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"Jack Thompson": I'm a game violence expert and BioShock is in trouble

Posted Aug 17, 2007 at 4:40AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: Jack Thompson, New York, New York Times, Rapture, Verbatim

It seems Florida-based lawyer Jack Thompson's at it again, and apparently the latest item in his agenda is to appear in an upcoming episode of Dr. Phil as a "game violence expert" - with the host of the show himself, Dr. Phil, inviting the attorney over. This bit of news comes from a comment posted on a recent Game Politics article, with the poster bearing the name of none other than Jack Thompson himself. Here's the statement, verbatim:

You all can relax. Dr. PhilÂ’s people called me last week, and at that point they were going to take the show in the direction of video game violence. They indicated they wanted me on the show. I got a call yesterday, and they decided to take the show in a different direction, with the focus on role-playing game addiction. They have a girl who has that problem.

Look, IÂ’m giving you the straight scoop here, so knock off the flaming at least in response to this. Dr. PhilÂ’s people were very nice, very professional, and quite enthusiastic. Of course, Dr. Phil was spot-on after V-Tech, given the link to video game play by Cho substantiated by the New York Times and the Washington Post (you wonÂ’t read about that here).

Of course, with Internet anonymity and GamePolitics' commenting system not needing any sort of verification to post, it certainly does read like some of the past statements the attorney has made. It's also worth noting that in a more recent article, the individual posting as Jack Thompson also made note of upcoming horror FPS Bioshock(Xbox 360, PC), promising quite a hard time for Take-Two. The comment itself:

By the way, since Dennis McCauley has proven once again, by this thread, his Jack Thompson obsession, please note that big trouble is on the way for Take-Two re Bioshock. Hooah!

Is BioShock going to be the next game in Mr. Jack Thompson's sights? While the game certainly has violence - lots of it - it also supports a gameplay where you can use the environment (and your Plasmid abilities) to approach the game in a less violent and more stealthy, security-alarm-evading manner.

There's also the decision of either killing or saving Little Girls - probably the only ones left "sane" in Rapture - after defeating the Big Daddies that travel with them. In my opinion, that certainly gives Bioshock an edge over the other, more violent titles out there, if we're to nitpick violence in videogames itself.

Certainly a very interesting update in the case of Jack Thompson. What about you, dear readers? What's your two cents in the matter? Let us know by your comments below.

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Jack .... there's something called... CHOISE... and FREEDOM

when you got those 2 you can publish whatever the ***** you want.... and it will get rated THEN... people will make a CHOISE of buying it or not...

this guy have to be stopped... if he continues... even cooking mama willl be in danger... ¬¬

# DR. PHIL — Guest 2007-08-17 06:28

DR. PHIL CALLED ME AND NOT YOU, FOR A REASON. HOOAH!

# OH MY ***** — Guest 2007-08-17 06:28

This is *****ing absurd!!! Jack Thompson is a *****ing whore. He has absolutely no life. He needs to get his head out of his ass and maybe play a game or two. If he can accuse video games of causing violence in kids then why the ***** isn't he going after movies, and magazines, and tv. I hate him so much, he makes me sick. And to think that Dr. Phil would have him on his show... god that makes me hate dr. phil two... Sluts. OMFG!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

# he does have a point — AoxomamoxoA 2007-08-17 06:45

Well in all fairness I do get a lot more angry and violent when I visit underwater cities now that Ive played the Bioshock demo. Every time I see a mutated citizen I just wanna shock em with lightning or throw a fireball at them, whatever gets the job done...

# seriously — Guest 2007-08-17 07:22

i think jack thomson may actually be the devil himself...

# Bioshock — Guest 2007-08-17 07:58

The ONLY reason Jack is going to come down on Bioshock is because of the portrayal of violence against 'little girls'. I'd be amazed if no one saw this day coming once Irrational announced it's inclusion.

Anyway.... did anyone besides me, ever stop to wonder about Jack's own mental condition?

The every day gamer sees the violence as it's meant to be (or rather doesn't even notice it beyond it's vehicular purpose). A mentally unbalanced player on the other hand probably sees it on a whole different level. Fixating on the details, the blood, the revulsion, the pain and suffering.

Now, what does Jack see when he watches a game? He's afraid of what it makes HIM feel when he sees it. Yeah, that *****er is more likely to kill someone than any of us!

Think about it...

# hmmm — Guest 2007-08-17 08:36

I'm just wondering why he didn't come down on it earlier, their have been several videos since E3 and probably hundreds of article about it. And he says something about during the demo? I think Jack doesn't do his research well enough. He probably just sees the commercials and says, "OH RIGHT! ANOTHER GAME I CAN ATTACK TO MAKE ME LOOK GOOD". And probably doesn't even try to play the game, he'll just ask, "IS IT VIOLENT? THEN IT WAS MADE BY THE DEVIL!".

He should realize that video games have just every right to be violent as movies and television. Video Games are just another artistic art-form that people can express themselves through. Jack Thompson is brushing a big red x over developers games and basically calling them wrong.

