NationStates Jolt Archive

Jack Thompson, mr "video games are a tool of satan", has been permanently disbarred by the florda bar and the recommendation has been confirmed by the florida supreme court.

http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/09/25/disbarred (slow loading)

his response to disbarrment on kotaku.com

http://kotaku.com/5054801/thompson-responds-to-disbarrment

supposedly the ruling is a permanent disbarrment with no right to petition for reinstatement.

i say its about time this asshole got booted from practicing law.

lol pwned.

a stain on my profession has been expunged. About time.

Yay.

Jack Thompson, mr "video games are a tool of satan", has been permanently disbarred by the florda bar and the recommendation has been confirmed by the florida supreme court.



I'm sure some bunch of cu...I mean right wing think tank will give him a job...

I'm sure some bunch of cu...I mean right wing think tank will give him a job...
yeah he is a big thinker...

I'm sure some bunch of cu...I mean right wing think tank will give him a job...

Despite the fact that Hillary Clinton was a supporter of Jack Thompson....yet let's not let that fact get in the way of your right wing bashing.

I'm wondering what makes him think any Federal Court will even hear him. AFAIK, they don't have jurisdiction over state bars.

Despite the fact that Hillary Clinton was a supporter of Jack Thompson....yet let's not let that fact get in the way of your right wing bashing.

Indeed. Idiots on both sides yelling "Yay! Video games are teh ebilz too!"

I'm just glad this pro-censorship idiot is thrown out of a profession that already has a bad name.

Despite the fact that Hillary Clinton was a supporter of Jack Thompson....yet let's not let that fact get in the way of your right wing bashing.

Care to substantiate that allegation?

You may very well be right, but much is said about Senator Clinton that isn't true.

He doesn't deserve this.

He doesn't deserve this.
he completely deserves this. he has abused his access to the courts for years. its far overdue that he gets his ass kicked for it.

Care to substantiate that allegation?

You may very well be right, but much is said about Senator Clinton that isn't true.

Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) today announced that she will introduce legislation to help keep inappropriate video games out of the hands of children. She also called upon the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take immediate action to determine the source of graphic pornographic and violent content appearing on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game. Recent reports have revealed that this graphic content can be unlocked by following instructions widely available on the Internet.

“The disturbing material in Grand Theft Auto and other games like it is stealing the innocence of our children and it’s making the difficult job of being a parent even harder,” said Senator Clinton. “I am announcing these measures today because I believe that the ability of our children to access pornographic and outrageously violent material on video games rated for adults is spiraling out of control.”

She might be supporting him personally, but she, as sure as heck, holds a VERY similar stance. "Video games are teh ebil and is corrupting our chilrens!!11!!"

Despite the fact that Hillary Clinton was a supporter of Jack Thompson....yet let's not let that fact get in the way of your right wing bashing.

So you think games should be banned?

So you think games should be banned?
He never said that. All he said was that parts of the left as well as the right agreed with Jack Thompson.

She might be supporting him personally, but she, as sure as heck, holds a VERY similar stance. "Video games are teh ebil and is corrupting our chilrens!!11!!"

Yeah, thats not what this says at all. Nice try.


Despite my problems with Hillary Clinton, and they are many, she is nothing like Jack Thompson. Good try.

Yeah, thats not what this says at all. Nice try.


Despite my problems with Hillary Clinton, and they are many, she is nothing like Jack Thompson. Good try.

Being nothing like Jack Thompson and sharing some of his stances are two different things. Good try.

I don't think it's a good comparison as Clinton (and many others) wanted touger regulation to keep "M" rated games away from children, while Jack Thompson seems to hate video games (and their players) entirely.

It's similar to the position Tipper Gore took when she helped create the "Parental Advisory" stickers.

Being nothing like Jack Thompson and sharing some of his stances are two different things. Good try.

What stance does she share? Keeping M-rated games out of the hands of 5 year olds? The horror. THE HORROR!


Shes not a foaming at the mouth anti-video game crazy like Lieberman or Thompson, despite your efforts to portray her as such. No where does she take a stance even remotely resembling:

She might be supporting him personally, but she, as sure as heck, holds a VERY similar stance. "Video games are teh ebil and is corrupting our chilrens!!11!!"

I don't think it's a good comparison as Clinton (and many others) wanted touger regulation to keep "M" rated games away from children, while Jack Thompson seems to hate video games (and their players) entirely.

Yes, but the ESRB is NOT a government organization. Where does she get the right to say that a private company must be the one followed in a certain industry? (The industry of Video Game rating:p)

Zero to Clinton in seven posts. Good time, everyone.

Question for the lawyerly types. This disbarrment doesn't impact his ability, in theory, to pass the bar and practice law in any other state, right?

What stance does she share? Keeping M-rated games out of the hands of 5 year olds? The horror. THE HORROR!


