Jack Thompson(that’s his personal site, for one that’s more informative check here on wikipedia), if any of you haven’t been following the controversy in the firestorm on the net, is a bastard lawyer who thinks that violent video games ought to be completely banned, and has basically attacked outright the entertainment industry.

While I may agree with his statements about not allowing minors access to these games, his methods are disturbing, his communications to video game industry leaders are bizarre, and his reliance on threats of lawsuits to stop people are sickening. In his “Modest Video Game Proposal” he suggests that if a company to make his game(where the character runs around shooting video game clerks, killing head honchos of video game companies, and other less than appropriate things), he would give $10,000 to charity.

Lesson #1: Don’t tempt geeks on the internet with the impossible, because they will achieve it.

There was a mod of a Grand Theft Auto created that did more or less just what he had proposed. And of course, it is a sham. He claims his proposal was a satire akin to Jonathon Swift…the only problem is that Swift was clever, whereas Thompson is a jackass. So he refused to give the $10 grand. Obviously.

Here’s where my respect for the Penny Arcade boys jumps through. They donated the $10,000 to charity out of their own pockets.

All well and good, internet dorks playing with falsely inflated ego of a lawyer. It is, however, in this article that he clearly shows his hypocritical nature and pissed me off more than enough to write a post about this.

” will say this though, the ‘video game community’ (what’s next, ‘the necromancy community’?) surely seems exercised about someone who is a ‘joke’ and who is accomplishing nothing. You all seem rather bothered and worried about a nonentity. God is in this battle, and I am privileged to be a foot soldier. You all should be concerned, not about me, but about Him.”-Jack Thompson

The reason Jack’s just a foot soldier, is that he has no grasp of tactics or the idea of the larger battle. His actions show this. There ought to have been no challenge to make an extremely violent video game for charity money. That charity money ought to already have been given. There ought to be no inertia given to make more violence in whatever form when enough of it is already there.

I wish Jack Thompson would not speak above his place. As evidenced, he sets in motion more of the violence he supposedly abhors, he galvanizes a community to defend itself(rightly or wrongly) rather than work with him to make sure that parents are well aware of what’s going on(which may or may not happen). Jack Thompson has acted, and his hubris will have consequences.

Jack Thompson is a foot soldier for a reason, and I hope that his acting out in manners CLEARLY AGAINST what he thinks he believes will not have worse consequences than the violence already inherent in society.

here’s my list of 10 video games…now these are clearly NOT the best, although some of my best did make it on the list, the idea here is which 10 you’d want with you for eternity, and you can only take 10. These are my picks:

• Super Mario 3
• Castlevania 3
• Mega Man 2
• Bionic Commando
• Panzer General 2
• Eternal Darkness
• Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening
• Wing Commander Privateer(the best comp game ever
• Final Fantasy 7
• Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader

not necessarily in any particular order.

in minnesota?

apparently.