There's this lawyer, Jack Thompson, who is anti-violent-video-games. He wrote an open letter titled "A Modest Video Game Proposal" which he sent to members of the press and Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association. I won't post the whole letter here (it's long), but here's the relevant part:
I have a modest proposal for the video game industry. I'll write a check for $10,000 to the favorite charity of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc's chairman, Paul Eibeler - a man Bernard Goldberg ranks as #43 in his book 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America - if any video game company will create, manufacture, distribute, and sell a video game in 2006 like the following:
Osaki Kim is the father of a high school boy beaten to death with a baseball bat by a 14-year-old gamer. The killer obsessively played a violent video game in which one of the favored ways of killing is with a bat. The opening scene, before the interactive game play begins, is the Los Angeles courtroom in which the killer is sentenced "only" to life in prison after the judge and the jury have heard experts explain the connection between the game and the murder.
Osaki Kim (O.K.) exits the courtroom swearing revenge upon the video game industry whom he is convinced contributed to his son's murder. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" he says. And boy, is O.K. not kidding.
O.K. is provided in his virtual reality playpen a panoply of weapons: machetes, Uzis, revolvers, shotguns, sniper rifles, Molotov cocktails, you name it. Even baseball bats. Especially baseball bats.
O.K. first hops a plane from LAX to New York to reach the Long Island home of the CEO of the company (Take This) that made the murder simulator on which his son's killer trained. O.K. gets "justice" by taking out this female CEO, whose name is Paula Eibel, along with her husband and kids. "An eye for an eye," says O.K., as he urinates onto the severed brain stems of the Eibel family victims, just as you do on the decapitated cops in the real video game Postal2.
O.K. then works his way, methodically back to LA by car, but on his way makes a stop at the Philadelphia law firm of Blank, Stare and goes floor by floor to wipe out the lawyers who protect Take This in its wrongful death law suits. "So sue me" O.K. spits, with singer Jackson Brown's 1980's hit Lawyers in Love blaring.
With the FBI now after him, O.K. keeps moving westward, shooting up high-tech video arcades called GameWerks. "Game over," O.K. laughs.
Of course, O.K. makes the obligatory runs to virtual versions of brick and mortar retailers Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, and Wal-Mart to steal supplies and bludgeon store managers and cash register clerks. "You should have checked kids' IDs!"
O.K. pushes on to Los Angeles. He must get there by May 10, 2006. That is the beginning of "E3" -- the Electronic Entertainment Expo -- the Super Bowl of the video game industry. O.K. must get to E3 to massacre all the video game industry execs with one final, monstrously delicious rampage.
How about it, video game industry? I've got the check and you've got the tech. It's all a fantasy, right? No harm can come from such a game, right? Go ahead, video game moguls. Target yourselves as you target others. I dare you.
This next post claims to have been made by Thompson, thought it could easily have been forged. That being said, it does seem to point out the implication of Thompson's proposal accurately:
The real hypocrites here are the game companies, because they'll never make such a game. Paul Eibeler of Take-Two, for example, wouldn't want a game out there that targets him for death, despite his assertions, through Doug Lowenstein of the ESA that "no game ever caused anyone to do anything."
So a group of modders called "HellFish" have created a mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that essentially implements the story above except instead of naming the main character Osaki Kim, they named him Jack Thompson, and the title of the mod is "Defamation of Character: A Jack Thompson Murder Simulator. (I don't provide a link to the mod because the group has ran out of bandwidth at the time of writing and their site is no longer up).
Meanwhile, the National Institute on Media and the Family has written an open letter stating that it does not condone the actions of Thompson, althought Thompson seems to claim otherwise.
The institute's founder, Dr David Walsh, wrote an open letter to Thompson, a copy of which was obtained by US website Game Politics. The letter was also sent to the likes of senator Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates and Doug Lowenstein of the ESA - the same Doug Lowenstein whom Thompson has previously compared to Hitler.
It begins with Dr Walsh explaining that he established the institute ten years ago "to engage in research and education about the effects of media on children's health and development." Walsh writes that one of the areas of most concern to the institute is the effects of violent media.
"I know that you share that common concern and I am well aware that you have frequently cited me and our organisation as a source of scientific information," Walsh continues.
"However, over the past few months, I and members of my board have a growing concern that your use of our name, without our permission, has had a negative influence as we try to educate the public on this important issue.
"Your commentary has included extreme hyperbole and your tactics have included personally attacking individuals for whom I have a great deal of respect... Some of the people that you have publicly criticised are not only people of integrity, but are people who have worked to improve the lives of children."
Walsh goes on to note that Thompson has been using his name in correspondence even though they have no formal relationship, creating the impression "That we condone these tactics. We do not.
"The result is that our position and reputation as a research based, non-partisan, solution-focused organisation has been jeopardised.
"Consequently, I ask that you cease using the institute's or my name in any way that would give the impression that we support your efforts." Walsh also requests that Thompson remove the link to the institute's website from his own site.
Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, the two guys who do Penny Arcade, claim that Thompson has refused to actually donate the money to charity.
It was only a matter of time until a mod team took Jack Thompson's disgusting revenge fantasy and made it flesh - and, just as I suggested, it was deemed insufficient.
Thompson now claims that his repellent suggestion was "satire," and we must conclude that his financial offer was also satire, some new breed of satire apparently that I'm sure is just hilarious to people in need.
You know what, Jack? We're going to be the men you're not. You said that your insulting, illusory ten thousand dollars would go to the charity of Paul Eibeler's choice. We've got a good guess that he'd direct your nonexistant largesse toward The Entertainment Software Association Foundation, a body that has raised over six point seven million dollars over the last eight years. We've just made the donation you never would, and never meant to. Ten thousand dollars' worth. And we made it in your name.
This is an alleged conversation between Thompson and Greg Tebbutt, a Slashdot user:
Mr. Thompson,
I have a single, simple question to ask, and I would appreciate if you would take the time to answer; how do you justify your position of moral superiority in the debate on violence in computer games when you bear in mind that Penny Arcade, some of the most vocal proponents of the industry you are against, paid the promised $10,000 to charity in your name when you refused to do so?
Yours, Greg Tebbutt
The answer is a) I never refused to do so, b) I haven't heard from Paul Eibeler to what charity he wants me to send the money, and c) the terms of the proposal have not been met. I never said I was kidding about the offer.
They made that up.
The item at Penny Arcade about this is false and defamatory and it is actionable. I told them to take it down or else.
You got any more stupid questions?
Thank you for your quick reply. Although this may be considered a "stupid question", I would like to clarify the point: will you outline where the modification at http://hellfish.gtajunkies.com/Jt.html [gtajunkies.com] falls short of your expectations, and commit to donate the money when the shortfalls are altered? If you are not willing to do so, would you please explain your reasons?
Greg Tebbutt
I did. No te I have have not heard from Mr. Eibeler. That makes two sets of stupid questions. In this game, two strikes and you're out. Don't bother me further
I do not intend to 'bother you' with this reply, and as you evidently do not wish to debate I will not continue this conversation further, however for the sake of completeness it would be helpful if you could direct me to where I can find the correct version of the comments that I appear to have missed on the subject of the 'hellfish' GTA modification. I ask in order that there is a fair representation of your feelings on the issue if I post a transcript of this conversation online.
I told you not to bother me again. you're obviously impaired
Choice quote: