jackthompson
Latest
Activist lawyer drops RICO charges against Take Two, others
Phew, that was close. And to think, he almost discovered our master plans ...Infamous Miami lawyer Jack Thompson has thoroughly revised his complaint and counterclaim against Take Two. Concerning his counterclaim, Thompson shortened it from nearly 20 pages to a single paragraph that makes no mention of previous racketeering charges that listed Penny Arcade, the ESA, Joystiq, Kotaku and others as collaborators and conspirators.Of course, Joystiq was left unaware what racketeering really was, having ignored Denis McCauley's thorough explanation for enlightenment via Tycho and Gabe's funny pictures.In light of this pseudo-victory, Joystiq is celebrating with cake, ice cream and engaging in illegal business activities usually associated with organized crime.
Take-Two finds no buyers, to face shareholders Thursday
After postponing a shareholder meeting so as to court potential buyers, publisher Take-Two has announced that no deal has been made and the company will proceed with the shareholder meeting Thursday without any company interested in purchasing the controversy-laden publisher.How bad will the meeting be for Take Two? Game Politics predicts that several major stockholders are planning to revolt, CEO Paul Eibeler will be ousted from his position and "T2-hatin' shareholder Jack 'RICO' Thompson may gain access to the microphone and spew his particular brand of vitriol at Eibeler and Take Two management."Here's a plan: seeing as Thursday's event will be extremely entertaining, why not sell tickets to the event or broadcast the meeting, with advertising, on the internet? There's no perceivable way that the publisher will have an optimistic outcome, so they might as well monetize the entertaining disaster.
Japanese hardware sales, Mar. 12 - Mar. 18: ridiculously rampant racketeering edition
It's not very often that you get accused of being part of an evil conspiracy. It certainly isn't very often that you're given opportunity to use words such as "collusion," "racketeering" or "farcical," especially not in the same sentence! It is thus with great pleasure that we inform you that Joystiq has been implicated in an imagined and entirely farcical collusion that promotes racketeering. The always entertaining and fundamentally unhinged attorney at lawl, Jack Thompson, has deemed it fit to include us (along with the ESA, Penny Arcade, Gamespot, Kotaku and more) in his latest attack on Take Two. Apparently, the publisher has "collaborated and conspired" with us to further their racketeering activities. Of course, we're not even sure what racketeering is. "I'm selling these fine leather rackets," springs to mind, but we're convinced it's more complex than that. Perhaps we've been USING TOO MANY CAPITALIZED WORDS? Should we "turn it down a notch," as the old folks are fond of saying? Either way, please let us know in the comments section -- or else we'll punch you in the face and trash your store, ya hear?- DS Lite: 121,471 12,959 (11.94%)- Wii: 67,070 22,575 (50.74%)- PSP: 43,769 12,406 (22.08%) - PS3: 21,635 10,480 (32.63%) - PS2: 13,321 1,264 (8.67%) - Xbox 360: 2,910 423 (12.69%) - Game Boy Micro: 727 85 (10.47%) - GBA SP: 557 122 (17.97%) - Gamecube: 367 127 (52.92%) - DS Phat: 159 40 (33.61%) - GBA: 9 4 (30.77%)[Sales chart beaten out of: Media Create]See also, or else: Previous Japanese hardware sales charts[This edition inspired by our fellow racketeers, rocketeers and raconteurs, Penny Arcade]
Take-Two counters lawyer's 'nuisance' threat
Take-Two Interactive has filed a preemptive suit against attorney Jack Thompson. This past Saturday, Thompson hatched plans to meddle in the sales of future Take-Two and Rockstar titles Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. Take-Two claims that if Thompson were to succeed in having the games declared public nuisances (under Florida law), the action would violate the publisher's First Amendment rights. Take-Two hopes its petition to the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida will crush Thompson's proposed suit before it grows wings. Plan B? Drop a DDT-bomb on his dome.Last fall, Florida courts rejected a similar suit filed by Thompson that sought to restrict sales of Take-Two's "Sim Columbine" Bully.Update: Read the lawsuit.
