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This is two days old, but I still can't believe it.
taken from http://www.gamespot.com/users/Hiroki...pbox;subject;1
original source http://gamepolitics.com/2007/09/21/j...se-in-florida/
Jack Thomspon Vs...Halo 3?
You have got to be kidding me.
Apparently even Jack Thompson wants in on the Halo 3 marketing blitz.
Honestly, after his attack against BioShock, an attack on Halo 3 probably shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. Fortunately for me, GamePolitics posted the official complaint Thompson issued to the Florida Bar, so let's get right into it.
Before even getting into the document, I think the most amusing thing is just how far off the deep end this man has gone. As I'm sure everyone remembers, this is the exact same thing that Jack tried to do with Bully. What did that get him? An official complaint filed with the Florida Bar and a psychiatric evaluation, to say nothing of the fact that the game came out anyway. Does he really expect the exact same complaint to work with a different game?
The first ridiculous thing is the date of the complaint. It was filed today, Friday, September 21, 2007. For those keeping track, Halo 3 is set to launch this coming Tuesday and all copies of the game are already in the hands of retailers. Is he expecting to be granted a hearing and successfully convince the court to block sale of the game in three days?
It gets better from there. He lists the complaint as being from "John B. Thompson on behalf of the state of Florida." Wow, this complaint really has merit. He's got everyone in the state of Florida behind him! Being a bit presumptuous Jack?
Next comes the legal jargon. Apparently Jack's problem is the future sale of Halo 3 to individuals under the age of 17. So what, he's Nostradamus now too? Even more amazing is that he cites the law he's invoking against Halo 3 and for the life of me I can't see where it mentions video games anywhere.
"...tend[s] to annoy the community, injure the health of the citizens in general, or corrupt the public morals...any house or place of prostitution, assignation, lewdness or any place or building where games of chance (i.e. gambling) are engaged in violation of law or any place where any law of the state is violated, shall be deemed guilty of maintaining a nuisance..."
Oh yeah, illegal gambling and prostitution. I can totally see a video game connection there.
The following section is easily the most amusing. In a section called "THE FACTS", Jack outlines all of the reasons that Halo 3 should be banned as a nuisance and swears, "so help [him] God" that they're all true. Well Jack, you're going to be needing a a lot of the big guy's help.
Thompson starts his list in grand fashion by being wrong from the get go, claiming that Microsoft and Best Buy (they're the only retail outlet selling the game apparently) are preparing to sell Halo 3 on October 25, 2007. Hm, maybe that's why he issued this today, he thinks he still has a month to block the game.
Jack's next line has got to be my favorite. "Halo 3 is a video game that allows the virtual reality player to rehearse violent acts resulting in the death of one's virtual victims", or for the less pretentious among us, "You kill people in this game." Wow, way to describe 99% of all video games. I love how he describes the gameplay as the rehearsal of violent acts that result in death. Yeah, I find whenever I'm faced with the task of killing hordes of invading aliens a video game is the best way to prepare.
Immediately following this he jumps right to the insanity we all know him for. He cites the DC Beltway Shootings and claims that Lee Boyd Malvo used Halo to train himself to fire a sniper rifle. In addition, Malvo's partner, John Muhammad, knew how effective Halo was at training killers as the army in which he served used the gam...er, "murder simulator" to train snipers to kill. First of all Jack, Halo had nothing to do with those attacks. Malvo was also found to have a scrap of paper referencing The Matrix in his pocket, that doesn't mean he shot those people in the name of Zion. Yeah, Malvo may have played Halo, a lot of us have, but that doesn't mean we all know how to fire sniper rifles. Also, if Muhammad truly was trained to snipe using Halo then that must have been one sorry excuse for an army. Personally, I have no idea how to operate a sniper rifle but I can guarantee you it isn't "Push the right analog stick and then press the right trigger." He tries to bring credibility to this claim by saying that the Halo connection was reported on NBC news. Yeah, and Jack reported the video game connection to the VTech shootings on the news before the killer was even identified. That doesn't change the fact that there was no connection.
Jack then proceeds to try and prove his claim using questionable studies, speculation, and outright nonsense. He then claims that the ESRB's existence is the industry acknowledging that violent games are harmful. Whatever you say Jack.
Lastly, he claims that last time he was chasing after Best Buy's ambulance they agreed to ID anyone when selling a Mature rated video game. In what he calls a "sting", Jack sent his own 15-year-old son to Best Buy to buy a copy of BioShock (I assume the concept of irony is lost on him), which he was able to do. Based on the fact that one person was able to buy an M rated game without being IDed Jack was successfully able to conclude that Best Buy is never going to ask for ID from anyone when selling an M rated game. Ever.
