http://www.destructoid.com/jack-thompson-tells-me-to-rape-a-child-advocating-molestation-is-not-cool-75534.phtm

Last week we wrote about the sad suicide of a gamer and some of the responses it generated in the community. While it sickens me to give space to Jack Thompson, I think his stupidity, arrogance and mean-heartedness needs to be pointed out so when he tries to get on TV or buddy up to a politician, people will know what kind of person he is.

I'd suggest not going to the jump unless you want to read what a supreme asshole has to say about the suicide.

From the vapid mind of Thompson:

"Your 'gamer friend' will find peace through the Lord, Jesus Christ, but sadly it's too late for that.

There is a void in every heart. You can fill it up with the things of God, or the things not of God. This unfortunate soul chose to fill it up with combat games. The playing of these video games is masturbatory activity, meaning senseless self-stimulation. If you gamers could use a dictionary you would know that that term is not necessarily a sexual one.

The real tragedy here extends beyond the life and death of this one fellow. There are literally millions of young people and young adults whose despair is deepend by turning to the things of this world and then finding them meaningless.

All of you gamers need to put down the controllers and get a life. The utter inanity of the vast majority of postings here shows how vapid "gaming" really is.

You are one of the cheerleaders for this wasting of time and the wasting of lives. Do you feel any remorse for having contributed to this 'culture of death?' Of course not. Hey, let's all play MORE games, and ignore all the really productive things to do with our lives.

Let's pretend to be shocked that a gamer might descend into deeper depression, as his gamer 'buds,' knowing he was killing himself, couldn't figure out how to call 911 themselves for him. That would have involved leaving their computers I guess.

Sad. Sad for all of you."

If you feel the way I do about Thompson, why not buy him some flowers. [Thanks, Paul and William]

Attorney Proposes Violent Game [GameCube Advanced]

With all of the letters of support, denouncement and out right stupidity that came out yesterday, I somehow missed the statement Rockstar put out supporting the ESRB. They still haven't really come out with a clear denial of the Hot Coffee content, instead going with more obfuscation, than outright denial.

We fully support efforts to keep mature-rated video game content out of the hands of children. Although we may not agree with certain interpretations of our titles, we are looking forward to the opportunity for a balanced and open discussion of these issues. Now that video games are mainstream popular entertainment, parents need reliable solutions to ensure family members only play the games appropriate for their age group.

Thanks to advances in the digital and creative arts, the quality and variety of video games have never been greater. But just as some movies are rated R, some games are rated M because they are intended for mature audiences ages 17 and older. Their plots and storylines are inappropriate for children.

New technology means modern game designers can tell creative stories in groundbreaking and exciting new ways, but not all stories are for everyone. As the creators of Grand Theft Auto and other popular M-rated games, we join political leaders in fully supporting the video game rating system and any efforts to empower families to make the best choices for their homes.

We are disappointed by comments that misrepresent Grand Theft Auto, detracting from the innovative and artistic merits of the game. Unfortunately, the recent confusion only serves to suggest that games do not deserve the same treatment as other forms of creative expression. By promoting awareness, we can avoid propagating the fear and mistrust of a new entertainment medium.

The organization responsible for rating games and enforcing industry compliance is the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Senator Joe Lieberman has said it conducts "the best rating system in the entertainment media." In addition to age recommendations, ESRB labels include content descriptions that alert adults to specific content. Visit www.esrb.org for more helpful information about game labels and the rating system.