Jack Thompson suing Take-Two -- 2007 Edition
Sisyphus ain't got nothin' on Jack Thompson. The infamous anti-games lawyer, who former ESA head Doug Lowenstein said should be ignored by the gaming press, is suing Take-Two Interactive to prevent the sale of Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. Thompson plans to file suit the week of March 19 and he is looking to "prevent the sale of two hyperviolent video games set to be released this year and sold to anyone under 17 years of age." Which reads like two objectives.In the following paragraph, the clarification is that the games shouldn't be sold to anyone under 17 because both games will be rated "mature." According to the ESRB website, neither game has been rated at this time. Not to mention that even if they are rated M, they shouldn't be sold to anyone under 17 anyway. At this stage we know little to nothing about either game, Grand Theft Auto IV's trailer hasn't even been released yet. For all we know it could be sunshine and lollipops. This lawsuit is a bit premature and could simply be viewed as Thompson trying to get another advanced copy of a Rockstar game. Don't give in Take-Two, we expect him to wait for the game just like everyone else. Thompson says he is going forward with the lawsuit because he "still has his testicles, both literally and figuratively" despite Take-Two's efforts to have him disbarred.Get the full Jack Thompson treatment with the release after the break.
Jack Thompson at it again, wants Manhunt 2 pulled from UK
According to online reports, Jack Thomspon allegedly made a post on a Manhunt forum (we're unsure as to which forum) where he once again called Rockstar Games into question and implicated the original Manhunt as being responsible for the murder of one Stefan Pakeerah, who was murdered in the UK in 2004 by supposed friend Warren LeBlanc. The police, however, could not find sufficient evidence linking the game to the murder.We've included this entire post, which Thompson allegedly made in the forum, after the post break.[Thanks, Andrew; via WiiPals]
Salt Lake City mall shooter didn't own video games
Following Sulejman Talovic's murderous rampage through a Salt Lake City mall, killing five people and ending with Talovic's own death by police, the 21st century knee-jerk reaction of blame the video games emerged. After no games, consoles or PCs were seized from Talovic's home, it looked like the video game murderer angle may not emerge. Now Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank said they found no evidence that violent video games played a part in Talovic's actions. He did not even own a computer or a console according to police. Police also found no religious or political motivations either. Sorry Jackie-boy, no headlines for you.[Via GamePolitics]
The Political Game: Doug Lowenstein shoots the messenger
Each week Dennis McCauley contributes The Political Game, a column on the collision of politics and video games:Doug Lowenstein took his leave of the video game industry last week with a stirring "I'm outta here" speech delivered at the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas. By all accounts, Doug's comments were blunt and from the heart. But, hey, Doug's the guy who started the ESA and he toiled in its fields for a dozen years. Why shouldn't he get a chance to vent on his way out the door?Among other targets, Lowenstein laid out unnamed developers – cough, Rockstar, cough – who "make controversial content and then cut and run when it comes time to defending their creative decisions.""Nothing annoys me more," Lowenstein said "If you want the right to make what you want, if you want to push the envelope, I'm out there defending your right to do it. But damn it - get out there and support the creative decisions you make."Good point, Doug. But Hell, it's your last day. You could have named names. It's not like they're going to escort you out of the building or take away your key to the executive men's room. And while I will generally look back on Doug's watch with admiration, I've just got to say that the ESA boss got it all wrong when he took shots at the gaming press over, of all things, Jack Thompson:"It drives me crazy. You know who gives Jack Thompson more attention than anyone else? The games press ... I just ... I just think it's nuts."
