Jack Thompson Threatens Gabe Newell Over School Shooter Mod

[CarlsonAndPeeters]

Look, Mr. Thompson, nobody thinks that this School Shooter mod is a good thing. But I'm not sure what Valve can do. Its like the Westboro Baptist Church--they may be terrible people, but if you limit their speech, you start unraveling the entire Constitution.

Also, if you're going to make an appeal to a company on an issue that the two of you might actually agree on, calling their award-winning game a "murder simulator" is not the best way to start.

 

[ThatDudeWithTheCap]

You know, I'm surprised that Jack thinks that a mod for Half Life is disturbing. Has he played Dead to Rights: Retribution? Play as Shadow. It's pretty disturbing.

 

[AgentLex]

Dear Mr. Thompson,

The fact that you still call videogames 'murder simulators' and actually seem to believe it shows why I am a successful icon in the game industry and you're a disbarred attorney. I suggest you spend less time making empty threats and wasting my time and more time cleaning up your reputation as delusional git who has blinded himself into believing his efforts have any sort of positive impact on society.

Your BFF,
Gabe Newell

XOXOXOXOXO

^^^^^I'd give an arm and a leg to have Gabe send this reply back.

 

[Joa_Belgium]

I hate being right all the time.

Bhaahahahaaahahahhah.

Ahh, priceless. I'm sorry, that tickled.

 

[icypain]

Im sure im not the only one who laughed when he wrote "I hate being right all the time."

aww ninja-ed again

 

[lacktheknack]

I hate being right all the time.

...Nope. He's simply a troll. I somewhat doubt even HE believes everything he says.

But he WAS right this time, he DID predict this would happen. What I didn't expect is that <link=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.267603-Inside-the-Sick-Mind-of-a-School-Shooter-Mod?page=1>A TON OF US FUCKING EMBRACED IT.

 

[Sephychu]

This man is spitting on the graves of the shooting victims far more than the modders are. I hate him with such passion that words escape me to desribe him.

 

[cfehunter]

I'm starting to wonder if misguided describes jack thompson anymore.
Megalomania seems to ooze from that letter of his. "I hate being right all the time." what a complete and total ###$$$$.

Valve probably wouldn't step into this even if they could (I'm fairly sure they can't), censoring the modding community that they support so much would be so completely out of step with their normal behavior.

Even in liberal western countries like the USA and the UK you don't have the right not to be offended, people need to grow up. You can't make something vanish just because you personally take offence to it.

 

[Captain Bobbossa]

As much as I disagree with the mod in question.... fuck this guy, he is an idiot.

 

[Jaeger_CDN]

Alrighty who took Jack's tinfoil hat away?

It's not an election year so I can't see Hillary or any of the other politicians jumping on the Jack Thompson bandwagon trying to make voter points for this.

 

[Formica Archonis]

I love Jack Thompson now. You know why? Because as long as he's seen as the mouthpiece of the anti-gaming set, we're perfectly safe. He's as close to harmless as possible yet won't be supplanted by someone who IS actually dangerous and dedicated to making us all look the terrorists we aren't.

I welcome ANY item featuring Jack as headline news on the Escapist.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Er, did this mod exist when these events happened? I was under the impression that it just came out. Of course, the first I heard about it was here on The Escapist a few weeks ago, so I could be wrong.

 

[fanklok]

Well to be fair this mod actually is a murder simulator. But yeah if it was Undead shooter mod: North American tour 2012 in which players gun down hordes of defenseless zombies then the military comes in with orders to shoot anything that moves no one would bat an eye. I find that silly.

 

[thatstheguy]

To Thompson's credit, this is the one time he actually criticizes a game that's genuinely tasteless. Hell, even games like Postal 2 were at least funny and fun. This mod looks like it was made in 5 minutes with the Hammer map editor.

Still, he's ignorant and the king of making himself look bad.

 

[Dana22]

I knew it would happen, I said in "school shooter" topic that it wont do anything good to the industry.

While I despise the concept of "School Shooter" and the person behind it, I will defend freedom of speech and expression.

So fuck you, Mr. Thompson. Especially since you have no idea how all this works, asking Valve to "Shut down" the mod. They cant do shit.

 

[2xDouble]

Haha! Jack Thompson and his minions threatening Valve with no legal authority or for that matter, no case whatsoever against them? What are they gonna do? continue boycotting video games?

Honestly, I think he's just doing this for attention at this point. And to make a big deal out of something that the entire gaming community has already seen, mostly ignored, and moved away from. Keep up with us, moron!

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

Well we all knew someone would pick up on the mod besides the gaming community. It's not surprising he was the first. I'm curious to see what his threat will come to be. I'm sure he's convinced himself in someway this is backed by Gabe and highly anticipated by the gaming community, he's clearly forgotten much of the past willingly and seems to think himself vastly influential in some way. I doubt it'll be anything but an aimless case against Valve for producing "yet another murder simulator".

I don't support the mod though, I think it's in poor taste and it's quite perverse to play out the events of those tragic occurrences for entertainment. It's just too close to the bone for me. I wish they hadn't made it, like I said before. It really does not help the gaming communities position at this critical time, when a bill could essentially wipe significant gaming experiences from the foreseeable future, and cripple the economy some more.

Bleh.

 

[Dogstile]

Excuse me for a second.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AHAHAAAAAAAAA

OH GOD, AHAHAAAAAAAAAAA

I MEAN, DOES HE EVEN THINK- WHAT CAN HE EVEN? WHAT AN IDIOT

AHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

*cough* and that, ladies and gentlemen, is my thoughts on this.

 

[-Torchedini-]

*hits head repeatedly against keyboard*

And you got this message ? AMAZING

ontopic.
Where's my popcorn again.