Jack Thompson Recruits Son In Crusade
By Steve on Saturday, September 15th, 2007 at 12:49 AM PST In Gamer Life, Games Industry
Just when you thought we had heard the last of the Florida attorney-turned-crusader, this bit of news pops up on the radar. In a recent email sent to the ’stiq, it seems Jack Thompson has recruited his very own 15-year-old son in a recent “sting operation” involving a local Best Buy. Basically, Jack’s son was able to purchase the M-Rated Bioshock on his own. Now, when I say sting operation, I’m literally talking father and son team here. Right? Just checking.
Of course, Jack claims easy victory and in the process (and in typical Jack-fashion) slams Bioshock’s publisher Take 2 as the root of all evil. Now, it is clearly obvious that the real villain here is Best Buy, and not Take 2. And how are we to know this is not an isolated incident? Is Jack taking his crusade cross-country infiltrating stores one by one? Seems like he would still need to exploit his son’s talents, like any good parent would. In all seriousness, villain is hardly the term to describe Best Buy due to this incident (this all assuming Jack isn’t making this story up to begin with). I’m not completely defending Best Buy though. It’s obvious this particular store location needs to review its policies and employee training. Jack’s notion that this type of thing goes on in every Best Buy location across the nation is bordering on slander. However, Jack doesn’t stop there. He wants retribution:
Thompson is demanding that Best Buy fire the store’s manager and the girl with the “piercing through her right eyebrow” who sold his son the game.
So now we’re stooping so low as to slinging stereotypes, Jack? Do you personally know the girl behind the counter? Maybe this was her first day and she simply made an honest mistake? It’s not like she sold your son a gun. Oh wait, according to you, selling “ultra-violent” video games is the equivalent to selling a gun – Jack-Thompson logic in its purest form.
Contrary to what Jack believes, the real truth here is that there is no conspiracy among game companies and retailers. The ESRB rating system isn’t perfect. The employees who work for retailers are human. Hell, the whole system itself will never be perfect. The simple fact here (and we’re tired of pointing this out to you, Jack) is there is no good replacement for education and parental responsibility. Taking your 15-year-old son to a local Best Buy to purchase a game that he is not supposed to be able to buy on his own proves only one thing: that you are getting desperate, Jack. A small victory to you it may be; however, in the eyes of many, this newest escapade appears nothing but the attempts of one man on a lonely crusade. The Jack-Thompson bandwagon must be a very small one.
Via Joystiq
in all honesty i get carded every time i go to walmart and buy an m game, best buy hardly ever cards and ive yet to be asked to present ID in a gamestop. Cant wait til jack get dis-barred though.
“selling “ultra-violent” video games is the equivalent to selling a gun”
Except that buying the video game doesn’t mean that it will be used to plant a plethora of bullets into someone(s).
Weird. I have greying hair, I often buy my games on the way to or from work so I’m in a business suit, they know me, and I still get carded when buying “M” rated titles.
Either they do things differently in the States, or Jacko’s using flukes to claim a trend.
— Steve
Funny that he would walk past hundred of ultra-violent, sex laced movies, music with lyrics pertaining to sex, drugs and murder to force his son to buy a M-Rated video game. Yeah Jack, thats the root of all evil there.
Jack Thompson, nutball and child exploiter extrodinaire.
Who the hell is letting this man walk the face of the earth? At least throw him out of America. I bet this man has never ONCE actually sat down and played a FPS or RPG in his entire life, and if it all not more than 30 minutes.
is that not entrapment? he had intentions for bestbuy to sell his son a mature rating game. Wouldnt he be such a great dad and teach his son better values? Not how to setup bestbuy or cause trouble, what great values to teach.
Please someone deport him, dont the game companies or judges that he file his endless calims against know hes “Crying Wolf”. they have to be tired of it. im sure tired of hearing all the failed attempts against video games. some people just dont know when to quit.
Here in Quebec, Canada, you can buy beer at the local convenience store just around the corner. Technically you have to be 18. Same for cigarettes. The odd store will let a 6-pack or pack of smokes ‘accidentally’ slip into younger hands. The cigarettes are definetly worse for the children’s health than a videogame could ever be, but no one is going crazy over it, because parents are responsible for their children more than a store clerk is.
Yeah, clearly one incident is worth damning an entire industry. Guess what Jack, I purchased Bioshock on Friday from Best Buy and I was asked for ID – I suppose Take 2 really is doing it’s job running stores it doesn’t own.