Thompson sent his son on personal sting operation against Best Buy

[7th lutz]

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/13/thompson-sends-own-son-on-personal-sting-operation-against-best/

Credit goes to Joystiq.com for reporting put this on the Douche Bag that every videogame player dislikes.

We have just received an email from Attorney Jack Thompson stating that his 15-year-old son purchased the Mature-rated game BioShock from a local Best Buy. Thompson informs us that BioShock is created by "the notorious Take-Two interactive," you may remember them from publishing such ultra-violent games as Grand Theft Auto. Thompson says that in using his son in a sting operation, he's proven "that Take-Two's upcoming releases of hyperviolent and sex-themed Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV will be widely sold to kids of all ages, despite promises by Take-Two, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), and major retailers." No word if Thompson will allow his son to play the copy of BioShock he purchased.

Thompson goes on to say that retailers and the gaming industry are "engaged in a fraudulent and deceptive trade practice across the nation" by claiming to check IDs. This is exacerbated by his son purchasing the M-rated game from the same Best Buy store Thompson sent his son to buy Grand Theft Auto: Vice City at when he was 10-years-old. Thompson is demanding that Best Buy fire the store's manager and the girl with the "piercing through her right eyebrow" who sold his son the game. Thompson finishes by saying, "The entire video game age rating system is a fraud perpetrated upon American families from sea to shining sea." We should keep that in mind the next time we recruit our own child into a crusade and approve of him or her purchasing an M-rated game.

[Slate]

I just have to come out clean, Er, Dirty on this one. What an asshole. And what's more, It obviously ISN'T sold by "Take two" But 2k! He must be blind or something.

Just leave games alone jt... Just leave us gamers alone!

[Bluteg]

Hasn't this asshole had a stroke or seven by now. I guess not.

*crosses fingers for the future*

[diskoboy]

So with these new circumstances, can't Take Two take his ass to the cleaners now, for breach of contract?

[PentiumMMX]

My thoughs on Jack Tompson:
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-34640480252896_1967_5538266

[RetroYoungen]

Wow. My only real question is: How low is Jack going to get before some somebody just outright pops him in the head? Oh wait, won't happen... he'd blame it on the games!

Someone should tie him to a chair and make him watch Bambi until he's ready to go hunting. Then send him out with Cheney. That'd do the trick, methinks.

[theoakwoody]

I don't have strong feelings either way toward Thompson but I think he's right when he says the ratings system is a total fraud. Why have ratings if they are not being enforced. If movie theaters can check ids so should stores selling items to minors.

And now I'm guessing he'll be putting all his weight behind getting Manhunt banned again. Hello Halloween.

[CreamSoda]

"No word if Thompson will allow his son to play the copy of BioShock he purchased."

LOL!

[Moo Cow]

I don't have strong feelings either way toward Thompson but I think he's right when he says the ratings system is a total fraud. Why have ratings if they are not being enforced. If movie theaters can check ids so should stores selling items to minors.

And now I'm guessing he'll be putting all his weight behind getting Manhunt banned again. Hello Halloween.

Oh, please. I'm old enough to purchase mature games and I still get IDed when I actually do go and shop to a Gamestop. You mean to tell me no one's ever sold an R or X movie to someone not old enough?

[Sothy]

I am going to send my nephew into Barnes and Noble to purchase Catcher in the Rye or some other subversive, violent filth and bust those sacks of shit.

[Push Upstairs]

Sounds like this is less of a...ahem..."Take Two" problem and more of a Best Buy problem.

But if he wants to fight to make sure that minimum wage employees are trained to the finest degree then he is in for the biggest battle of his life.

Did he have a gag order or something placed on him by Take Two?

[otaku]

I can honestly say I have never sold a game to someone not old enough to play it without a parent present I've even made phone calls to check with the parent etc.

I wouldn't want my kid(s) playing GTA etc did I mention I keep the store stocked with ESRB pamphlets and stickers on the display cases?

[meancode]

I really hope Take 2 takes him to court over this. Didn't they have an agreement with JT?

His statement almost falls under defamation.

[Borman]

I don't have strong feelings either way toward Thompson but I think he's right when he says the ratings system is a total fraud. Why have ratings if they are not being enforced. If movie theaters can check ids so should stores selling items to minors.

And now I'm guessing he'll be putting all his weight behind getting Manhunt banned again. Hello Halloween.

They can card. But just like with movie theaters, theres always those people who just dont care. I was refused when I tried to buy Diablo 2 when it came out, because the machine said to check the age. That was years ago. Granted yeah, the gaming thing isnt strict enough, but the rating system can work, and does work, in many cases

[Oobgarm]

No matter what, there are always going to be people who don't enforce the ratings. I'm sure it happens with motion pictures, as well. You'll never hear about those who do enforce them, since it doesn't help fuel the anti-media fire.

