Thompson takes on San Andreas via retailers
New lawsuit announced in Florida
GTA and games industry critic and pursuer lawyer Jack Thompson has taken a different tact with his latest case in Florida, in which he plans to take on retailer Best Buy, for selling the latest instalment of the Grand Theft Auto series: San Andreas. In a statement related to the case, Thompson describes the new GTA as a "murder simulation game in which the black villain "CJ," acting out every black stereotype that only an all-white video game company-Take 2 Interactive of New York-could come up with, takes over an entire state with cop-killing, gang-banging, and unrestrained killing of innocent citizens."
"Only an all-male company could produce this game, which trains the kids playing it to have sex with prostitutes and then run them over with their cars to get their money back," the enraged lawyer added, before attacking retailer Best Buy for breaking promises not to sell M-rated titles to minors.
"The lawsuit's purpose is to stop this charade," continues Thompson, adding that new proof connecting violent games - specifically GTA Vice City - with real-world violence, will be presented at the court. Thompson hopes the case will enforce further restrictions on the sale of games Stateside. We'll keep you posted, of course.
Comments
this is very correct but at the same time its a hell of a game
guess his girlfriend must have left him for a GTA gamer
Mr. Thompson's statement about the "black villian" and how he claims Take-Two's all-white company (which it isn't, by the way) too advantage of an African American character to portray them as crooks. Hasn't the same supposed all-white company produced two games prior to San Andreas, both with caucasian main characters, also portrayed as thieves and killers? According to Mr. Thompson, not only is Take-Two all-white, it's also all-male. Wrong again. Rockstar Games and Rockstar North employ numerous females, many with positions that are vital to the company. Grand Theft Auto is a charade to Thompson; but to me, Thompson's argument is the charade. He should check for water before diving into the pool.
Moron.
one word B*U*L*L*S*H*I*T*
Back when this guy wanted to sue Rockstar Games for publishing GTA, I wrote Mr. Thompson a lengthy email, outlining every aspect of his stance and how he had no argumentative support for his accusations. Needless to say, I never received a response.
Where's the link? Did you guys interview him in Florida, make it up, or steal the quotes ?
why go kill people when u can kill people on gta... it takes much less effort
oh wait, maybe gta is contributing to my laziness... time to sue best buy!!!!!!!!!
Jack Thompson = Neo Nazi
Plain and simple. If he doesn't like living in freedom here in the US, he should stop being an ambulance chasing lawyer, and instead he ought to take his Fascist views to where they will be effective, like Communist China. And please, take that other Nazi named Joe Lieberman with you, Jacky boy.
We all disagree with this guy. But to call him a nazi is rediculous. Don't be an idiot, don't call everyone you disagree with a nazi. Do you even know what a nazi is? Probable not, moron.
lmao at the Nazi one, we all know who the Nazis are.
anyway, the guys a nut
Wow. What an idiot. I haven't seen anything so idiotic since I last Jackass (I think I'll shall call Mr.Thompson Jackass from now on. The name suits him.)
Jackass obviously has some mental problems. Does he not realise that these games are just as violent as most movies, and children only need to switch the TV on to see violent movies such as 'Scarface' (an influence of Vice City).
Jackass, if you see this, wise yourself up. Violence is all around us in life and there no point in sheltering us from it - it makes it worse for us when we do witness it. I live in and grew up in Northern Ireland see violence every day, I have even on occasion been victim to it. Life is violent. I hope you realise that.
Nazi Germany began when Hitler and the Nazis ruled and controlled media and free speech. This is to ensure that no one would disagree or voice opposition to the propaganda that the Nazi party wanted to instill on people (especially the youth, which is what the Hitler Youth was all about - regulate newspapers, regulate what youth were to be taught at school, etc.). This Thompson character is virtually doing the exact same thing. He is deciding that because he doesn't like video games, they ought to be removed from the public, even if others do like the games. So there is justification in calling this Thompson character a Nazi, since the actions that started Nazi Germany and the actions of this Thompson character, are strikingly similar, whether the end results are the same or not.
I'll be the devil's advocate: I think he's got a point (in relation to children playing the game). When I played GTA3 I used to find myself driving along, thinking about ramming the car in front of me, or running someone over to see if they had a gun. These thoughts cross my mind, and I'm a full grown adult.
Obviously I know that such actions would have consequences, but consider a young child having the same responses to this game. A child's understanding of the actions vs consequences is not as developed. In fact, his realization of the consequences has been conditioned by the game in that the consequences of his actions are insignificant.
Bottom line is that the parents are responsible. But how do you make the parents accountable?
