CptStern
suckmonkey
- Joined
- May 5, 2004
- Messages
- 10,303
- Reaction score
- 62
For more than a decade, Thompson, a Florida-based medical malpractice attorney, has been one the most vociferous critics of the game industry. As outlined on his Web site, Stopkill.com, Thompson says that "Video games are literally 'murder simulators' teaching our kids how to kill." Among other things, he:
--Asserts the original Doom video game had a major role in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
--Claims multiple copycat killings across the country were inspired by the Grand Theft Auto series
--Has called the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the US gameindustry lobby, a "criminal" organization with a "thug" president.
--Says The Sims 2 is packed with easily accessible "full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia, and pubic hair."
Repeatedly, Thompson has called for states to pass laws criminalizing the sale of M-for-Mature rated games to minors. Now it appears he may get the chance to pen such a law himself. In an e-mail sent out Thursday, Thompson says he has "been asked by the Office of the Governor of the State of Florida, Jeb Bush, to draft and submit to him and to Florida legislators a bill that will prohibit the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors."
"The Office of Governor Bush has told Thompson that the Governor will sign such a bill if it is placed before him." In his e-mail, Thompson said that he would have the bill ready in the "next several days" so it could be submitted during the legislature's next session. When queried by GameSpot for more details, he would only say that he is the only person thus far who has been asked to submit a bill to the governor's office about M-rated game sales. He did not offer details about what kind of penalties the bill would prescribe for offenders or whether or not said penalties would be imposed solely on the clerks selling the games or also on the establishment selling the game and/or the game's publisher."
I see this as a step towards the final goal of overhauling the rating system by an outside body probably regulated by the government. The implication here is that once laws are in place making it a criminal offense to sell games to minors they'll set the ratings peg one rung lower. M games will have mild violence while Adults Only titles games will have gratuitous violence and nudity ...which will force creators to self-censor in order to avoid an AO rating ...Valve would be immune to this as they've moved to digital distribution ..looks like Gabe has foresight
--Asserts the original Doom video game had a major role in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
--Claims multiple copycat killings across the country were inspired by the Grand Theft Auto series
--Has called the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the US gameindustry lobby, a "criminal" organization with a "thug" president.
--Says The Sims 2 is packed with easily accessible "full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia, and pubic hair."
Repeatedly, Thompson has called for states to pass laws criminalizing the sale of M-for-Mature rated games to minors. Now it appears he may get the chance to pen such a law himself. In an e-mail sent out Thursday, Thompson says he has "been asked by the Office of the Governor of the State of Florida, Jeb Bush, to draft and submit to him and to Florida legislators a bill that will prohibit the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors."
"The Office of Governor Bush has told Thompson that the Governor will sign such a bill if it is placed before him." In his e-mail, Thompson said that he would have the bill ready in the "next several days" so it could be submitted during the legislature's next session. When queried by GameSpot for more details, he would only say that he is the only person thus far who has been asked to submit a bill to the governor's office about M-rated game sales. He did not offer details about what kind of penalties the bill would prescribe for offenders or whether or not said penalties would be imposed solely on the clerks selling the games or also on the establishment selling the game and/or the game's publisher."
I see this as a step towards the final goal of overhauling the rating system by an outside body probably regulated by the government. The implication here is that once laws are in place making it a criminal offense to sell games to minors they'll set the ratings peg one rung lower. M games will have mild violence while Adults Only titles games will have gratuitous violence and nudity ...which will force creators to self-censor in order to avoid an AO rating ...Valve would be immune to this as they've moved to digital distribution ..looks like Gabe has foresight
:E