I'm not too worried about Thompson, as he'll most likely self-destruct sooner or later.

[neogamer]

Isn't this off topic here?

Who cares!

[Griking]

I don't see the big deal about all of this. He did did prove his point in that kids can sometimes buy "M" rated games but his gripe should be with Best Buy in this case, not 2K.

[heybtbm]

Why doesn't Best Buy have a system like Walmart or Target? When you ring up a "R" rated movie or "M" rated game, the register automatically asks the cashier to enter a birth date. Seems to solve the problem (for the most part).

[Oobgarm]

Why doesn't Best Buy have a system like Walmart or Target? When you ring up a "R" rated movie or "M" rated game, the register automatically asks the cashier to enter a birth date. Seems to solve the problem (for the most part).

All it does is ask if the customer is of age. I do agree with you on that.

[Cornelius]

I think it is funny that this dude rants about a broad conspiracy by retailers and video game makers, and yet he wants some minimum wage checkout girl to lose her job. What a douche. One or the other, bub.

[mailman187666]

so what happens when kids go to flea markets and buy M rated games. Are they going to sue the random guy cleaning out his basement, attic, or moving sale? You will always have people that will sell people M rated games to kids. Its not the stores fault, its the employees who don't care.

[Eggman]

I think the blame can only be put on the individual stores, because some people will choose to card and some won't. I have gotten into R rated movies as a minor without being carded, and other times I was denied entrance. I have bought M rated games as a minor, but others times I was carded. I don't think any rating systems can be called a "fraud" because it all comes down to the individual cashier and whether they care enough to card the consumer.

[PentiumMMX]

Why doesn't Best Buy have a system like Walmart or Target? When you ring up a "R" rated movie or "M" rated game, the register automatically asks the cashier to enter a birth date. Seems to solve the problem (for the most part).

What's weird is that my syster got carded for buying Halo at Best Buy a few months ago. I was standing at the right angle that I saw a message pop up on the screen, so they have someting like that in place (Either that, or it was just that store)

[evil_genius]

I don't know a whole lot about this guy or his agreement with Take Two or 2k for that matter, so I'm not speaking to this guys ethics. But I gotta say I agree with him, violent games should not be sold to kids that are not old enough to buy them. That is the law and it should be followed. Yeah it is the parents responsibility to know what their kids watches or does but when I was 10 I had an Eazy E tape that my parents did not knnow about. And I didn't go out and kill people because of it. My point is that it is easy to hide shit from your parents when you are a kid. It is just as much the stores responsibility to not sell M rated games to underage kids.

[noname11]

what seems to be at stake is money. he wants the public to believe the game companies push games on kids like cigarettes, and allow easy access to them. he wants to sue them like the tobacco companies got sued. I dont think cigarettes and violent games are equatable in the public's mind ... but this guy may succeed if some other attention grabbing tragedy hits the scene [columbine anyone?]


i sure hope he doesn't succeed in an election year. do we really need more distractions from the real problems in our society?

[Wolfrider31]

I never knew that the game industry was responsible for what retailers do. Curiouser and curiouser.

Actually I was ID'd when I picked up Vice City Stories for my PSP at Wal-Mart. I gave the clerk kind of a shocked look and he seemed really apologetic and said, "Sorry, I HAVE to ask." Of course my reply was, "No that's fine. I'm glad retailers are finally taking the ESRB seriously now."

His response? "You know, you're the first person to have not yelled at me for asking for ID."

[koster]

Jack Thompson told his son to buy the game - isn't that giving him permission (implied, if not explicit) to buy it?

Best Buy should get a restraining order against Jack Thompson and his family, barring them from the premises of all Best Buy stores. Problem solved! :p

[Pantechnicon]

Jack doesn't strike me as being the most objective of researchers. Somehow I can imagine him driving his kid to seven or eight Best Buys all over town before finding one - one - that failed to do an age check, thereby empowering Jack to run his battle flag up the pole again.

It's a cheap trick, and the only real question in my mind is whether Jack can score some national press recognition lovin` out of the incident or whether his 15 minutes (+ 3) have been finally used up.

[8-bitNesMan]

And what's more, It obviously ISN'T sold by "Take two" But 2k!

I think he is as big of a douchebag as the rest of you do, but 2k games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Take Two Interactive. His stance and tactics are still ridiculous though. The system is there and it's a good one. If a clerk in a convenience store slips up and sells a six-pack of beer to a high school kid and said kid then proceeds to go out and kill someone in an auto accident, is that Budweiser's fault? Hell no! The kid and the clerk made bad PERSONAL choices that had consequences. That's the problem with attention whores like Thompson. There's money and face time with the media to be made on attacking large successful companies. So to hell with personal responsibility, let's get our ugly self serving mugs on TV and go after them deep pockets! Please Jack don't go away angry... JUST GO AWAY!!