As opposed to 3rd-rate lawyers posting comments on blogs?

IMHO, I think the debate falling through is actually a good thing for Penny Arcade and for PAX, only because I don’t think Jack Thompson has anything valuable to offer on the gaming/violence debate anyway. Hell, Gabe and Tycho could debate each other and come up with more insight (despite being both of the same position) and constructive criticism of the industry than would ever be acheived with Mr. Thompson.

Secondly, the assertion that I “browbeat” members of the media to make my points is rather funny, hilarious really. The most important interview I have done in the electronic media on all this, regarding the sale of adult games to kids, was done by Mr. Ed Bradley. Think about that a second. Ed Bradley. How does an average lawyer who is not “an adult” browbeat the late and great Ed Bradley? Ed asked me tough questions, as he did seven years earlier when I was on 60 Minutes the Sunday after Columbine to explain the role of Doom in that massacre. The notion that I browbeat Ed Bradley and that CBS had me back on the most watched news show in the history of the world to “browbeat” someone who had and has a deserved reputation as a skilled interviewer and the deflater of absurd positions is silly. It is more than that. It is desperate, and it is an assertion made by people eager to cover the cowardly tracks of the folks at Penny Arcade.

Penny Arcade wanted to avoid a “stampede?” How better to assure a stampede than announce a “hot event” one hour before it occurs rather than give everyone a heads-up ahead of time so that they can be given vouchers to come into the arena on a first come-first served basis. The notion that giving this information out in a flash would make it more orderly is absurd on its face.

I accepted the offer to debate. I will still do the debate. The people who backed out were the ones at Penny Arcade. It would be interesting to know the real reason, as the one they gave is nonsense. But even if it is not nonsense, then have some security there to make sure there is not an overcrowding of the venue.

Pretty simple stuff, really. Even the folks at Penny Arcade ought to be able to figure it out. Cowards or just silly? Don’t know. But I’m willing to debate. Maybe some adults need to get involved and explain how to run an event to these people. Jack Thompson

PS: If anybody wants to stage a debate on this issue somewhere, ring me up. There are people out there who actually know how to do these things. And they aren’t cartoonists with too much time on their hands.