. Like Blues vs. Rock and Roll in the 60's, where Rock and Roll was considered too unrefined to be taken seriously by Blues fans. And Blues being too pretentious to Rock and Roll fans. But later bands combined elements from both, like the Rolling Stones, to create a new genre called R&B, ultimately tying them together.
Also on another note, the narrator while he was not the easiest to listen to, but not everybody is Morgan Freeman.
or TL;DR, Don't look at things too objectively.
07/26/09
Funnily enough, Jack Thompson is not Hitler, and the more I hear about his actual views and ideas, the more I sympathise. Then I hear about some idiotic thing he's done, some conclusion he's jumped to, and I rate him once again with all the morons in the world that make baseless assumptions. It's kind of amusing that you, umalt, are saying that people shouldn't jump to conclusions about a man that jumps to conclusions. Not wrong, but funny.
07/25/09
On the other hand, I had the chance to assist to the conference Jack Thompson did with the Screw Attack gang last month. Everybody was predicting a blood bath but in fact, M Thompson came with valid arguments and studies and completely won the public opinion. He's not the evil bastard some people wants us to believe, he's just against selling mature and violent games to kids. That mean that is primary target isn't gamers but big publishers (mostly T2) and retailers (ex: Wallmart, Best Buy, etc).
For my part, since the guy had the guts to meet an angry crowd of gamers he gets a star in my book and I respect him.
07/25/09
07/25/09
He can whine all he wants, but game retailers on the whole ARE enforcing the ratings. It's the goddam parents that bypass it, just like with movies. I flipped out at a relative of mine because she gave her 12 year old son GTA4 and had NO IDEA what went on in it, but would stand there and bitch about violent videogames if the subject ever arose. Bad parents are everywhere, they are the problem.
07/25/09
Florida Bar v. John Bruce Thompson, SC07-80
Jack's problem was that he often offended people with his antics. The Florida Bar wanted his head on a platter.
07/25/09
* "prohibits a person from advertising that a good or service will not be sold to a certain age group and then selling the good or service to that age group"
* "makes technical corrections"
I don't think that making technical correction would pass easily because it is mostly censorship. However, the first point is about distribution to under age. In most states (and countries) selling alcohol or tobacco to minors is punishing by law. The main focus of M Thomson is to do the same with violent video games.
I agree with the stupid parent part too. They need to be informed but it is very hard with all the new stuff around. They mostly take for cash what the seller tells them. I remember a women that just learn what was GTA4 by the seller and was terribly shocked. Let just say that little Billy won't be able to play this game for a while.
07/25/09
The only reason why you need to be 18 to see and R-rated movie (despite the actual wording of R to be 17 and up), is because most of the major movie theater chains long ago agreed to voluntarily enforce these ratings. If a theater doesn't want to follow these regulations, they don't have to. However, if they do not adhere to these ratings then many production companies will not deal with these theaters and distribute their movies to that chain.
Typically if a movie in "unrated" (meaning: not submitted to the MPAA for rating), theater chains will treat the movie as being NC-17, whether it deserves it or not.
@slimky: There is a reason why alcohol and tobacco are regulated. They are consumable products and are allowed to be regulated because they are solely a business commodity. Video games, novels, art pieces, TV, and movies are entertainment products that typically fall under the term of artistic expression and therefore afforded freedom of speech rights. If video games are allowed to be regulated in a legal manner it means one or both of two thing:
Either video games are not an artistic medium and merely a business product, like tea, chainsaws, and automobiles.
or
All prior restrictions on legally censoring and regulating artistic mediums as interpreted via the free speech clause has now been horribly reversed. Thus allowing states and federal authority to regulate all forms of art.
The MPAA was created specifically because it was deemed by the Supreme Court that movies were not merely a business product, but an artistic medium that deserved freedom of speech protection. The ESRB serves much the same way.
If you agree that video games should be regulated via law then you are saying that video games either aren't an artistic medium or that artistic mediums should not be afforded freedom of speech protection.
That is why these video game laws being rendered unconstitutional is such a big deal. If they were to be upheld it would have a massive impact on everything from theaters to rock concerts to art galleries.
07/25/09
07/25/09
The government(s) (state and fed) should not be allowed to regulate art and, ergo, should not be allowed to regulate video games. Once you allow them to do so, you begin a slippery slope of government sponsored censorship that typically does not bode well for freedom of expression.
07/25/09
07/13/09
Also, WTF with that kid and the gun? At least teach him how to hold it correctly. I know they are trying to make the point that the videogames aren’t training, but they don’t need to let him get a rifle recoiled in his face.
07/13/09
All this was was them preaching to the choir.
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
I would have added a few scenes with the kid trying to, not only hit a target, but figuring out how to load the weapon, take the safety off etc. I sure as hell don't know, hopefully one day guns will come with an 'R' key.
07/13/09
The rest of the world will not accept it before it gets a more logical name.
07/13/09
07/13/09
Yeah, but then you got Rugby and those Soccer Riots...
