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Jack Thompson interview: NIU shootout related to violent video games

Posted Feb 15, 2008 at 9:08AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: News, Titles Tags: Florida, Fox News, Illinois, Jack Thompson, Virginia

Florida attorney and anti-video game activist Jack Thompson - Image 1

A new campus shooting incident has attracted the attention of Florida-based attorney Jack Thompson. This latest incident took place in North Illinois University, where Stephen Kazmierczak, a 27-year old graduate killed seven people including himself.

In an interview with Fox News, Thompson linked this latest tragedy with studies from Harvard brainscans which can simulate violent behavior through "simulators called video games". He also cited previous cases such as the Virginia Tech shootings and other similar incidents, pinning the blame on violent video games.

In a related e-mail sent by Jack Thompson to GamePolitics, he related his crusade to his ongoing struggle with the Florida Bar:

I am certain that the past and future survivors of these incidents will not fully understand why The Florida Bar is seeking to destroy a latter-day Paul RevereÂ… for his telling the truth about companies and lawyers that are spawning, for money, these types of events.

You can watch Thompson's statement released on Fox News this morning about the incident in the video below.

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He lost his job to someone who played Counter-Strike and now acts like a political know-it-all for game related events.

Just because 1 million people have fun getting headshots and knifing people does not mean that 1 million shootings are going to happen. I think that 10 people who have mental problems can play a game or watch a movie and not know what they are doing is wrong or feel that it is.

This guy just wants the billions of dollars the entertainment industry gets.

# This is weak! — Billie 2008-02-15 10:47

The sad thing is that when I first heard about this horrible schooting, the first thing that came to mind was: Jack Thompson is going to use this to get media attention.

# unknown — vitz3 2008-02-15 10:53

Which is the idiot? Thompson, Fox News or both?

# . — Naroon Kasui 2008-02-15 10:59

Too bad no one supports his sorry ass. He played video games and sucked horribly at them, so now he dedicates his entire life to trying to ruin the game industry.

He did and is failing very horribly at it.

# he needs to go to hell — death69 2008-02-15 11:07

I woudl email him and tell him to suck my D

but I might get sued

He needs to stop feeding off these shootings lol If I went nuts and shot people the last thing in the world you could blame would be violent vid games.... I play fantasy RPG's not shooters lol

Oh ***** I beat a guy to death with a hammer it must be donkey kongs fault bring up nintendo on charges shakes head

# lol — Hekynn 2008-02-15 11:18

jeez this guy need to chill out man video games is not the answer to every little shootout man.

# JACK THOMPSON — StingBlah 2008-02-15 11:20

FTW!! HE ROX!

# Yup, mental people — Flashlegz 2008-02-15 11:31

I agree, besides that I'd look at how easy it is to get hold of a gun, since you'd need one of those to shoot someone.

If someone's going out there with the intention of killing people that's crazy.

# . — triac 2008-02-15 11:56

Weird. Everytime a shooting like this happens, Jack "Videogames kill people" Thompsons pops up just seconds later and says "Videogames are the cause of his shooting".

# I agree — Mr Toasty 2008-02-15 12:01

Couldn't have said it better myself. He just needs to shut up for once and be respectful.

# ***** — Jozz2006 2008-02-15 12:39

Jack your a big ***** he only did it because he stoped taking his meds what a ***** head.

# what an ass — Mexicanmade 2008-02-15 12:57

seriously he is doing this for fame. he needs to go get laid

# I'm so sick of this guy — Master Chef 2008-02-15 13:29

It's like he hopes these things happen, like he sits on the edge of his seat just waiting for something tragic so he can blame it on video games the same day. I don't think he even cares that it happened, he just wants attention.

# uhhhhh.... — Kingofdaberbz 2008-02-15 14:17

don't know what 2 say when will he give up.Games don't kill people,people kill people.Video games are in no way responsible 4 this atrocity.Murder existed since the beginning

of time WHEN VIDEO GAMES DIDN'T EXIST.He's a terrible lawyer with too much time on his hands.

# tisk tisk... — eggwonder 2008-02-15 14:29

@ Kingofdaberbz

"Games don't kill people,people kill people."

correction. people don't kill people, people with guns kill people.

-my 2 cents

p.s.: if jack blamed the guns in school shootings he might be liked more, but who knows...

# yeah yeah — platon 2008-02-15 14:39

Man, I thought I was playing video games... what the hell was I doing? I mean, I can't be a gamer since I'm not a killer right?

Another one who won his diploma in a crackle jack box.

# yea figured... — iNN3rTuRm0iL 2008-02-15 14:53

Pretty much as soon as i heard about the shooting, I was like, "Jack Thompsons gonna jump all over this *****".

Video gamers are to 1337 to kill people in RL.

# Thats actually true! — Eclipze_ 2008-02-15 15:11

He was on meds, but when he stoped taking them I guess he went nuts and the shootout happen. This has nothing to do with video games..

Counter strike isnt even as bloody as some games show how the hell does this make you into a killer?

I wonder what you QJ staff members think about this?

# we're not playing games platon — Eclipze_ 2008-02-15 15:14

We're playing simulators O_O

I cant believe it, I thought flight simulator and gran turismo were the only sims.. OH and Sims (--_-- obviously), and armored core..

# LOL — Kingofdaberbz 2008-02-15 15:40

LOL!!!!!! wow I guess ur right ROFL!!1

# .. — Binary 2008-02-15 15:53

If I was over there, you guys will see my fist coming from the side and nock him the ***** out. then I'll say to fox news 'Video games is not the cause of this, that man is *****ing idiot!"

