Australian actor 
. Played defending lawyer
in 
Posted on 05/23/2007 6:11:08 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
Just when you thought it was safe to check your inbox. Miami attorney and anti-game activist Jack Thompson was back at it again today. It seems Mr. Thompson is taking issue with the pending release of Microsoft's Halo 3 game, currently being enjoyed by 360 owners everywhere with its multiplayer beta.
Thompson forwarded Game Almighty a copy of the following letter supposedly sent along to Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates:
[---------------]
Bill Gates Microsoft Corporation Redmond, Washington
Re: Halo 3
Dear Mr. Gates:
As you know, the Federal Trade Commission has repeatedly found that games rated “Mature” by the video game industry-captured Entertainment Software Rating Board are routinely sold to kids under the age of 17 despite the age rating. The most recent failure rate of the ratings on “Mature” games, according to the FTC, is 42%. The entire rating system is a fraud, and “broken,” the latter description aptly provided by Senator Hillary Clinton.
As you also know, Lee Boyd Malvo trained on Microsoft’s Halo to further enable him to become the remarkably efficient “DC Beltway Sniper.” That was reported by NBC News at the time and was noted in Malvo’s criminal trial.
You appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes II and rather revealing and usefully noted that “the cool thing about these games is that they transport you to a world you think is real.” Precisely. Capcom has recently disclosed to investors that your video game industry’s violent games, sold to children, pose a real hazard to the health of the industry. Right on.
The hyperviolent Microsoft Xbox 360 game Halo 3 is scheduled by your company for commercial release in September of this year. The Beta version that was released last week shows us all just how violent the game is and how inappropriate it is for play by anyone under 17, as the “Mature” rating it will surely receive indicates.
Here’s the deal, Mr. Gates: Either Microsoft undertakes dramatic, real steps, through its marketing, wholesale, and retail operations to assure that Halo 3 is not sold, via the Internet and in stores, directly to anyone under 17, or I shall proceed to make sure that Microsoft is held to that standard by appropriate legal means. I have done that before successfully as to Best Buy, and I shall do so again as to Microsoft and all retailers of Halo 3.
Regards, Jack Thompson
[---------------]
So, having been essentially barred from threatening to sue Take Two over its games, it would seem that Thompson has set his legal sites on another big fish: Microsoft. So, will Thompson follow through on his latest legal threats? And if he does, how will Microsoft respond? We'll keep you posted on how (and if) things continue to develop
I already have this game on pre-order. In this state, I’m carded everytime I buy a “violent” videogame, everyone is. Jack Thompson thinks he can take on Microsoft? Heh.
(Unfortunately, these days I have to explain what that means: back in the old days, i.e. 1999, Jack was a FReeper. He would constantly be part of flamewars, and would threaten to sue everyone he got into a flamewar with. I think his first screen name was Jack Thompson. After being off for a while, he was allowed back on as JackPeace, but that didn’t work out either. In any event, at some point it came out that he liked to dress up like Batman...seriously.)
Who the hell is Jack Thompson? Obviously, he’s some a Nancyboy nannystater, but other than that who is he?
Religious fundamentalist anti-everything crusader and likely soon-to-be-disbarred lawyer (he thinks the proceedings against him are part of a big conspiracy).
Taking away the instruments (of destruction) but NOT taking away the intentions ( of destruction).
Not that it's beyond Jack Thompson to be so stupid. He's already proven it.
Australian actor . Played defending lawyer in
I would say a smart presidential candidate could grab a very large sum of gamers who are not politicaly motivated because they think that a large portion of congress is entirely worthless.
If a candidate were to say prod hillary enough to get her to admit she wants to take these games away from you for the public good, the 18-27 year old male gamers that usually don’t vote don’t care would vilify her.
Imagine if she targeted evercrack? Or WoW? Fallout 3? Or UT3?
That’s easily over 15 million people, 1/2 of those probably don’t vote because the process has alienated them.
“As you also know, Lee Boyd Malvo trained on Microsoft’s Halo to further enable him to become the remarkably efficient “DC Beltway Sniper.” That was reported by NBC News at the time and was noted in Malvo’s criminal trial.”
Obviously all my marksmapship scores are wrong, because I play unreal tournament on masterful difficulty and barely qualify in Army Basic Rifle Marksmanship.
How in the HECK does one gain marksmanship skill with that stupid controller to cross with real riflery.
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