Jack Thompson and Utah AG have spat
Earlier this week, Utah's Jack Thompson-authored video game bill was pulled by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff because he believed the bill would be found unconstitutional. This, of course, sent Thompson into a whirling tizzy and caused him to do the typical press release pimp-slap against Shurtleff.Thompson writes, "This is a constitutional bill. I ought to know. I drafted one nearly identical to it for Louisiana, and we got it passed unanimously... The federal judge declared it unconstitutional because, he said, 'there is no evidence that these games are harmful. The Attorney General has provided me no evidence.' And the judge was right, because the Louisiana AG took what we call 'a dive.' ... because he wanted the law to fail."Thompson is in Utah today giving a speech at the ultra-conservative Eagle Forum in Salt Lake City -- so we're sure some lovely barbs will be thrown at Shurtleff. AG Shurtleff probably wasn't too keen on having Utah suffer the same fate as Illinois, which was forced to pay back the gaming industry the half-million they spent fighting a similar bill that was deemed unconstitutional. Next stop on the Thompson anti-game express: Massachusetts. All aboard!
Friday Video: games destroyed the World Trade Center
We know the Moral Kombat trailer isn't terribly new, but the weekly video spotlight isn't about what's new or even what's good. It's a place for us to highlight a video that we think needs to be seen, for whatever reason, be it silly or a little weird or dripping with extra awesome sauce. This week's video is none of those things, but it's worth discussing. The actual film sounds potentially interesting and not so one-sided. Sadly, the trailer ... not so much. It's Jack Thompson and Joe Lieberman with holy light brigade and their vision of a gamer-centric apocalypse, complete with desperate, melodramatic music. And the continual invocation of Columbine and September 11 as a product of video games is just sick-making.There's not much we can say on this subject that can be repeated in any sort of polite society, anywhere, so we're just gonna direct you to the video after the jump.
Thompson threatens Microsoft over GTA4, ignores Sony
Everybody's favorite lawyer is at it again, this time sending a heads up letter to Microsoft chairman Bill Gates promising to "undertake various means to prohibit and stop the sale of [Grand Theft Auto 4] to minors." The letter, a copy of which was sent to Joystiq, warns Microsoft against "participating in any fashion, directly or indirectly, in such sales to minors." We can only guess than indirect participation would be simply allowing the game to be released on the Xbox 360, and we doubt that Microsoft will be willing to give up its day-and-date bombshell just because of a vague threat from Thompson. In the letter, Thompson cites an Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility report which shows game retailers like Target and Best Buy are actually "doing a better job of controlling sales of violent video games to children." Wouldn't a study that shows retailers doing a worse job have been a better choice? Also, wouldn't such a letter have been more effective going to a retailer than a console maker that has little to no control on point-of-purchase sales ratings enforcement? And why is Thompson targeting Microsoft while ignoring Sony, which is also planning to host GTA4 on its system later this year? Last year Sony was public enemy No. 1 for allowing GTA in Japan. Has the PS3's launch-time troubles made them a less attractive target?
Today's hottest game video
Yes, we know, it's more Jack Thompson than you care to stomach. But it's also a hidden camera view inside the contempt of court hearings. If you can get past the terrible first three minutes of the video, which concern the cameraman being late to the hearing, and the godawful audio, then you'll finally be rewarded with a few shots of Thompson looking like he has an Xbox 360 power brick up his ass, a bailiff who looks like he could be taken out by a strong cough, and one of the squeakiest chairs in the world. Things finally get interesting around 9:20 when Thompson starts holding up his stupid sign (how long until someone Photoshops this?), and the judge gets very pissed off. Thompson does look like the surliest mofo on the planet, and the only game he's probably ever played must have been checkers. We have no doubt he was around when they invented it. On second thought, he probably decried it as the devil's tool, since it mixes colors, and he went on a campaign around his neighborhood on the back of a horseless carriage telling people to stop playing it.At 14:20, the genius cameraman (or the guy next him) has his cell phone goes off, and he has to bolt from the room. That's about as action packed as this video gets. Please, invest in a microphone so we don't all go deaf. Then again, that's about the last Thompson video we'll be watching unless he's a playable character in an upcoming fighting game.Video is after the jump, enjoy the new legal hotness.
Jack Thompson in new Mortal Kombat
In the early 90s the Mortal Kombat series set the bar for hidden characters. So when we caught wind of a Jack Thompson sighting in Armageddon we figured Midway was at it again. Alas, it was too good to be true, and the Thompson appearance was simply the result of some clever work in Armageddon's Kreate-A-Fighter mode.The good news is that you can easily recreate the Thompson clone with Gaming Target's detailed guide. But the fun doesn't stop there, there's instructions for molding an eclectic band of misfits that includes Evil Dead's Ash, Friday the 13th's Jason, Hulk Hogan, and Silent Bob. That squad's a good foundation for a solid fighter in and of itself. Toasty!