# Just as I predicted — snake2006 2008-02-15 16:53

Some crazed gunman shoots up a university and the ambulance chaser shows up, Jack Thompson.

Yes, it must have been video games that caused this idiot to snap, even though there is no evidence to the contrary, just like Virgina Tech, which had nothing to do with games at all in the end, yet he accused that gunman of snapping from violent games.

# .....dismal...... — org3rulz 2008-02-15 17:10

Jesus Jack Thompson why don't you ban paintball and super soakers too? They're almost like guns its like a "simulator" of a real gun.

This guy was on MEDS what do u expect when he doesn't take them?

Why Counter Strike of all games? I play Counter Strike and loads of other FPS's and trust me I'm not about to go and shoot my entire class (even if some of them deserve it).

I don't get why the minute something like this happens this fool goes out and blames video games. I also don't get why they NEVER absolutely NEVER blame the gun manufacturers. I mean why give a gun to a guy on MEDS?

PS : Yes I know my opinions are old but I felt like letting it out especially after I saw the vid.

# ..............even more dismal............ — org3rulz 2008-02-15 17:14

ohh and someone who has studied school shootings? PLEASE fox don't give this guy media attention he doesn't deserve leave us and him alone.

# lol — CommanderZero 2008-02-15 17:33

i cant wait for the day theres a school shooting or something to that effect, Jack will jump out saying its video game related, only to find out the person hasn't touched a video game console in his/her life. and even after that kind of ownage hed still go on and on.

# hmm — CommanderZero 2008-02-15 17:35

maybe someone should do something to him instead of schools...make the world a better place at least.

# BRAINSCAN — RFx4 2008-02-15 19:51

thanks for reminding me BRAINSCAN is a sweet movie to d/l

# Gone in 60 seconds. — somemadcaaant 2008-02-15 20:57

Love how he lost his train of thought while rifling thru his "memory banks", to find more excuses to verbaly bash video games... then only had his so called book to fall back on?! which they deleted parts of?! His book doesn't even sound up to scratch!

Obviously too easily confused with his own thoughts to be any real credit to himself or any1 he represents.

# Right.. — Raqoon 2008-02-16 03:28

This guy always brings me to a boiling point..

He's blaming videogames..what about all the war propaganda and gun sales in america..i bet that has nothing to do with all this ***** thats happening...

# 4theLulz — Lunisneko 2008-02-16 05:29

So, who thinks we shouls sign this guy up for daily horse porn until he goes insane or finds a new "hobby"? No, no.... That would be "wrong". So you probably "shouldn't" sign him up for daily horse porn. Definately "not".

# Hey it could be Thompson's fault! — 81camaro 2008-02-16 08:02

In the video, he says there was a chapter of his book which was deleted of a student going out onto a stage of an auditorium with a shotgun. Maybe that got leaked to the internet or the kid somehow got hold of this chapter of his book and thought, "hey that's a good idea." So this could be Thompson's fault for giving the kid the idea.

# . — xslayer91 2008-02-16 08:19

That is a good point

# lol — RockmanForte 2008-02-16 11:51

This picture is old. Change it. :)

# idiot — Jimihendrix 2008-02-16 13:31

Everyone plays half-life counter strike. its a good game, Killing in a game is completely different from killing some one in real life.

I play violent video games but if i tried killing someone i would have a hard time doing it.

Most of these shootings are people that are mentally challenged and have a real hard life.

# . — mysterysword 2008-02-17 05:59

The only way this could be the cause of video games, is if the guy was unable to differentiate fantasy from reality. As other people were saying, it's a mental disability. The content of the game doesn't matter, as long as the gamer him/herself knows it's not reality. And if someone of that age couldn't differentiate the two, then that's a serious mental problem, and people like that should not play video games.

# the guy is a christian? — shabghai360 2008-02-17 09:43

well Jesus chose 12 and 1 was a bad egg. Theory would say that 1 in 12 is possibly bad. Now if this were true then a city with 12 million would mean 1 million bad people and if this were true then if 1% of the bad people were mentally unstable then we have a problem as that would mean 10,000 possible nutters and if they have access to guns then its time to call Houston as we really have a problem.

# actually — iamback(unregistered) 2008-02-18 05:06

I don't know, Jack might have a point. I mean just the other day, I was playing pac man, and after finishing the game, I suddenly had a craving for dots. I started eating anything round shaped. I then proceeded to find some exceptionally large tylenol pills, which I ate. Suddenly, everyone turned blue, and I ate them. I then saw some ghosts on the street, and they were moving really really fast. So, I jumped out in front of one, and I tried eating it (it was blue). For some reason, I heard the ghost honk real loudly, and it swerved. Unfortunately, the ghost still ran over me. I died. Avenge me!

... Ok, in all seriousness though, sometimes when I finish playing a fighting game (like tekken), I do suddenly have an urge to go to the local dojo to beat up on people ;P

# Jack the VideoGame Ripper — SolidXnake 2008-02-28 07:54

That's his new name from now on!

I remember Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II - I saw a few people including myself quoting Scorpion " Get Over here" or "Subzero, Wins Flawless Victory, Fatality" - Or maybe SFII - " Hadouken" and "Sonic Boom" But yet I dont remember punching someone or doing a fatality or animality -

So first Mortal Kombat then GTA and then every other game that there is.

Jack has and endless battle against videogames and he seems to be the only one that doesnt' get it. Videogame is the way of the future.

I feel sorry for his teen kids watching Dora, Elmo and Barney..

"What color is the sky?....(jeopardy song)..(kid ->)"RED" "Alright the sky is Blue"

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