Sounds like a challenge.
Jack Thomson was in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones 
Posted on 01/11/2006 5:00:38 PM PST by Rodney King
Jack Thompson first contacted Netjak around New Year�s Day, when he wrote me personally to object to how I talked about his Modest Video Game Proposal in my 2005 Year In Review. In response, I wrote an open letter to Thompson, and sent him the link. He again complained about the coverage, and invited me to give him a call and interview him. On Monday, January 9th, I left a message for Thompson and he called me back later in the day. Over the course of the interview, he was unfailingly polite to me, sure of his cause, and proud of what�s he�s done so far.
32_Footsteps: To begin, you stated in your email to me that nobody has met the conditions of the Modest Video Game Proposal. Where, in your opinion, did people go wrong?
Jack Thompson: Well, first, I stated that the game had to come out in 2006. I specifically said 2006 because I wanted to see a real game made, not an amateur one. I wanted someone to spend the time to properly develop such a game, and then release it. So far, that has not been done.
I also explicitly stated that it must be a company producing the game. I mean, anyone in a garage can throw together something vaguely game-like easily. That�s not what I want; I want a real game that people can play. The point I was trying to make is that the video game industry would never target itself.
Also, Paul Eibeler, president of Take Two Interactive, has not chosen a charity. I was very specific; it needs to be the charity of his choosing.
32_Footsteps: What about the reports that the proposal was a joke and a satire?
Jack Thompson: I never said the offer was not a genuine one. It is a satire, as Jonathan Swift�s original A Modest Proposal is satire. However, it was a genuine offer embedded in a satire. If the game is made and if Paul Eibeler names his charity, I will donate the money.
See, this is where I think your piece was unfair, to imply that I would deny a donation to some starving kids in Africa or the like over a technicality. Not going too deep into my personal beliefs, but my wife and I believe in a Christian obligation to tithe, and we fulfill that obligation. I believe people are dying for these games, and I made the proposal to shine light on this.
32_Footsteps: Has any company contacted you in regards to the proposal?
Jack Thompson: None.
32_Footsteps: The people behind Penny Arcade donated $10,000 in your name to the ESA Foundation after the initial story. What is your reaction to that?
Jack Thompson: First, you can�t donate money to charity in someone�s name without their authorization. I quibble with the notion that they donated that money in my name because I never gave my authorization. Second, part of my proposal was that Paul Eibeler had to state his charity of choice. He never did that; they just assumed for him.
32_Footsteps: What actions do you believe the creators of Penny Arcade have taken against you?
Jack Thompson: Well, where to begin? They�ve incited many sophomoric pranks, some really disgusting ones. One notable time, they got people to leaflet the area in which I live.
32_Footsteps: You have proof that they were the ones who specifically leafleted your neighborhood?
Jack Thompson: No, and I likely will never be able to prove that they were behind it. However, the pamphlet had very specific phrasings used on their site, so I know it was done by someone at least quite familiar with their site.
That has hardly been their only action against me. They have initiated complaints with the Florida Bar Association. They�ve taken to trashing me on Wikipedia. They flooded out my inbox � as you know, I�m no longer using my original email address. They are hypocrites about the First Amendment: they complain that I�m interfering with their right to free speech, but they use terroristic tactics to deny me of mine. They don�t want to get into a debate with me because they will lose; their position is bankrupt.
32_Footsteps: Do you plan on taking any further action against Penny Arcade at this time?
Jack Thompson: Not at this time. I called federal law enforcement on them last time, in addition to the Seattle police department. Nothing came of that � they�re not even actually in Seattle. For now, I don�t plan on any further dealings with them.
32_Footsteps: To switch gears, you�ve recently become a shareholder in Take-Two Interactive. You�ve compared this elsewhere to similar actions you undertook with Time Warner in 1992. You�ve been familiar with such tactics for over ten years. Why did you decide to invest in Take-Two now as opposed to a couple years ago?
Jack Thompson: Back in 1992, I was involved in the battles over Ice-T�s �Cop Killer.� I invested in Time Warner then to convince them that releasing this song was a bad move on their part, and I succeeded. The strategy is to convince shareholders that their leadership is mismanaging their investment, and causing damage to the company. A couple years ago, when Take-Two�s stock was doing well, it would have been much more difficult to convince people of this. However, Take-Two�s stock has taken a serious hit over the past year. Now the damage is obvious, and the audience is more receptive.
32_Footsteps: What specific topics do you plan to bring up at the shareholder�s meeting?
Jack Thompson: I�m naturally going to bring up how Paul Eibeler�s activities have been criminal, and has put the company in danger of several class action lawsuits. The lawsuit in Alabama has the potential to completely take apart Take-Two. I�m also going to bring up Bully, which is a revenge fantasy and a murder simulator. The setting is Columbine. The setting is Paducah. I could go on for fifteen minutes on how many disasters have been brought about like this.
32_Footsteps: Considering that Bully hasn�t yet come out, do you think it�s fair to protest the game before its release?
Jack Thompson: Game Informer already has published screen shots of the game, and has done a brief write-up of what�s going to be in the game. Nobody can claim that they haven�t gone into the game�s content; it�s already out there. We don�t need to play the game; it�s irrelevant to the subject. It�s going in there, and children shouldn�t be playing it.
32_Footsteps: Have you made any plans to take similar action with other companies?
Jack Thompson: Not at this time. Back in the day, Eliot Ness didn�t go after the small-time criminals. Eliot Ness went after Al Capone. Actually, I must offer my apologies to Al Capone. He only targeted adults, corrupt adults with his crimes. Capone never went after minors.
32_Footsteps: How much have you seen of the Hot Coffee scene?
Jack Thompson: I saw a blurred oral sex scene. Beyond that, I don�t want to get into details. It�s irrelevant; we all know what�s in the scene, and kids shouldn�t be subjected to that.
32_Footsteps: You�ve certainly gained much attention in the media. How has the video game media treated you any differently than the mainstream media?
Jack Thompson: (Laughing) It�s been like night and day. The video game media has been belligerent and afraid of me. And I must say, I appreciate the compliment.
The problem is that they don�t listen to my message. Let the adult video games stay with the adults. We need to keep these games out of the hands of our kids. Take Two has been marketing these games to our kids, and they just let the retailers sell them to kids. They�re all wrapped up in this together; it�s like a conspiracy.
32_Footsteps: So you mean to say, if Take Two specifically refused to market towards kids, and instructed retailers to not sell games like Grand Theft Auto to minors, you would not object to the game?
Jack Thompson: Well, I�d still have issues with the game on moral grounds, of course. However, if they stopped their marketing towards kids and instructed retailers like that, I wouldn�t take any action against the company.
32_Footsteps: Do you find any value in any game or company?
Jack Thompson: Yes, there are plenty of wholesome, educational games out there. And there are good manufacturers out there. Video games are like any other technology � it�s neutral, capable of either good or evil. I don�t want to do away with video games. I just want to protect children from adult games.
32_Footsteps: To wrap up, any final message you�d like to get to video gamers?
Jack Thompson: Yes, put down the controller and get a life. Video gaming is an escapist activity and you�re being exploited by these companies. It�s not healthy; I worry about someone who would play Grand Theft Auto for ten hours a day. It�s a masturbatory activity, and it would be better if people put down the controller and went outside.
Don't say anything bad about Jack, or he'll sue you. :)
What a kook
Oh no, I might get sued. I didn't mean that
Sounds like a challenge.
Jack Thomson was in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones
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