Jack Thompson Vows to Stop Medal of Honor
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
I don't get these people who have a hard on for having a go at games. Did he molested by a game designer as a child or something?
IE, he's a drip. (Calvin and Hobbes)Kelethor said:
Seriously, this guy is still around? Color me surprised, I'd have thought his family would have had him put away for his own safety.
You have to love him though, everything he says is pure gold.
As long as the majority of people, and governments (like the UK one), ignore him and let people decide what they want to do for their own entertainment, I'm more than happy to let him keep on gibbering on for us to laugh at.
As long as the majority of people, and governments (like the UK one), ignore him and let people decide what they want to do for their own entertainment, I'm more than happy to let him keep on gibbering on for us to laugh at.
The funny thing is, the fact I have a degree, a post-grad, and am a trainee solicitor/lawyer (which is more than Jack Thompson is nowzipzod said:
) say different 
Truth be told, any publicity is good publicity.
Anyone who read this article will now know there is a game called Medal of Honour coming out in OCtober that is so good and realistic that some troll wishes to have it banned.
Just sayin..
As for Thompson, guess thats what unemployment does to a crazy man.
Anyone who read this article will now know there is a game called Medal of Honour coming out in OCtober that is so good and realistic that some troll wishes to have it banned.
Just sayin..
As for Thompson, guess thats what unemployment does to a crazy man.
Won't happen. Simply won't happen. Hell, nothing will happen... it'll get ignored and left to turn into a non-story.
Why? Because it would be a political firestorm throughout the Obama Administration. Every free-speech organization would mobilize against such an act. Constitutional scholars and lawyers would have a field day arguing the merits, cons and legality of such a bold move. And every news organization would jump on it like a sumo wrestler on a kitten.
Hell, can you imagine would Glenn Beck would say? If they do ban it, they're "just like Nazi Germany, burning books and telling industry what to do." (God bless Beck, everything in his mind ties to Nazis.) If they come out against the ban, or ban it then unban it, Beck'll jump on them for "supporting the terrorists that are assaulting America's values."
On the flip side, if the Republicans push this, they'll be taking on a large, mostly US company, and it'll get spun as "look, they claim to be for American's best interests, but they just cost this company millions and took away good, American jobs."
And all of this on an election year for both branches of Congress.
So they'll do... nothing. They'll ignore it, brush it aside, or at best, release some "it concerns us that EA would release something so soon after the tragic deaths in the war on terror" or something to that effect. They'll let EA take the flak, and make strongly worded statements, and won't step on the political landmine that could tank an election.
And EA will laugh its way to the bank.
Why? Because it would be a political firestorm throughout the Obama Administration. Every free-speech organization would mobilize against such an act. Constitutional scholars and lawyers would have a field day arguing the merits, cons and legality of such a bold move. And every news organization would jump on it like a sumo wrestler on a kitten.
Hell, can you imagine would Glenn Beck would say? If they do ban it, they're "just like Nazi Germany, burning books and telling industry what to do." (God bless Beck, everything in his mind ties to Nazis.) If they come out against the ban, or ban it then unban it, Beck'll jump on them for "supporting the terrorists that are assaulting America's values."
On the flip side, if the Republicans push this, they'll be taking on a large, mostly US company, and it'll get spun as "look, they claim to be for American's best interests, but they just cost this company millions and took away good, American jobs."
And all of this on an election year for both branches of Congress.
So they'll do... nothing. They'll ignore it, brush it aside, or at best, release some "it concerns us that EA would release something so soon after the tragic deaths in the war on terror" or something to that effect. They'll let EA take the flak, and make strongly worded statements, and won't step on the political landmine that could tank an election.
And EA will laugh its way to the bank.
who uses fax machines anymore... this guy is so behind on the times.. get an email account....Daemascus said:
also has anyone played this Taliban level yet? so they dont know if you are a real Taliban member or an undercover agent sent to infiltrate the organization and take it down from the inside.. much like that infamous level from MW2 in the airport?
