Jack Thompson a marked man. God this is just what we need.

[njiska]

RUMOR #2: The FBI is investigating death threats e-mailed to Florida attorney and feisty game industry critic Jack Thompson.

Source: E-mails threatening great bodily harm forwarded to this and other publications by the attorney himself, as well as a Thompson-penned plea to Senators Hillary Clinton and Joseph Lieberman (sent to their offices and media outlets, including GameSpot) wherein Thompson asks for "help your respective offices could give me in persuading the FBI to act in response to these threats."

The official story: "People are threatening to kill me." And: "The FBI is all over these." --Jack Thompson. "No comment." --FBI spokesperson, North Miami Beach Division.

What we heard: Among the dozens (and dozens) of unsolicited e-mails this Web site has received from attorney Jack Thompson over the past weeks, a handful were singular in nature: they included e-mails purportedly sent to Thompson which contained threats on his life. By anyone's standard, the e-mails sounded dastardly, indeed. One read: "For being a total f***ing ***hole. I think video games or [sic] freaking awesome, and they are my entire life, and for you to insult them, is like telling me my life is totally worthless. For this, sir, I AM GOING TO F***ING KILL YOU!!!" [Expletives masked by asterisks.--ed.] Another forwarded to GameSpot from Thompson read: "this is not spam, its [sic] my right as a citizen to send you thousands upon thousands of emails saying the same thing until you die painfully from gun shot wounds." And a third: "Everyone thinks you are insane, hence the name 'Wacko Jacko', which makes you the equivalent of a molester. Therefore you are gay. I hate you, and the world would be a better place if you were brutally murdered." We gasped along with Thompson. When we alerted Thompson that we intended to seek out additional details and verification of his claims from the FBI itself--as to the status of such an investigation and progress being made (the FBI employs trained media specialists for such purposes), Thompson replied with some urgency: "Are you, crazy? ... People are threatening to kill me. Either report what I have said, having been provided the emails, or stop bothering me."

Bogus or not bogus?: With members of the Bar (aka lawyers) compelled to tell-the-truth-the-whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth, and an FBI agent who doesn’t overtly deny that an investigation is underway, likely not bogus.

Related link (http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/thelegendofzelda/news_6130286.html)

Fuck this is just what we need. I know some of those messages seem staged but to be honest i wouldn't be suprised if they were real. Sadly we must face the fact that there are some disturbed people out there, who play games, who are taking this Jack Thompson thing a little to far.

I hate the son of a bitch, don't get me wrong. He's a closed minded fool who doesn't understand the industry he's trying to control. Jack takes things too far all the time (Sims pedophilia? I mean come on!) but this kind of thing won't help our cause.

I'm hoping that he's lying because if he's not it's only gonna support his arguement further. I think what he had to say to gamespot about reporting what he said or stop bothering him sounds awfully suspicious.

[UnInformer]

The world would be so much better of a place if idiots would refrain from getting involved in things.

Holy shit, those alleged e-mails sound like they were sent by nine year old riddlin addicts whose intellectual pinnacle in life thus far has been learning how to wipe their own ass (if they can even do that). I hope it is bogus too because otherwise that is just going to help prove his point, like you said, that gamers are violent. It makes us look retarded, too.

I would not be surprised if they are real, I mean I have visited more than enough gaming forums (not that this one is bad) to know there are some psycotic people out there who game. But at the same time I would not put it past this Jack Thompson guy to lie, I have read his thing about the Sims. It will be found out if he is lying or not, and he will either look like a fool or he will get more ammo. Hope for the former.

[Dahne]

"Man, if I ever saw you in the street, I'd autotarget and hit the square button until you fell over and disappeared."

[Push Upstairs]

I still want him to go after EA for the "SIMS" only to have thier roomful of high priced lawyers put him in his place.

Fuck this shit about killing him, i want *EVERYONE* to think he is a laughing stock whenever he opens his dumb mouth.