07/13/09
Anyway, yeah the kid thing but is it kinda sick for me to say "What a wimp"? Seriously, ITS A DAMNED GUN! Either the kid grew up without testicular fortitude or he's been babied. My moneys on the last one. Sorry if you don't agree but if your gonna cry your brains out over firing a gun; you really outta be doing something other then playing FPS'
07/13/09
07/13/09
Take your pick. I don't think there's a kid in this world--even ones that are around violence on a greater scale, like South Africa or some Asian contingent with child soldiers that don't freak out and cry their eyes out either the first dozen times they're forced to shoot one off.
Guns are loud and powerful. It's like sticking a kid in a cage with a mountain lion and telling the kid to wrestle it to the ground--they can't handle the situation, because they know it's bigger than they can handle.
And I'll bet you didn't have an ounce of "testicular fortitude" at his age either, short of picking on the kid smaller than you in class.
07/13/09
07/13/09
Other than that I don't think video game violence is any worse than any other kind of fictionalized violence. That would include violence in books, plays, TV, movies, music, newspapers or anything else. Or pressure in society - peer pressure, religion, the military, etc. Fact is that if you sow the seed in somebody's head about violence you could be said to have increased the chances of it happening. I see no reason to pick on video games unless someone is crusading to ban to all forms of violence everywhere else.
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
I was scared for him watching him hold the rifle against his cheek before he shoots.
Parents need to decide what the progression of their kids and video games is. I've always felt like i would let my sons play kid games when they are kids, teen games when they are teens, and adult games when they are adults. However, I soon realized that my sons may be a little bit more mature and if I see in them a true understanding of reality and a video game, then they can play the games they want because they are of a higher understanding.
We will see.
07/13/09
I've never handled a gun before and I hope I never will, but in the hands of a 9 year old, that rifle will kick back big time.
I know that if I ever have kids, I can try and censor things from them, but why? It's all a matter of telling them that it's not real and letting them come to their own conclusions.
I mean, I watched Looney Toons when I was a kid, do you see me hitting people with hammers or shooting them? Fuck no, that shit hurts. Most kids can differentiate fantasy from reality, you'll god damn well know if you have a fucked up kid who can't.
07/13/09
Dont forget falling anvils and bugs bunny eventual homosexual makeouts with the hunter
07/13/09
Every generation has its evil that kids find entertaining vs what parents think is bad for them.
I just happened to grow up in a time where Warner Brothers cartoons were still shown every day, along with The Transformers, He Man, She Ra, and Thundercats, G.I. Joe, Atari 2600, Colecovision and Intellivision.
Parents were complaining about all of that stuff rotting the brains of kids.
A group of little blocks shooting blocks at a group other little blocks were the downfall of mankind. Arcades were a considered a breeding ground of teen mischief. And arcade owners were as bad as drug dealers for luring in kids just to make a quick buck.
The same holds true today. Myspace and online game play is considered the breeding ground for teen mischief, and so on.
What people don't understand is that kids will always seek out what entertains them. It is up to the parents to teach their kids what is right and wrong. I don't know anyone that attempted to drop even a plant pot on someone. Why, because we knew that it would cause great harm to the person we did it to. And we would be in for a world of trouble to boot.
And for the 1 or 2 friends that did not have proper parental guidance that hung around with us. Peer pressure would kick in and we would simply tell the friend that he was nuts if he thought we would go along with whatever bone headed idea he thought up.
But I've ran into far to many parents that claim they don't have time to watch everything that their kids do. And no, they can't. But they lay a good moral foundation, they don't have to watch them every minute of the day. They will know that when something new comes along the kid will be able to ask them self a couple of questions to get the answer if they should do this new thing or not.
The first question I would ask myself is how would I explain to my mother why I thought doing whatever I was planning on doing would be a good idea. And if I could picture a look of WTF were you thinking on her face. It was a pretty good indication that I needed to find something else to do instead.
The problem is not video games. The problem is parents not being parents.
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
Was that guy a licensed/trained instructor or just an army vet who had his own rifle?
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
I'm thinking this may be the only time we can say it's most definitely just for the Blu-Ray player.
07/13/09
07/13/09
This is funny, but... Yeah, it's not exactly hard proof of our side, is it? It's more mockery than proof, and you can mock anything. Doesn't make what you mock WRONG.
07/13/09
07/13/09
I think he picks up and plays all violent games (so that he may know his enemy). Twice.
07/13/09
Sure, the show is really biased and isn't exactly a fair argument, but that doesn't mean it never makes a good point. The football analogy is food for thought.
07/13/09
07/13/09
I was kinda worried about the kid...he was doing that "sway back and forth" thing that little boys do when they're highly uncomfortable (...and undermedicated) ...he even cried at the end :(
Aside from all that...this shit was hilarious! Seeing him Indian-style in the grass with a sniper-rifle after all that triangle non-sense nearly made me piss my pants -_- He resembled the Snorlax that blocks the road in the original PokeMon :D
07/13/09