I'll will only accept Jack Thompson's opinion if he plays every nook and cranny of Bioshock himself and not just watch some short video clip. I bet he doesn't even know the storyline to bioshock.

# Bullsh*t — Guest 2007-08-17 08:54

It's ridiculous. All these pundits say the same thing, that the companies are marketing to children.

That is bullsh*t.

Statistics show that the average gamer is over 30 years of age. This type of game is geared to adult gamers (i am 30 years old). The breadth and depth of this game is not something a 12 year old would enjoy.

Go after the real problem, Jackie Boy! The retailers that sell to minors and/or the parents that buy M rated games for their kids. There is a real lack of responsibility for people's own children these days, but that is not a problem that can be solved by witholding all stimulating media from the public.

# choice — Guest 2007-08-17 09:01

there's also something called spelling

# really — Guest 2007-08-17 09:05

Really who gives a damn what the next game Jack Thompson "targets" he never makes any real progress in his crusades. The guys a complete and total fake, hes cashing in on violence, an ambulance chaser. Even the mass media has caught on to how dumb this guy is(theres a video on youtube where chris matthews rips JT pretty good). The reason why he hasnt attacked this sooner was because he was under the impression gta4 would be out and he would have that to parade as the decline of our society. JT is just a fool, he often targets games he knows absolutely nothing about.He claims CS teaches kids to kill-and that it was made by Microsoft. Maybe he should look into Americas Army, it wasnt made to TEACH kids to kill but rather get them interested in killing so that they would join the Army. Really when you listen to him speak he doesnt even sound remotely intelligent, all i can stare at is his gangly teeth and think about how perfect he would look infront of a church in the backwaters somewhere in LA.

# Same! — Guest 2007-08-17 09:19

yea i took a vacation to atlantis over the summer...i actually set someone on fire

# Good lord.. — Guest 2007-08-17 09:20

Oi! Thompson! Sod off. Leave our games alone. If somebody is offended by Bioshock, then they won't play it, simple as that. The 18+ rating is there for a reason, to keep small kids from playing it, and if some retarded mum buys it for her kid, then that's her fault, not ours. Video games offer the opportunity for you to do something you normally couldn't, such as joining the army (Ghost Recon), driving a flash car (Forza 2, PGR 4) , or indeed, being a criminal (Grand Theft Auto, which doesn't teach kids to jack cars, or kill people. It's a crime SIMULATOR. Learn that word well, thompson.), but the fact is, if somebody goes on a killing spree after playing Manhunt or GTA, then something was wrong with them in the first place. I've never gone out to kill people after playing a game, and nobody else has either. So, do keep your mouth shut, you freaky grey-haired nonce!

# yea — Guest 2007-08-17 09:20

completely agree with you...scary thought

# . — Guest 2007-08-17 09:46

Might not wanna call gta a crime siumlator, might fuel the fire. Its a game, it has gameplay mechanics never has gta come close to being realistic.

# ... — Guest 2007-08-17 10:03

"Of course, Dr. Phil was spot-on after V-Tech, given the link to video game play by Cho substantiated by the New York Times and the Washington Post (you won’t read about that here)."

You mean how Cho didn't own a single video game system? Ooh, right. You suck, Jack.

# none — Guest 2007-08-17 10:12

agreed

# .. — Guest 2007-08-17 10:14

this guy is a f ucking idiot. i hat e him so fu cking much. people like him are the reason videogames are also said to be bad. there a fuc king art form and if parents think that there kids can handle games like this then its there choice. m games mean mature and if parents think there kids are mature enough to handle it then they should buy them for them. hes is a complete fuc king idiot.

# ... — Guest 2007-08-17 10:18

i feel like taking a copy of bioshock, fear, gta san andreas, and everything else, going up to him saying i want to kill people because i played these game(As a joke). then punch him in the face and beat the living ***** out of this guy. what an ***** to the videogame industry

# . — Guest 2007-08-17 10:52

How about ignoring the fact that he may not be from USA or England and focus on the god damn point about his post?

# well... — Guest 2007-08-17 10:53

yeah i gotta admit, the violence against little girls is beyond anything else that's been done.

a game where you kill adults is one thing,but killing children shouldn't be allowed.

it doesn't matter if you have the option to save them,it still doesn't make it right.

i understand it's based on a book,but there's a fine line between reading it and doing it in game.

it's not even something you see in movies,killing kids or things that look like kids is just sick and wrong.

even doing so in ninety nine nights when you killed goblin kids was disgusting.

oddly this game gets an M.

having sex is evil and wrong.

killing little girls is perfectly acceptable?

# Ladies and Gentleman... — Guest 2007-08-17 10:56

Axoxomamoxoa has finally admitted that he has a serious problem. He suffers from hallucinations, retardness and Loneliness...

# HAHAHAHA — Guest 2007-08-17 11:21

Have you guys ever seen Jack Thompson on TV? ROFLCOPTER the guy looks like someone you'd see on Mad TV or SNL. ROFL

# whatever — Guest 2007-08-17 12:28

That's where people like Jack Thompson fail.