Disgrace is more fitting for a fool.

[njiska]

I still want him to go after EA for the "SIMS" only to have thier roomful of high priced lawyers put him in his place.

Fuck this shit about killing him, i want *EVERYONE* to think he is a laughing stock whenever he opens his dumb mouth.

Disgrace is more fitting for a fool.

Actually i'd rather see EA go after him. I'm pretty sure he's commited a libel. I mean he implied that EA supports pedophiles and that they are helping turn the sims 2 into porn.


Thompson this afternoon updated his earlier statement, saying he is aware certain mods only remove "the blur," but adds that "Electronic Arts has done nothing about this." Thompson's new conclusion: EA is "cooperating, gleefully, with the mod community to turn Sims 2 into a porn offering."

For the people on here who know canadian politics from 5 years ago, Jack Thompson just did a "Stockwell".

------

"To do a Stockwell. To make a statement that's so looney it make's you wonder, if he's had Liposuction done through the ear." - Jock McBile

[Lady Jaye]

Ah yeah, Stockwell Day... (great definition by the Air Farce, btw!)

[SamuraiSmurfette]

We need to get him with something he understands.
For example: He likes golf maybe?
Hundreds die and are injured each year in golfing-related incidents! Golf is unsafe! We need to put up fences around water hazards. Golfers must also wear protective helmets, eye goggles and lifejackets any time they are on a course. As well, each new golfer must complete a mandatory 20-hour training course (complete with essay questions) in order to apply for their golfing licence (a $113 fee)

[njiska]

We need to get him with something he understands.
For example: He likes golf maybe?
Hundreds die and are injured each year in golfing-related incidents! Golf is unsafe! We need to put up fences around water hazards. Golfers must also wear protective helmets, eye goggles and lifejackets any time they are on a course. As well, each new golfer must complete a mandatory 20-hour training course (complete with essay questions) in order to apply for their golfing licence (a $113 fee)

Don't for get the 6 month Golf Cart Beginners drivers license followed by 2 years with a restricted license. oh and the mandatory cup, shin guards, and don't forget about the danger of wildlife on the course. We're gonna need park rangers and emergency phones. Probably a private hospital in case a deer looks at someone the wrong way. Oh and we've got to remove all hills because there's a falling hazard. And come to think of doesn't golf endorse violence? I mean the whole game is about whacking balls with clubs. Children could get the wrong idea and go whacking there fathers between the up-rights with a steel pipe. Oh the humanity of it all. Golf is bringing about the downfall of society.

Dear god that was a lot of sarcasm. I'm tired now.


Ah yeah, Stockwell Day... (great definition by the Air Farce, btw!)

May John Morgan rest in peace.

[Griking]

I wouldn't be too surprised if we'd found out that some of the threats came from people here after reading some of the posts that people made here after the GTA fiasco.

[Muscelli]

i emailed him a picture of him with a target on his head... then i wrote "youre next" :evil:

[Gamereviewgod]

I just got an e-mail from him after posting an editorial on him:

John B. Thompson, Attorney at Law
(edited)
jackpeace@comcast.net

August 6, 2005

Patricia Vance
President
Entertainment Software Rating Board
317 Madison Avenue, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10017 Fax: 212-759-2223

Re: Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude and God of War

Dear Ms. Vance:

Thanks to some honorable people in the video game industry and also in the gaming community, it appears to me, and to them, and I am rather certain it will appear to Members of Congress, that the above two video games should be re-rated “AO” rather than their present “M.”

Of course, you know why.

Please put on the fast track a reassessment of these two games, along with Killer 7, as I believe a failure to do so will make things even more difficult for the ESRB and the video game industry with the coming governmental inquiries into whether the ratings system is broken, as Senator Clinton has indicated.