Oh, and Rankin, "life is violent" is a poor argument, no matter where you are from. Life also has sh*t in it, that doesn't mean you need to be surrounded by it.
Yeah, be careful when you start making serious comparisons to Nazism.
This Thomson guy is concerned that this game promotes unnecessary violence - and he wants to STOP perpetuating stereotypes. These are hardly Nazi-like aspirations.
I don't understand why this guy keeps trying. He needs to get a job and earn money the normal way because he's never gonna win these stupid lawsuits. Jack Thompson is just a waste of everyones' time and tax money. His arguments are so poor and stupid and make no sense.
What can I say. The greedy moron wants a piece of tasty Rockstar/Take 2's pie. It's obvious. The same reason why Mike Tyson did the time in jail, Michael Jackson suffers constant charges, to name a few. Jack, come on, we see you through. Be a man, don't be a parasite.
This type of arguments was used when the video first appeared, remember. We would all become killers after we had watched the chainsaw massacre and so on... When the radio appeared it was the same. When Rock & Roll appeared the same happened. When blues appeard the same again. The problem is that many people are VERY afraid of changes. CHANGES are EVIL so stop all changes. This guy is obviosly afraid of changes or he maybe thinks that he has found a way to make big bucks suing companies for whatever he cames up with.
I find the lawsuit thing hilarious. Mr Thompson seems to think that every person who plays GTA is going to want to go out and kill prostitutes/drive dangerously/etc etc. This is not the case in any way. True, there will be a few 'impressionable' people who will take 'inspiration' from the GTA series, but these same people can obtain this 'inspiration' from other sources such as films.
Virtually every single GTA player plays the game because it gives a great sense of 'escapism' from reality; whilst playing the game, they are not in the real world, they are in a make-believe world. They are the star of the show; for the time they sit playing the game, that is their life, and they can do what they want, when they want, because they know it won't matter as it is JUST A GAME. When the game is switched off, that life ends. It's real world time again. There is a BIG difference between the two, and people know that.
If anyone should be taken to court, it should be:
a) stores that sell M or 18-rated games to minors,
b) parents for buying/letting their kids play m or 18-rated games.
That should be the real focus of this lawsuit; the fact that GTA is also M or 18-rated is a mere happenstance.
i hope someone in there early teens goes out and buys a real gun off the street and shoots you because they were too young to buy gta san andreas. your an idiot
you should worry about that a little more than a video game.
you should worry about that a little more than a video game.
Okay. So a couple kids (14 & 16) were admittedly "acting out something they saw in their favorite video game", GTA3, and they killed someone.
That is a fairly serious indictment of this game. More specifically of the dangers of allowing children to buy and play a game like this.
Of course every kid isn't going to try to do stuff they see in the game. But some children can't as easily define the line between reality and game reality, especially when games become more open ended and more realistic in their presentation.
So, instead of calling the lawyer a nazi, or calling him money hungry, or telling him to find a real job, why don't you all think about what can be done so this situation doesn't happen again? The guy who got killed has a family - do you want to tell them that their lawyer "needs to get a life?"
I'm not a big fan of lawyers, and I don't know if suing Take Two (the publisher) is the best idea, but if Take Two loses the lawsuit you can be sure they'll take steps on their own to ensure this doesn't happen again.
Amen to that J-dawg, me too...
I hope this guy reads this.
GTA San Andreas was in my citie's newspaper(Winnipeg Free Press) For being a kickass game, the writeup was saying how great it is, he should stop trying to ruin kids and teenagers gaming experience with his Bullsh!t. If he has a problem with GTA San Andreas, he should simply not let his kids play it, and *&@$ Off. That douchebag, I hope his Judge is a GTA fan. HAH
Mr. T is a foolish, if not crazy, individual.
I would be pleased to see this in court and see his "Evidence".
I guess, to him, all teenagers are idiots.
HEY, T: I've been seeing R rated movies, playing M rated games and such things since I was threee years old......and yet I'm a good student and have yet to get into trouble.....I'm 15.
wot an idiot the game is for 18 year olds if parents buy the games for the kids wot can he do and its only a game not real for gawd sakes.
WOW what a moron. Trying to blame a game for the turmoil of the world.
Well i have seen many of threats from Mr T & have yet to see any of them reach an end.
I know he is only trying to do his job & wants children & teenagers to be like they were 200 years ago but it wont happen.
The world has changed and yoou wont change it back through sueing a company. The fact is, the killers who "clame" to have used gta to kill someone is stupid, they mearly copied the method...besides if they have a screw loose then there parents shoouldnt allow them to have a copy of it.