I'd argue they SHOULD keep doing these stories. The best way to highlight the utter insanity of someone fighting video games to their dying breath is to shine a spotlight on the most batshit insane amongst them.Twilight_guy said:
OT, the hell is he expecting the SoD to do to stop this? Is he so far gone he's hoping for military intervention in the interests of national security? Is he dreaming of soldiers gunning down video game programmers? If so, someone needs to buy him a copy of The Return of Matt Hazard, since that's pretty much all the final level is anyway.
Andy Chalk said:Jack Thompson Vows to Stop Medal of Honor
Former lawyer Jack Thompson says he intends to stop the release of EA's Medal of Honor [http://www.amazon.com/Medal-Honor-Limited-Pc/dp/B002ZJPYHS/ref=sr_1_3?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1283972161&sr=1-3] and has sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates seeking his help.
Thompson, a notorious anti-videogame crusader who was disbarred in 2008 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/86463-Jack-Thompson-Disbarred-UPDATED] for his unrepentant, unrelenting litany of misconduct over the years, may no longer be a lawyer but he obviously still retains his hated for videogames and lust for the limelight. It's been awhile since we've heard from him but EA's upcoming Medal of Honor seems to have stirred him from his slumber.
Thompson faxed a letter to Robert Gates, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, in which he called upon Gates to take action to stop the release of the game. He criticized it on several points and accused ESRB [http://www.ea.com] rating system by allowing anyone to preorder the game, regardless of age. He also told Gates that he would be justified in imposing a ban because the high level of realism makes it an effective training tool for the Taliban and other forces currently engaged with the U.S. military.
"With all respect for everything else on your plate, but as someone who has represented the surviving family members of such videogame-caused massacres, I personally urge you, as Secretary of Defense, to do what is necessary, proper, and legal to stop the release of Medal of Honor on October 12 on the basis that it poses a demonstrable danger to our troops by providing a training tool for those who wish to kill them," Thompson wrote. "I would also strongly suggest that the Defense Department find out who these Special Ops people are who have acted so foolishly in this regard [by consulting on the game]."
"Finally, I believe the full weight of the federal government should come down upon Electronic Arts and the videogame industry's Entertainment Software Association [http://www.theesa.com/] for their allowing, presently and fraudulently, despite promises to Congress, the widespread pre-sale of this adult game to minors throughout the country and around the world," he concluded.
Thompson acknowledged to PCMag.com [http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2368824,00.asp] that he's not representing anyone as a lawyer, because he's not a lawyer anymore. "I am speaking on behalf of a number of people who believe that EA should not be selling such a game to minors, particularly one that allows one to play the role of the Taliban," he said. "Beyond that, I am not presently authorized to identify anyone. That may change in a day or two. I intend to stop the release of the game."
Gates has not yet responded to Thompson's letter, but his counterparts in the U.K. and New Zealand have expressed strong disapproval of the game, with U.K. Secretary of Defense Liam Fox asking retailers to voluntarily "ban this tasteless product [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102952-UK-Defense-Secretary-Calls-for-Medal-of-Honor-Ban]." The likelihood of any kind of ban against Medal of Honor in the U.S., however, or even of Gates acknowledging Jack's existence look pretty slim at this point.
Medal of Honor comes out on October 12 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
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I actually think this is a bad idea, maybe 50 years down the road it would be appropriate, but right now the whole "playable Taliban" thing is a bad idea.
On the other hand I am against censorship, and I'd rather see it go through than be blocked by the goverment.
Generally speaking the only way the goverment could (and should) be able to ban this would be to finally invoke war powers (Marial Law), take control of the media and information, and effectively put a "hold" on anything like this until after the state of emergency has ended (ie people can gather and compile information, but not realease it to the public if considered disruptive to the war effort). The same basic tactic used to quash Nazi sentiment and war protesters during "World War II" which many people forget about.
On the other hand declaring Martial Law because a video game is the last straw, when a conflict has been going on for nearly a decade, is a bad idea. Unless we engage in an actual offensive, at this point Martial Law would be inappropriate.