Sincerely, Jack Thompson


Copies: Senator Clinton, Senator Lieberman, Senator Brownback, Senator Santorum
Assemblyman Yee
Federal Trade Commission
Congressman Upton
Class action counsel
Media
Others

+++Here's a heads-up for you kids:
I'll be in Ohio Tuesday for a hugely significant news story that affects the entire video game industry. The significance of it eclipses the "Hot Coffee" story, for example, by a very wide margin indeed. Keep checking your google news links on Tuesday.


i emailed him a picture of him with a target on his head... then i wrote "youre next"

Yeah, that was REAL smart. Thanks for making us look like psychotic idiots. :roll:

[njiska]

Jesus Christ what's he got up his sleve now. You it's thing like his Letter to GRG that really do make me wish he was dead. Not that i would ever go that far or incourage that action as it is wrong and would only further his case.

GTA:SA was a special case. It's was hard to say what was the right move there because Rockstar really shouldn't have left the code in the game. But that aside Killer 7 and God of war? This guy needs to be taught a lesson.

[Muscelli]

that was meant as a joke my last post BTW.. I meant to post a diff smiley, Id prolly get like arrested or something if i did though

[Gamereviewgod]

that was meant as a joke my last post BTW.. I meant to post a diff smiley, Id prolly get like arrested or something if i did though

Ok, I apologize.

[Yamazaki]

I would be ironic though if he would get killed by a pedophiliac.

[Gamereviewgod]

My god, this guy has posted on my blog, Blogcritics, and he's sending me e-mails. Doesn't he have anything better to do than fight with some internet gamer?

[Muscelli]

He can go off into his own little world... I dont get how he ignores ultra violent games like Manhunt, which have a really negative impact... but gets stirred up over the sims? What the hell is wrong here

[pacmanhat]

I think it's about time that the gaming industry just ignores this guy. Perhaps then he will go away.

[njiska]

I think it's about time that the gaming industry just ignores this guy. Perhaps then he will go away.

Can't ignore a guy who's got the goverment on his side. You can only fight back.

[Push Upstairs]

My god, this guy has posted on my blog, Blogcritics, and he's sending me e-mails. Doesn't he have anything better to do than fight with some internet gamer?

Obviously not.



As stated in another thread, I think Ohio gamers should go protest this idiot to show that we aren't going to take this sitting down.

[MetroidFan1164]

My god, this guy has posted on my blog, Blogcritics, and he's sending me e-mails. Doesn't he have anything better to do than fight with some internet gamer?

Apparantely not. He emailed the guy who does VGCats too:

http://www.vgcats.com/jack.php

[smork]

I think it's about time that the gaming industry just ignores this guy. Perhaps then he will go away.

Can't ignore a guy who's got the goverment on his side. You can only fight back.

How is The Government on his side? I haven't seen any laws passed prying my games out of my hands.

The guy's just a loudmouth media whore enjoying his 15 minutes. Everybody will forget about the guy soon enough. Cal Thomas was a 'major force' with Moral Majority many years ago, now he's just another bigoted syndicated columnist. Just enjoy your games and ignore him -- everybody else will soon enough.

[njiska]

I think it's about time that the gaming industry just ignores this guy. Perhaps then he will go away.

Can't ignore a guy who's got the goverment on his side. You can only fight back.

How is The Government on his side? I haven't seen any laws passed prying my games out of my hands.

The guy's just a loudmouth media whore enjoying his 15 minutes. Everybody will forget about the guy soon enough. Cal Thomas was a 'major force' with Moral Majority many years ago, now he's just another bigoted syndicated columnist. Just enjoy your games and ignore him -- everybody else will soon enough.

Did not mean to imply that he was in bed with the goverment, merely that they are taking the same side as him. He already has the ear of several politions and as long as he keeps making media appearences they will pay attention. (got to keep voters happy)

[Famidrive-16]

My god, this guy has posted on my blog, Blogcritics, and he's sending me e-mails. Doesn't he have anything better to do than fight with some internet gamer?