Within the context of this game, the child isn't a defenseless minor. Her and the Big Daddy may be presented as two seperate entities but when it comes down to the encounter, you may as well be fighting one huge mofo with a childlike mind. If the child's head was grafted into the body of the Big Daddy a la Total Recall, it would be a non issue. But would it be any different, really?

Also within the context of the game, your character is fighting for his very survival. It's a moral dilemma your CHARACTER has to make amidst the insanity around him.

Children are occasionally killed in movies too, it's just not usually shown. Correct me if i'm wrong but the very same thing happens in Bioshock. You don't see your character killing them.

This isn't a black and white case of child killing in the game drawing a parallel to the real world. This doesn't happen in the real world. Those little sisters are not stabbing huge syringes into corpses due to a childlike naivity. They have been turned insane just like everyone else. This is interactive fiction and anyone who cannot distinguish between the two has a problem that gaming did not cause.

Jack Thompson is so screwed up because he's either, someone who cannot distinguish between the two himself, believes everyone sees what he sees and chooses to simply ignore it, or he thinks the rest of the population are all potential basket cases, incapable of seeing what the horrific taint streaming from their screens is doing to their tiny minds.

Either way, he is dead wrong.

# Buy Quick — Guest 2007-08-17 12:35

I'll be sure to pick up my copy early before they decide to censor it. I knew the killing little girls thing would come up sooner or later.

# LOL — Guest 2007-08-17 13:09

I agree 100%

# Gay — Guest 2007-08-17 14:17

Irrational was actually gonna make it so you could shoot the little girls on camera and watch em die. They changed it so the screen goes black and green lights pop up if you decide to kill em and harvest their ADAM, you don't get to see it. I guess even that wasn't enough to keep this clown Thompson away.

# safe — Guest 2007-08-17 15:15

i doubt he is a foreigner even if he is his overall grammer is too good for him to be mis-spelling a word like choice.

Besides choice isnt the issue here thompson says these games are harmful to kids and thats why kids shouldnt play them, i really dont see the relevance in repeating the word choice as that isnt the problem. Its up to us as rational minded gamers to show that there is no long term damage resulting from playing violent video games.

And if jack was right in what he was saying that gta causes shooting sprees in schools i would agree with his actions regardless of choice and freedom just as i wouldnt allow a toddler the choice of being allowed to hold a gun but the fact is jacks whole idea on the matter is just blatantly wrong and not thought out.

# meh... — Guest 2007-08-17 15:20

This guy places false evidence on Cho saying he played video games to make him feel calmer when he kills people, and he said that pretty much an hour later after the shootings. The guy is a *****ing idiot. In the gaming world, his death will be celebrated as much as when Saddam Hussein died

# You know whats funny — Stealth! 2007-08-17 23:48

This is fake news, anyone can pose as JT or his Attorney. But i wouldn't be surprise if he would go after bioshock, but as far as im concerned this is fake.

# haha — Guest 2007-08-18 00:32

i love how angry and aggressive all your posts are in a sense by shouting abuse your just confirming the thing your trying to ignore. In a feeble mind video games can cause violence its been proved so why try to pretend it doesn't exist? instead suggest ways to stop little kids getting hold of the games, because the problem is people let their kids play these freaking games, and in my mind they should be heavily penalised for subjecting their kids to it. A young mind is very easily lead. and its proven that if all you do is play video games then your the part of your mind that is based on motor skills becomes more developed and the rest stays where it is creating a child who cant express themselves and therefore ends up aggressive.

# It is really. — Guest 2007-08-18 06:07

But, really, it is. Granted, the storyline is more often than not, about mobsters, but GTA is a game for people who want to try things out without harming real people. Like, if someone watched Die Hard 4, saw the bit with the fighter plane, and thought "Well, I wonder if I could? I'll go test in GTA:San Andreas!"

# me ur a douche bag — Guest 2007-08-18 07:03

The games that contain the violence aren't *****ing meant for lil kids, they are labeled M for Mature. So for Jack to attack the gaming industry cuz of video game violence and the effect on kids is *****ING RIDICULOUS!!! He needs a giant ***** in his mouth and he needs to STFU and RTFM. Maybe you could be the next Jack Thompson you dumb *****!

# lmfao another 1st person shooter anyways — Guest 2007-08-18 13:43

ps3 FTW

# Jack Thomspon — Guest 2007-08-18 14:14

we need a anti Jack thompson, a high profile lawyer who will sue the pants off him for trying to ruin the gaming world by being a Nazi scumbag

# Time — Guest 2007-08-18 16:45

lawsuits take time. he needs to gather and twist evidence to suithis needs then file the suit then wait for it to get approved. or denied.

# ***** JACK TOMPSON — Guest 2007-08-21 21:44

just because hes a lawyer he thinks everyone should listen to him I BET HES NEVER EVEN PLAYED ON THE MOST SIMPLE GAMES LIKE PACMAN AND TETRIS THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO SHOULD HAVE A SAY IN WHATS BAD IN VIDEO GAMES ARE GAMERS THEMSELVES AND THATS STILL QUITE BAD

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"Jack Thompson": I'm a game violence expert and BioShock is in trouble

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