He then goes on to complain about how Microsoft is aggressively advertising the game to "teen boys" to ensure that it becomes "the best-selling video game of all time". I didn't know Microsoft was trying to beat Super Mario Bros. sales record. He goes on but honestly I'm getting sick just reading this dreck.
Seriously, Jack, man, get a hobby or something (one that isn't trying to censor any video game you deem worthy of censorship). This is yet another instance in which Jack shows us all that he isn't out for the good of the people. No, he's out for his own gain. How do I know this? Jack consistently only targets popular violent games, not just violent games. Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, BioShock, Halo, all huge names that are well known in the public eye but they're hardly the only violent games. What about Persona 3, where you have to shoot yourself in the head (though not with a real gun) to unleash your power? What about Sega's Yakuza series, where they drop more f-bombs than anyone ought to and where your means of disposing of your foes is through bloody and brutal hand to hand combat?
Seriously though, he's after Halo of all games. I've always referred to Halo as an M rated game that doesn try to live up to its rating. By that I mean that Halo's goal isn't to be ultraviolent and gory and thus achieve an M. No, Halo's only M rated offense is that when shot or otherwise dispatched, enemies bleed for the sake of realism. It's not even that violent. If you get a headshot with a sniper rifle does your Covenant foe's head explode into chunks of skull and brains? No, there's just a splatter of blood and he falls over dead. What about when you kill someone with a grenade? Do they get blown into bloody pieces that fly every which way? Once again no. They simply bleed, go rag-doll and fly through the air before hitting the ground. To top it all off, throughout the entire single player campaign you are never "rehearsing violent acts against" other humans. The enemies in all three of the games have been non-human aliens. Even though it has never been proven that violent games turn kids into killers, at least with Grand Theft Auto and its ilk you can argue that the game simulates reality at least a little. Halo has you take control of a genetically and cybernetically enhanced soldier fighting aliens. Even when you're in multiplayer you're fighting aliens or other cyborg soldiers. To top it all off, you're never going to find a real gun that operates using analog sticks.
So in closing, go ahead and file your complaint Jack. No one will care, the world will keep on spinning, and Halo fans everywhere, including fans from the state you submitted this complaint "on behalf of", Florida, will still be playing the game this Tuesday when it's officially released.
You have got to be kidding me.
Apparently even Jack Thompson wants in on the Halo 3 marketing blitz.
Honestly, after his attack against BioShock, an attack on Halo 3 probably shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. Fortunately for me, GamePolitics posted the official complaint Thompson issued to the Florida Bar, so let's get right into it.
Before even getting into the document, I think the most amusing thing is just how far off the deep end this man has gone. As I'm sure everyone remembers, this is the exact same thing that Jack tried to do with Bully. What did that get him? An official complaint filed with the Florida Bar and a psychiatric evaluation, to say nothing of the fact that the game came out anyway. Does he really expect the exact same complaint to work with a different game?
The first ridiculous thing is the date of the complaint. It was filed today, Friday, September 21, 2007. For those keeping track, Halo 3 is set to launch this coming Tuesday and all copies of the game are already in the hands of retailers. Is he expecting to be granted a hearing and successfully convince the court to block sale of the game in three days?
It gets better from there. He lists the complaint as being from "John B. Thompson on behalf of the state of Florida." Wow, this complaint really has merit. He's got everyone in the state of Florida behind him! Being a bit presumptuous Jack?
Next comes the legal jargon. Apparently Jack's problem is the future sale of Halo 3 to individuals under the age of 17. So what, he's Nostradamus now too? Even more amazing is that he cites the law he's invoking against Halo 3 and for the life of me I can't see where it mentions video games anywhere.
"...tend[s] to annoy the community, injure the health of the citizens in general, or corrupt the public morals...any house or place of prostitution, assignation, lewdness or any place or building where games of chance (i.e. gambling) are engaged in violation of law or any place where any law of the state is violated, shall be deemed guilty of maintaining a nuisance..."
Oh yeah, illegal gambling and prostitution. I can totally see a video game connection there.
The following section is easily the most amusing. In a section called "THE FACTS", Jack outlines all of the reasons that Halo 3 should be banned as a nuisance and swears, "so help [him] God" that they're all true. Well Jack, you're going to be needing a a lot of the big guy's help.
Thompson starts his list in grand fashion by being wrong from the get go, claiming that Microsoft and Best Buy (they're the only retail outlet selling the game apparently) are preparing to sell Halo 3 on October 25, 2007. Hm, maybe that's why he issued this today, he thinks he still has a month to block the game.