Apparantely not. He emailed the guy who does VGCats too:

http://www.vgcats.com/jack.php

Haha, what a nimrod. Sends a big letter, gets one back, sends back 'get a life loser lolz', gets a response, responds with 'EXCUSE ME I HAVE IMPORTANT BUSINESS MATTERS HERE'

And he's aruging with a site about anime cats. gg.

[smork]

Did not mean to imply that he was in bed with the goverment, merely that they are taking the same side as him. He already has the ear of several politions and as long as he keeps making media appearences they will pay attention. (got to keep voters happy)

Yeah, those politicians who actually give the guy a soapbox are asses. It's funny how both sides of the political spectrum in America cough up these bozos. You get the right-wing demagogues like Pat Robertson who don't like anything that disagrees with them, and on the left you get the do-gooders like Lieberman and Hillary who want to tell everyone what's best for them. I wish they'd all take a hike and leave us alone.

Of course, I wish parents would be more responsible and actually USE the rating systems that are already in place for movies, games, and TV. You know, actually telling their kids "no" for once, instead of letting them do what they want then bitching because they get a hold of some form of entertainment that wasn't intended for a 12 year old.

[njiska]

Did not mean to imply that he was in bed with the goverment, merely that they are taking the same side as him. He already has the ear of several politions and as long as he keeps making media appearences they will pay attention. (got to keep voters happy)

Yeah, those politicians who actually give the guy a soapbox are asses. It's funny how both sides of the political spectrum in America cough up these bozos. You get the right-wing demagogues like Pat Robertson who don't like anything that disagrees with them, and on the left you get the do-gooders like Lieberman and Hillary who want to tell everyone what's best for them. I wish they'd all take a hike and leave us alone.

Of course, I wish parents would be more responsible and actually USE the rating systems that are already in place for movies, games, and TV. You know, actually telling their kids "no" for once, instead of letting them do what they want then bitching because they get a hold of some form of entertainment that wasn't intended for a 12 year old.

Like i've said before the big hurdle that has to be over come is education. Hilary said the ESRB ratings were confusing but short of being someone who's ESL (English Second Language. See kids education works) I don't know how that's possible.

The thing that wories me about this is it's not partisan. The Democratic senator and the conservative gorups are siding together on this one. It's got potential to be far more then the 80's Tipper Gore music stuff was. Hmm imagine what we'd be going through right now if Mrs. Gore were first lady. It almost makes me glad Bush got elected. God now i feel so dirty.

[CartCollector]

Speaking of ESRB ratings education...
Have you ever noticed how the only places you see ESRB commercials are on demo discs and at game-only stores (EBGames, GameSpot, etc.)? I find this stupid, because the only people getting "educated" are the ones who know about it already, and it totally passes over the parents who need to be educated about it. Now if the ESRB were to put ads on prime-time TV, much like the TV rating system commercials, then we might have parents who actually know what the ratings mean.

[njiska]

Speaking of ESRB ratings education...
Have you ever noticed how the only places you see ESRB commercials are on demo discs and at game-only stores (EBGames, GameSpot, etc.)? I find this stupid, because the only people getting "educated" are the ones who know about it already, and it totally passes over the parents who need to be educated about it. Now if the ESRB were to put ads on prime-time TV, much like the TV rating system commercials, then we might have parents who actually know what the ratings mean.

Have you scene MPAA ratings info out side of theatres and movie stores? I haven't. Although i have seen ESRB flyers in futureshop and Best buy on occassion. That aside the rating is clearly visable on the from and clearly shows what age it's for. If you're a parent and you don't know that games have ratings you've been living under a rock and should ask one of the people at the store about the game before buying it.

Although i agree more ads would be nice, i'm just saying what they're doing now isn't bad.

[Gamereviewgod]

Have you ever noticed how the only places you see ESRB commercials are on demo discs and at game-only stores (EBGames, GameSpot, etc.)

I've seen flyers in every major retailer that carries games.

[Famidrive-16]

I've seen a couple ESRB commercials on TV. It's nothing massive though.