Jack Thompson and his little crusade.

[Jonlissla]

For those of you who don't know, Jack Thompson is an attorney (or lawyer, don't know the difference between them) who has taken the liberty of viewing computer games as a potential threat to our society (basically).

 

In short: he's an a$$hole that blames EVERYTHING on computer games, even if it makes sense or not.

 

Now that that's outta the way....

 

 

 

So, what do you think of him? Is he right? Is he wrong? Or maybe even both? Let's not deny it: computer games CAN change your view on life. Maybe not enough to turn you into a serial killer, but maybe enough to change the way you think, or perhaps the way you dress. Heck, you might even abandon your life for a month or two (*cough* World of Warcraft *cough*).

 

Is he right then?

I'm not joking, I've seen some people change considerably ever since they got ahold of WoW, and even one of them started ignoring phone calls and school. It wasn't excactly permanent (until he got to level 60, that is :blush: ), so he came back after awhile.

Most of you however will problably say that: "games don't make people more violent, just look at me."

C'mon, everyone change a little when they start playing games, there's no need to try to hide it. Some change a little, some change less, and some change completely.

 

But isn't he wrong?

I mean, each and every one of us will agree that Jack is simply overdoing it, and seeing him trying to ban every single game on the market except Solitaire doesn't make any sense. He has even said that GTA is game series that teaches people how to kill cops and civilians, and how to handle guns.

WTF? Teaches people how to handle guns and use them at cops? Ever heard about a STORY? The story in GTA: San Andreas is not to kill people, but to save your friends/gang from corruption and drugs. Now where the f*ck do you see any kind of propaganda there?

 

Then isn't he both right and wrong at the same time?

That's what I believe. Games CAN change you, just as movies and books can, but at the same time, we have the control to see that what we are playing/reading/watching ISN'T REAL. Some have less control, I admit, and some have more. Some see games as just a way to relax, and others sees it as whole world, just waiting to be explored.

 

What do YOU think about this? Are games are meant to be used as a military simulator, to teach soldiers how to shoot, or are they just another way of entertainment?

[Malchik]

As you say, it is a bit of both. But to suggest computer games are any worse than magazines or books or the web in general is nonsensical. If you are going to ban one you need to ban all.

 

There are certain dangers. My own opinion (not shared by many) is that computer games dehumanise an enemy in a real life situation, so killing 300 innocent civilians means nothing more than 300 space invaders on a computer. It is used by many military institutions in various simulations. When those trained come face to face with reality however it can be immensely traumatising.

 

If you are the kind of person that can be driven to taking a gun and shooting at a class of kids the trigger factor can be anything. I have not studied it, so am not qualified to say, but I seem to hear that these people are inclined to access violent websites more than play violent computer games.

 

I think it is beyond question that games could be developed that have a subliminal message and no doubt that is what causes the fears but, as I said at the start, television, the web, books etc. can be used in the same way and much more easily. The time to start worrying is when the government takes control over the design of games.

[ninja_lord666]

Sometimes I think it might be fun to kill a bunch of random innocent people, but I'm smart enough not to do it in real life; that would just be crazy. That's why I play video games. For me, at least, the video games lower my violent desires. Of course, they probably put them there in the first place :P , but the problem solves itself...sort of. I'm addicted to video games, but that's not so bad.

 

I think Thomson is going way too far. I agree with Malchik: other media sources are far more likely to traumatize someone. If you go and show a little kid GTA, he'll probably think it's fun, but if you go and show that same kid the movie 300, he'll most likely vomit. There is violence in GTA, but the extent of it is poor animations followed by a red circle under the "dead" npc. 300, however, has tons of blood and even decapitations. The graphics are also so realistic, that said little kid wouldn't be able to tell that it's not real. Also, Google image search will bring up things far worse than anyone can possibly imagine. Does that mean the government should ban the internet, violating not only national laws (First Amendment), but international ones, too (since the internet is "owned" by the entire world, and one country can't dictate what another country can/can't have)? The internet is the most free media source since no country can censor it. I won't lie; there are many sick freaks out there, and they spread their atrocities on the internet, thus letting kids get a hold on it. Between movies, TV, and, especially, the internet, video games are the least of our worries.

What it all comes down too, however, is the parenting. Parents are responsible for raising their kids; that's not the government's job. Just because some of the parents couldn't care less about their kids doesn't mean that it has to ruin it for the rest of us. If the government really wants to do something about these moron parents and their moron kids, they should make a law stating that anyone with an IQ less than 100 must get neutered. That way, we will have less moron parents to worry about. (It will also greatly reduce our population, but that's probably for the best. It will also raise the average intelligence to around 130-ish, thus raising the average standardized test scores, and making colleges much harder to get into...on the other hand, with over 2/3 of the population wiped out, colleges will be begging for students, thus making them much easier to get into...either way, if something like this actually does happen, I'll already be out of college, so what do I care?)

 

I summary, I think Jack Thomson should crawl up his own a** and die.

[untitled]

haha, went you discussing this in my poll?!?!

[Jonlissla]

haha, went you discussing this in my poll?!?!

 

Sort of. I thought it deserved an own thread. :blush:

 

 

 

It's kinda funny to watch Jack try to blame Counterstrike. Just look here.

I mean: "Counterstrike is an online game where the goal is to kill the other players."?

Does he even know what the game is about? :wacko:

[Povuholo]

It just keeps getting better and better.

[untitled]

Sort of. I thought it deserved an own thread.

 

yeah Fair enough.. Speaking of which, i don't think hes the only one out there either.. theres Dozens of *one man army's* out there blaming games for everything.. and don't get me started about Bible Bashers

 

 

It just keeps getting better and better.

 

oh my Vulking God.

[Jonlissla]

Sort of. I thought it deserved an own thread.

 

yeah Fair enough.. Speaking of which, i don't think hes the only one out there either.. theres Dozens of *one man army's* out there blaming games for everything.. and don't get me started about Bible Bashers

 

 

It just keeps getting better and better.

 

oh my Vulking God.

 

Bible Bashers?

[untitled]

Bible Bashers?

 

yes. Bible Bashers.. Those Christians that come and knock at your door? try and talk you into being one of "the lords holy matrons" ?

 

They just don't blame games.. They blame Everything on Everything!! There Tools!!

 

you could probably catch one saying

 

"FEMALES ARE THE DEVILS WORK!! THE CURSED BLOOD OF SATAN LEAKS OUT OF THERE BODY ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT! BACK TO HELL I SAY!!"

 

..Or something in the ridiculous lines of that manner..

 

 

i am sorry if anyone on these Forums are Christian, but im just someone who has bad luck with em :D

[Malchik]

If you bring religion into the debate it will be closed. Whilst your personal experiences with christians may give you a particular perspective, I can assure you the same will be true of all other beliefs. The debate is whether the reasons given for the banning of computer games is valid or not. It matters not what your belief is.