Jack's next line has got to be my favorite. "Halo 3 is a video game that allows the virtual reality player to rehearse violent acts resulting in the death of one's virtual victims", or for the less pretentious among us, "You kill people in this game." Wow, way to describe 99% of all video games. I love how he describes the gameplay as the rehearsal of violent acts that result in death. Yeah, I find whenever I'm faced with the task of killing hordes of invading aliens a video game is the best way to prepare.
Immediately following this he jumps right to the insanity we all know him for. He cites the DC Beltway Shootings and claims that Lee Boyd Malvo used Halo to train himself to fire a sniper rifle. In addition, Malvo's partner, John Muhammad, knew how effective Halo was at training killers as the army in which he served used the gam...er, "murder simulator" to train snipers to kill. First of all Jack, Halo had nothing to do with those attacks. Malvo was also found to have a scrap of paper referencing The Matrix in his pocket, that doesn't mean he shot those people in the name of Zion. Yeah, Malvo may have played Halo, a lot of us have, but that doesn't mean we all know how to fire sniper rifles. Also, if Muhammad truly was trained to snipe using Halo then that must have been one sorry excuse for an army. Personally, I have no idea how to operate a sniper rifle but I can guarantee you it isn't "Push the right analog stick and then press the right trigger." He tries to bring credibility to this claim by saying that the Halo connection was reported on NBC news. Yeah, and Jack reported the video game connection to the VTech shootings on the news before the killer was even identified. That doesn't change the fact that there was no connection.
Jack then proceeds to try and prove his claim using questionable studies, speculation, and outright nonsense. He then claims that the ESRB's existence is the industry acknowledging that violent games are harmful. Whatever you say Jack.
Lastly, he claims that last time he was chasing after Best Buy's ambulance they agreed to ID anyone when selling a Mature rated video game. In what he calls a "sting", Jack sent his own 15-year-old son to Best Buy to buy a copy of BioShock (I assume the concept of irony is lost on him), which he was able to do. Based on the fact that one person was able to buy an M rated game without being IDed Jack was successfully able to conclude that Best Buy is never going to ask for ID from anyone when selling an M rated game. Ever.
He then goes on to complain about how Microsoft is aggressively advertising the game to "teen boys" to ensure that it becomes "the best-selling video game of all time". I didn't know Microsoft was trying to beat Super Mario Bros. sales record. He goes on but honestly I'm getting sick just reading this dreck.
Seriously, Jack, man, get a hobby or something (one that isn't trying to censor any video game you deem worthy of censorship). This is yet another instance in which Jack shows us all that he isn't out for the good of the people. No, he's out for his own gain. How do I know this? Jack consistently only targets popular violent games, not just violent games. Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, BioShock, Halo, all huge names that are well known in the public eye but they're hardly the only violent games. What about Persona 3, where you have to shoot yourself in the head (though not with a real gun) to unleash your power? What about Sega's Yakuza series, where they drop more f-bombs than anyone ought to and where your means of disposing of your foes is through bloody and brutal hand to hand combat?
Seriously though, he's after Halo of all games. I've always referred to Halo as an M rated game that doesn try to live up to its rating. By that I mean that Halo's goal isn't to be ultraviolent and gory and thus achieve an M. No, Halo's only M rated offense is that when shot or otherwise dispatched, enemies bleed for the sake of realism. It's not even that violent. If you get a headshot with a sniper rifle does your Covenant foe's head explode into chunks of skull and brains? No, there's just a splatter of blood and he falls over dead. What about when you kill someone with a grenade? Do they get blown into bloody pieces that fly every which way? Once again no. They simply bleed, go rag-doll and fly through the air before hitting the ground. To top it all off, throughout the entire single player campaign you are never "rehearsing violent acts against" other humans. The enemies in all three of the games have been non-human aliens. Even though it has never been proven that violent games turn kids into killers, at least with Grand Theft Auto and its ilk you can argue that the game simulates reality at least a little. Halo has you take control of a genetically and cybernetically enhanced soldier fighting aliens. Even when you're in multiplayer you're fighting aliens or other cyborg soldiers. To top it all off, you're never going to find a real gun that operates using analog sticks.
So in closing, go ahead and file your complaint Jack. No one will care, the world will keep on spinning, and Halo fans everywhere, including fans from the state you submitted this complaint "on behalf of", Florida, will still be playing the game this Tuesday when it's officially released.
original source http://gamepolitics.com/2007/09/21/j...se-in-florida/
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