Im 15 & i have owned GTA games scince they were first launched, i have GTA 1, london, 2, 3, VC & SA plus manhunt, mafia, and hundreds more & have never sliced up anyone.
If you are going to attack Rockstar / Take2 you may as well attack every game company.
Theres My Two Pence
Rick Mills
Hey Jack! I think you're just trying to rip company's off of their profits.
I agree with what Sean said about games imitating reality and not vice versa.
If parents are going to allow their kids to play violent games, then they should bear the consequences. Not the companies. These games were designed for 18 year olds. If parents are going to buy them for underaged kids, then so be it. You can't blame Rockstar or Take Two.
And this is not dissing black people. Have you played the game? Do you know whats happening? As far as i know, this black guy , Carl Johnson, happens to be in a gang , which is strongly against drugs. Do you call that a black villian stereotype? I don't think so.
Plus, have you seen the other characters in the game? Theres a Chinese triad boss, Mexican gangsters, Italian Dons, White crooks, a whole bunch of characters with different backgrounds.
Please get the facts straight before you accuse people.
Damn, you remind me of Ken Rosenburg.
Of course he's right, if there were no computer games there would be no violence in the world at all and we'd all run about happy and joyfull giving flowers to everyone.
At least that's what I assume he thinks, what an idiot!
jack thompson is racist.........
you see, there's this thing called the first amendment, and it grants people the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and that sort of stuff. Without it, you would have oppresion.
the mans a twit I bet ya his kids probably play it when he aint there, the mans a joke!!
Obviously the guy is a comunist.
I want to say one thing, and this is directed not only to Mr. Thompson, but to others as well. I've seen several comments where people have said that young children can't distinguish between action and consequence. I've heard comments from people in the past about other games, movies, or music that have "influenced" kids to follow through with negative actions.
Yeah, young children can't always distinguish between action and consequence. It's a basic concept of child psychology that at a young age, children are going through an age of modeling. They see something and they often will try it. They are trying to understand the world around them. But you can't entirely blame a child's negative actions on games. Parents are typically the biggest influence on a child's life. Many people who commit crimes have often been the victims of some form of abuse or are influenced by real people. In cases where games, movies, and/or music are cited as a reason, we often discover that they were merely catalysts that broke that last straw.
Also, if parents are actually buying violent games for their young kids, they better be prepared to stand by and explain that acting like the game in real life is wrong. I also seem to remember that I myself had a pretty good idea about the difference between reality and fiction. Most kids due. Give them more credit. Heck, for me, video games was a way to escape what was around me and helped me relax when something was bothering me.
Parents who blame games, movies, or music for their kids actions are merely looking for excuses. That 14 and 16 year old that someone mentioned killed a person trying to recreate a scene from a GTA game. I'd put money down that there was something else besides the game that influenced them to the point of following through with that action.
I've heard valid arguements, but merely wanted to say that while video games, music, and movies may often be sighted as reasons for crimes, more often than not, there are other, much more serious reasons that people don't want to admit for why the crime was commited. That's my two cents worth.
if you copy something from a video game you obviously havent get a brain cell to rattle around in your skull have you?
utter rubbish lawyer
im only 15 and this rocks the earth
I think that this lawyer is patronising gamers, as he doesn't see it as a serious pass time. He feels that when we're playing the game, we become the person we control, and that person stays with us when we go outside after turnig the console off.
Is he trying to make us out like some load of ignorant wasted teenagers with nothing better to do than immitate what we do in a make believe world, that so subtly, is actually taking the piss out of gangsters. Anyone noticed how in many GTA games, theres a strong feeling of parody? GTA is not pro voilence, sure you can kill and maim pedestrians all you want, but given the choice you dont have to kill innocent "bystanders".
Anyway, people who try to force their beliefs on other people should be shot!
And people who say voilence in games warps someones mind should be shot twice with a bazooka, eaten by zombies, the remains lightly fried with a flamethrower and fired out of a cannon at innocent onlookers.
Peace
I think that this lawyer is patronising gamers, as he doesn't see it as a serious pass time. He feels that when we're playing the game, we become the person we control, and that person stays with us when we go outside after turnig the console off.
Is he trying to make us out like some load of ignorant wasted teenagers with nothing better to do than immitate what we do in a make believe world, that so subtly, is actually taking the piss out of gangsters. Anyone noticed how in many GTA games, theres a strong feeling of parody? GTA is not pro voilence, sure you can kill and maim pedestrians all you want, but given the choice you dont have to kill innocent "bystanders".
Anyway, people who try to force their beliefs on other people should be shot!
And people who say voilence in games warps someones mind should be shot twice with a bazooka, eaten by zombies, the remains lightly fried with a flamethrower and fired out of a cannon at innocent onlookers.