Coming to a college campus near you: Jack Thompson
Nothing gets kids fired up like a good old fashioned debate about violence in video games between ... Jack Thompson and Bob Guccione Jr. We're all for intelligent discussion, but Bob Guccione Jr. is representing our side? The guy publishes Spin and Discover magazines, hardly qualifiers for video game advocacy. Plus the guy used to date Ann Coulter, so it doesn't seem like he's going to be someone you want in your corner during a head-to-head against Thompson.Like Uwe Boll, Thompson is a bad rash on the gaming industry that won't be going away overnight, and unfortunately it doesn't seem like Guccione Jr. is going to be much of a match against him. Did they purposely book someone who is going to lob softballs to Thompson so he can come off the hero? It would be better if we could have an opponent actually from the game industry sounding off against him. At this point we'd settle for Reggie Fils-Aime or even CliffyB.The first debate will be at the California University of Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, on January 30th, so you should rush and get tickets before this baby sells out.[Via GamePolitics]See also:Jack Thompson becomes boringFlorida court OKs Bully
Florida court OKs Bully
Destructoid has the scoop straight from the Florida courthouse where Judge Ronald Friedman has just declared that he will not honor Jack Thompson's request to restrict sales of Bully in advance of the game's shipment next Tuesday. The ruling comes after the judge viewed a demonstration of various parts of the game by a Take Two employee for two hours and determined "there's nothing in the game that you wouldn't see on TV every night." He added that he would not approve of the game for his children, but that fact alone "shouldn't mean that the game won't ship."While the case could still be appealed, Destructoid notes that Thompson expressed no interest in doing so because any appellate ruling would come after the game was already in stores. So while this doesn't necessarily mean that our favorite lawyer will "drop the whole thing," as he put it, it does mean that the path is clear for the game to reach stores.
Miami judge orders Take-Two to bring Bully to him
Earlier today, attorneys representing Take-Two Interactive -- publisher of Rockstar Games' controversial video game Bully -- along with lawyers representing retailers Gamestop and Wal-Mart squared off with Miami attorney Jack Thompson in Florida's Third District Court of Appeal. Game blog Destructoid had someone in the courtroom, blogging the goings-on. They briefly recount the day's events culminating in Judge Ronald Friedman's ordering of Take-Two to produce Bully by 3PM tomorrow, so he can view the entirety of the game (played by a Take-Two representative, of course) and determine if Thompson's claims that the game is a "public nuisance" have any merit. Destructoid promises four more pages of notes, detailing all the nitty-gritty, so keep your eyes peeled. Meanwhile, GamePolitics blogger and Joystiq columnist Dennis McCauley received an email from Thompson, gloating, "This is a huge victory against the violent video game industry, regardless of the ultimate ruling on the injunction."Maybe, maybe not; that all depends on what the judge thinks of the game's content. If Bully isn't as violent or inappropriate as Jack Thompson would have us, and the court, believe, and is instead a "snarkily clever social commentary," then what? Then there's no restraining order preventing the sale of the game to minors and Thompson says he'll "drop the whole thing." If Judge Friedman does find a problem with the game, then ... eh, let's just think positive thoughts, okay?Read - GamePolitics.com's note from Jack ThompsonRead - Destructoid's man-on-the-scene report
Jack Thompson becomes boring
Thank whatever deity you may believe in for Jack Thompson who has filed a $600 million lawsuit on behalf of family members for three people killed by a 14-year-old, because it could be worse. More on that in a second.Jack's back and this time he's sued Sony of America, Take-Two and subsidiary, Rockstar Games of hatching a "civil conspiracy" in regards to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Thompson says that the companies should have known the game "would spawn such copycat violence." Yes, because the logic train clearly runs along the track that video game makers see a clear benefit in creating murder simulators for kids to train on. Oh wait, the game is rated M, what's a 14-year-old doing with GTA in the first place -- where are the parents? Whatever to Jack Thompson. Once again, thank whatever deity -- or lack of one -- you may believe in for Jack Thompson. Given that we know what the man is really after, absolutely none of this is going to matter in the end. $600 million? Should have just gone for $6 billion, it's all just a wonderful publicity stunt, with the murder victims and their families merely pawns. Imagine if there was actually a sane Jack Thompson -- then the industry would really have something to worry about. See also a smattering of previous Jack tales: G4, Jack Thompson yell at each other Penny Arcade donates $10,000 in Jack's name to charity Flowers for Jack Jack Thompson: Sony committing "Pearl Harbor 2" [Thanks Daniel]
