The potential suspension stems from a class-action lawsuit, Strickland vs. Sony, against the makers of Grand Theft Auto. In this suit, Thompson alleges that an 18 year old trained on GTA before killing two police officers and a dispatcher. Sony, Take-Two, Rock Star Games, Wal-Mart and GameStop are being sued for $600 million. Thompson's conduct in this case going back to 2005 has already caused a judge in Alabama to forbid him from trying the case in that state, and this move from the Florida bar could be seen as the first step to doing the same in his home state.
Thompson has found-himself/forced-his-way-into the news recently after the tragedy at Virginia Tech. In the wake of the worst mass murder in American history, and the glut of unnecessary media coverage that ensued, there wasn't a 24-hour cable television host who wouldn't allow Thompson to spout his usual talking points. He sat in front of cameras from stations all over the world calling video games "mass murder simulators". He repeatedly insisted that killer Seung-Hui Cho's dorm room would yield a "treasure trove" of games. Thompson shoved the names and "horrible" images down middle America's throats: Doom, Halo, Counter Strike, and on and on and on until the shows that hosted him had nothing to do but choke on it all. And when it turned out that Cho wasn't the hardcore gamer Thompson painted him as, there was no apology, no retraction, no accountability.
And to me, the story of Jack Thompson is a story of accountability, or rather, a lack thereof.
In the late 80s the music industry were turning huge profits, thanks in large part to hip-hop which was still relatively new. Thompson, then a rank-and-file member of the Conservative Christian movement, rose to national prominence when he launched a campaign against this evil music form. He told us rap music was leading America down a path to damnation. He sued the 2 Live Crew, he sued their label, he sued the stores that sold them (sound familiar?) claiming lewdness, indecency, and I think witchcraft. But here's the catch, he won against 2 Live. He got them kicked off their label, dropped from radio stations; he basically ended their careers.
In the 90s, Thompson set his sights on video games. Sony and Nintendo were fighting over record markets, worth billions of dollars. Coincidentally (or not) it was right around this time Thompson realized that video games were the biggest threat facing America. He went after developers, manufacturers, and retailers alike, suing anyone who had any connection to gaming.
Never mind that no one bothered to see if America was any safer without the music of 2 Live Crew. No one bothered to check to see if his track record, which on paper seemed to be a success, was actually doing any good for society; or maybe, and much more importantly, if there was no impact at all. The sad thing is it doesn't matter what the facts showed then, nor what they show now. No one looks at the facts. They just listen to the loudest voice.
Well, I say its time we speak up. Men like Jack Thompson cannot be allowed to speak as an authorities about gaming. Every time he enters the Situation Room, the No-Spin Zone, or the Geraldo Mustache Area, gamers need to flood the inboxes of these shows with the truth about the lies this man spouts. You may say today that Jack Thompson can't hurt video games, but I would tell you to ask the 2 Live Crew if Jack Thompson can do anything if left unchecked.
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