Peace
Dude, your a moron. Get a life. Its just a game. plus ya know they had to get people to do the voices of this game. Like Sam L. Jackson, im sure if he felt there was something wrong with it he wouldnt have participated.
Leave R* And Grand Theft Auto Alone! Is there a single case where it can be proved without a doubt that R* influenced anyones decisions? I Absolutely hate people who try and change things just because THAT PERSON thinks its bad. if grand thefta auto is so bad why do people buy it? Because it is awsome, thats why, it doesnt make me feel like going out and killing people or stealing cars. Losing a game of basketball makes me more violent than gta, are you guna try and ban all sports to?
how far does the DS IM go. and and umm ahhhh i dont know
stop sueing people you will not get anywhere just give up. come back when you have proof that this game trains to kill.
Ey men
This guy is pretty f---ed up!
__________________________________________
QUOTE:
"guess his girlfriend must have left him for a GTA gamer"~JP 11/10/2004 6:50:29 PM EST
__________________________________________
You're probaly right!
I like Grand Theft Auto San Andreas but I have it only on Playstation so I want to download it on the computer, can I download it from you for free ... PLEASE
soy español
is kur uzdika gauti sa nandres? atrasikit prasau
koçak
I wish the adults who :"know whats best" would shut the hell up.
I think that the attack on the Grand Theft Auto seiries is extremely ridiculious because first of all, there is a warning on the back that says NOT INTENDED FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 17. Second of all, last I checked, we live in a free country with a free enterprise system. If lawyers are telling us what to sell and what not to sell, that would infringe on our rights in the FIRST AMENDMENT! I think it would be more appropriate if they attacked the kid for perpetrating the crime and his parents for getting the game in the first place.
I think that the attack on the Grand Theft Auto seiries is extremely ridiculious because first of all, there is a warning on the back that says NOT INTENDED FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 17. Second of all, last I checked, we live in a free country with a free enterprise system. If lawyers are telling us what to sell and what not to sell, that would infringe on our rights in the FIRST AMENDMENT! I think it would be more appropriate if they attacked the kid for perpetrating the crime and his parents for getting the game in the first place.
It's absolutely pitiful when lawyers and soccermoms go and blame the companies for today's violence. They're just looking for a scapegoat they can blame everything on. It's absolutely pathetic.
I wish this whole thing would stop - video games aren't to blame for today's world - 9/11 is, Osama Bin Laden is, terrorism is. Video games are not responsible. The point is we need these sort of games today for escapism. They're not to blame.
The Houser brothers and Terry Donovan should do the right thing and file a lawsuit against Jack Thompson instead of vice-versa, IMO.
Im 13 and have every gta game since i was about 10 and havent killed anyone (yet) i fink id probably kill some one if they wouldnt give it me n1 who cant distinguish between the real world and games shouldnt hav them at all
yodeodod
I don't find this guy as funny as the rest of you do. One day he might just get a court to agree with his view and then the flood gates will open. How long after that till video games are banned entirely? A few years at most. I don't find this guy funny at all, he's very dangerous indeed.
Whenever violence strikes from this point forward....blame it on San Andreas.
If Jack is a so called Christian people should be accountable for their own actions not blaming other people saying they made me do it.
In GTA III and SA you get the drugs off the street. Its that evil.
Jack admitted he played GTA SA does he feel like killing people?
Well the goal isnt to kill by-standers JACK... the cops come after you and slow your progress in what you want to do. Cmon Japan plays 3x violent videogames and less gun violence.
herre a fact 2/3 of all gun deaths are suicide and drug related not videogames or even homicide in US.
Jack should read the credits, cast, and the point of the game.
I just don't understand this. He say's the game is leaving sexual meaterial in the minds innocent kids. A majority of these kids are teenagers. A majority of teenagers are sexually active anyway.
So why have we got to the stage where people like Jack and the Government, who never have sex, are telling the teenagers who DO have sex, that they're not allowed to have sex? Maybe the reason kids have sex underage is cos theyre not allowed to. If they were allowed to have sex then they wouldn't want to so much. They just think they're cool.
And what is he on about "Playing games makes you kill People". Im seriously gonna read his campaign, take it apart, find every possible argument and just email it back to him. He does'nt know what he's doing! WHY?! Why the games industry?? Why GTA?? What is his motive?!? Argh!! Its ridiculous! Just seems to have a random prejudice against GTA. He's a danger to gamers eerywhere.
parents should parent their own children
jack thompsan is a senile old fart who dosent know what hes talking about.
is kur parsisiusti gta san andreas