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Jack Thompson Gearing Up For GTA IV Fight

Posted by Zonk on from the let-loose-the-winged-monkeys dept.

Next Generation reports on Jack Thompson's next big fight: Grand Theft Auto IV. A mass email was sent to news organizations entitled 'Bill Gates in the Crosshairs'. He vows to 'rally the troops' against the release of the next chapter in Rockstar's sandbox-style crime series. The game is due out sometime this year, on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. From the article: "Thompson said that he would 'undertake various means to prohibit' the sale of GTA IV to minors, and added, 'Please have your lawyers [Microsoft chairman Bill Gates', that is] contact me in order that such sales will be prevented.' He also said that the ICCR report 'makes it abundantly clear that unless such prohibitions are in place, then millions of units of the new Grand Theft Auto game will be sold directly to minors.' He continued, 'I am quite intent upon making sure that that does not happen. I and others will endeavor to stop Microsoft from participating in any fashion, directly or indirectly, in such sales to minors.'"

14 of 226 comments (clear)

  1. Good Luck to him by linvir · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is the good side of what JT does.

    If only he'd stick to keeping kids from buying adult games, the world would have no beef with him.

    1. Re:Good Luck to him by fishdan · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Seriously: They should sell adult games the same way they sell adult magazines -- clearly labelled and with a wrapper around them, unless they're in an adults only area. I have no problem saying that GTA 3 was completely inappropriate for 7 year olds. But JT is just determined to undermine his cause by being such an asshole. I am sympathetic to the basic premise, some games are inappropriate for children -- but I don't agree that legislation is the way to fix it, and I don't agree that game companies are liable for the actions of idiots, and I certainly don't agree that you should welch on your offers.

      --
      Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
    2. Re:Good Luck to him by navygeek · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Whether you want to call it "flamebait" or not, the OP is correct. If JT limited himself to keeping M rated games out of the hands of those that are too young, he'd have support coming out of the woodwork. If he poured his time and effort into educating parents and those with the power about video games (and did it correctly, leaving the rhetoric on the curb) and lobbied to have the sanctioned rating system enforced (much like the movie rating system) - then he wouldn't come off as quite such a nut.

      Instead he rambles endlessly about violence in video games, quotes decades old studies, and basically blames all of the evils of society on video games - leaving no blame for the abscent parents that allow their kids to play games with subject matter well beyond their years. He brow beats anyone that disagrees with him. He attempts to have games outright blocked/destroyed. And meddles in a rating system that, while flawed, he has no real perspective on.

      I'm all for letting people play the games they enjoy and letting the manufacturers have freedom to develope the games they wish to make - but I'm also in favor of keeping game with content like rape, murder, drugs, and teletubbies out of the hands of those too young to *really* understand them.

  2. Pay attention to me! by Gorkamecha · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm Jack T and no one has heard from me recently! I'm lonely and there are wolves...

  3. My Prayer by Stanistani · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please, O Lord:

    Bring the mighty weight of Microsoft's legal staff to bear upon Jack Thompson, and allow us to watch him disappear in a four-colored puff of smoke.

    Amen.

    --
    You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
    1. Re:My Prayer by Stanistani · · Score: 4, Funny

      Actually, I'd like to see MS crush JT like a bug, and suffer bad publicity for doing so...

      Win-Win!

      --
      You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
  4. Oh, Bill by gregtron · · Score: 4, Funny

    I sorta like the idea of Bill Gates as in insidious mischief lover, selling lewd video game content to minors in the form of XBox games he hides under his trench coat.

  5. Poor guy by tgd · · Score: 5, Funny

    Doesn't he realize he'd feel so much better if he just went a beat up a hooker or two?

  6. Re:Mod parent up! by Thraxen · · Score: 5, Informative

    No, it's not a good point at all because Jack is going after the wrong end of the chain. Why is he contacting MS? First off, MS isn't developing or publishing GTA4. He should be after the retail stores since they are the ones responsible for selling 'M' and 'AO' games to children. He should also be be imploring parents to pay attention to game ratings and to make use of the parental control features that are on all the current consoles. MS has NOTHING to do with mature games getting into the hands od kids.

  7. Better signage? by GoNINzo · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Would something along the lines of 'Explicit Lyrics' stickers make him feel better?

    How about the label: If you buy this for your kids, you are a douchebag and a bad parent.

    If people would spend even 5 minutes understanding the ESRB, all these problems would go away. People understand R rated movied, why can't they understand M rated games? Jack Thompson should just get people to learn more about the ESRB, but I don't see how he can get paid doing that. heh

    --
    Gonzo Granzeau
    "Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for.." -Roy Batty
  8. ESRB Rating by nuggz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I was pleasantly surprised to see a few things over this holiday season.
    Parents asking about the rating system and what it means.
    Game retailers pausing the transaction to point out it is a 17+/mature rated title and may not be appropriate for children.

    I don't see anything wrong with carding younger customers (which I've seen). The problem is the outright bans some people want to have, or those who angrily react when someone suggests they make an informed decision.

  9. Here's the thing by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 4, Informative

    They are no more adult than R movies. That's what M is equivalent to in terms of movie ratings. The adults rating, or NC-17 equivalent, is AO. However because most retailer refuse to carry games with AO ratings, even in a separate section, few are made. Same deal with movies. That's why there's an "Unrated" American Pie. Basically what happened is in the original cut, the MPAA hung an NC-17 on it which most theatres won't carry. So they made the necessary changes to bring it down to R. When they released the original cut, they simply didn't submit it for rating, and thus sell it as "Unrated".

    Either way unless you also think R movies should be off in a separate section then it doesn't make sense to move M games there. Not that it matters much, retailers these days card you. Seriously, I got carded buying FEAR last month (I'm 26) at Target.

  10. He'd better hurry by Quila · · Score: 4, Informative

    He's facing possible disbarment over the Bully incident where the publicly berated the judge in the case. I wonder if he'll still be able to practice law when GTA4 comes out.

  11. What infuriates me the most about Jack... by AbRASiON · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The main issue I have with him is not the fact that he doesn't like video games or violence, it's that he JUST PLAIN OUTRIGHT LIES - he does not get the facts, he does not get the scoops, he doesn't know things we don't know - he simply assumes!
    "It's called bully, it must be bad!"

    "It's GTAIV from Rockstar, it MUST be bad!"

    None of us at all know a single damn thing about GTAIV - it's a mystery thus far and he's already started?
    I wish this foolish, stupid little man would go away soon.