Bully gets a T rating. No, seriously
In a move predicted by more than a few comments at Joystiq, Rockstar's controversial title Bully has received a T for Teen rating from the ESRB. Questionable content includes Crude Humor, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence. Go ahead, let that one sink in, we'll wait. What does the T rating mean, exactly? Most retail outlets follow one simple rule of thumb: don't sell Mature-rated games to minors. According to the ESRB's official ratings guide, "Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older." Come October, little Billy won't need to ask him mom or bribe a homeless man into buying the game, he can do it himself. Wal-mart, after pulling Bully pre-orders a few weeks back (for various, disputed reasons), is now taking pre-orders on its web site. With the political season in full swing, we imagine more than a few politicians will cite this case as an example of the ESRB's negligence, or how the ratings system is "out of touch with" or "destroying" American values. Keep in mind the game has no guns or knives, disproving the theory that this title is a "Columbine simulator" (as purported by anti-game activist Jack Thompson). Bully will be released October 16 for the PlayStation 2.
Bully no more! Call it "Canis Canem Edit" in Europe
Speaking to EuroGamer, Rockstar has announced that they have changed the name of their infamous schoolyard game from the controversy-attracting Bully to the tamer, more cultured Canis Canem Edit, or "Dog Eat Dog" in Latin. While not confirmed, we suspect one of the most prominent reasons is that it's much harder to write a clever protest chant with a six-syllabled Latin phrase.The name change will not affect the launch date; Canis Canem Edit is still planned for an October release for PlayStation 2. According to CVG, the title is only changed in Europe. Why they wouldn't bring the title overseas, where the controversy is even more pronounced, is currently beyond. We'll try to get a hold of Rockstar and find out.Continue reading for a recap of the story so far:
Wal-mart stops Bully pre-sales under pressure [Update 1]
[Update: John Simley from Walmart media relations contacted Joystiq to clear up the ciircumstances behind the Bully pre-order situation. Simley said that Wal-mart policy is to not carry any unrated or Rating Pending games for pre-order or sale, in-store or online. This decision was made recently, Simley said, but just reflected on the web site starting this week, hence the pulling of Bully pre-orders. The policy is in response to consumer's concerns, Simley said, and had nothing to do with any letters or lawsuits from Jack Thompson.]UK news site The Register is reporting that Wal-Mart has stopped taking pre-orders for the controversial game Bully after a lawsuit filed by Jack Thompson in Florida circuit court named the retailer as a defendant. Thompson targeted the big box store for "recklessly pre-selling Bully to children with no age rating having even been affixed to the game."Though Wal-mart wouldn't confirm to The Register that the halt was in response to the complaint, the timing is certainly suspect (we're still waiting for a response to a request for comment from Walmart). Thompson has also reportedly sent letters to Amazon and Toys R Us requesting they stop taking pre-orders for the game.Thompson's argued that pre-selling Bully to children is "akin to a pharmaceutical company selling a new and controversial drug without prior FDA approval." This seems a little ridiculous to us -- assuming the game is rated M before its release (a relatively safe assumption), any store that took pre-orders could simply refund the money and refuse to give the game to any unaccompanied child that comes to pick it up. Preventing the 83 percent of console game purchasers that are adults from reserving a game just because children may try to get it seems to us like too draconian a response.