Shes not a foaming at the mouth anti-video game crazy like Lieberman or Thompson, despite your efforts to portray her as such. No where does she take a stance even remotely resembling:

“The disturbing material in Grand Theft Auto and other games like it is stealing the innocence of our children and it’s making the difficult job of being a parent even harder,”
Stealing the innocence of our children?
Video games are teh ebil and is corrupting our chilrens!!11!!"
That sounds about right. It's also impossible to keep it out of the hands of five-year olds without monitering homes, as most stores already have a policy of not selling M games to minors, or to minors without their parents.

Stealing the innocence of our children? That sounds about right.

Yeah, I dont think she called them "ebil". Try again. Really, I dont understand whats so hard to admit about being mistaken or exaggerating Clinton's ideas about video games.

It's also impossible to keep it out of the hands of five-year olds without monitering homes, as most stores already have a policy of not selling M games to minors, or to minors without their parents.

Just like porn, we cant stop parents from giving it to their kids, just make sure its the parent that did it (and so knows the kid is doing it) and not the kid going behind said parents back. And most porn stores have a policy to not sell to people under 18, but we have a law telling them they cant anyway. Never hurts.

Zero to Clinton in seven posts. Good time, everyone.

Question for the lawyerly types. This disbarrment doesn't impact his ability, in theory, to pass the bar and practice law in any other state, right?

Application to the Bar, at least in Nevada, requires disclosure and subsequent character and fitness committee attention to any previous discipline by any Bar to which you have been admitted.

I don't believe it automatically precludes admittance in my state, but it will be a major point of contention and, aside from things like financial malfeasance or criminal conduct, is one of the major things that might deny you entry.

Yeah, I dont think she called them "ebil". Try again. Really, I dont understand whats so hard to admit about being mistaken or exaggerating Clinton's ideas about video games.

...

So, you're assuming that I meant a direct quote when I said that her stance was "Video games are teh ebil and is corrupting our chilrens!!11!!"? No, she said it was stealing the innocence of our children. Would call something that steals the innocence of young children to be evil? If not, then you're 100% right about me being wrong. HOWEVER, if you believe that something that steals the innocence of young children is NOT evil, then I'm right. K?

Just like porn, we cant stop parents from giving it to their kids, just make sure its the parent that did it (and so knows the kid is doing it) and not the kid going behind said parents back. And most porn stores have a policy to not sell to people under 18, but we have a law telling them they cant anyway. Never hurts
But Video games are a far more touchy matter. The ESRB is a private organization. It has a monopoly on the game rating "industry" *snicker* here in the USA. And all-powerful big brother gets to descend from the heavens and decide that THIS private company gets to be the one and only one whose ratings can ever make an impact on the availability of a game?

Give me a break.:DSorry, been reading too much Stossel lately.

This limits is power to be an ass, but can he get the right to practice law in another state?

But Video games are a far more touchy matter. The ESRB is a private organization. It has a monopoly on the game rating "industry" *snicker* here in the USA. And all-powerful big brother gets to descend from the heavens and decide that THIS private company gets to be the one and only one whose ratings can ever make an impact on the availability of a game?

Let me ask a very simple question. Is there something wrong with the rating system as it exists today?

Let me ask a very simple question. Is there something wrong with the rating system as it exists today?


In America? Not really. Australia's sucks ass.

Let me ask a very simple question. Is there something wrong with the rating system as it exists today?

Yes, Jew, there is something wrong with it. It is imprecise and incomplete.

It needs the following:

A small image of two stick figures with boobs touching heads. This means "Lesbian Imagery, Inconsistently Homophobic Males Only".

A small image of a very fat figure with a bag of cheetos on its belly being turned away by a military recruiter, meaning "This Game Will Make You Think Warfare is Cool, But Leave You Too Sedentary To Enlist".

A small image of a stick figure woman with six curved lines coming out of her hoo hoo, signalling "Originally A Japanese Game, But With Vagina Tentacles Edited Out".

So you think games should be banned?

Wow....not even Evil Knievel could make that leap.

Let me ask a very simple question. Is there something wrong with the rating system as it exists today?

Not always. Most of the time, they make good choices. But then you have gigantic mistakes, like destroy all humans, and Warhammer 40k. The first should've been M, the second should have been T. Maybe we need a 15 rating. The Halo series, and Oblivion, didn't deseve the M rating.

So, yes, there are some problems. Enough so that I'd object to the Government choosing them exclusivly.

Ratings are good guidelines and will come in handy when my daughter gets older but that is all I view them as... Guidelines. If a Mature game comes out and I think my 14 year old can handle the material (after I do a bit of research), why wouldn't I let her have it?

Jack Thompson wanted to actually censor art and I'm glad he's dead. I mean disbarred.

Application to the Bar, at least in Nevada, requires disclosure and subsequent character and fitness committee attention to any previous discipline by any Bar to which you have been admitted.

I don't believe it automatically precludes admittance in my state, but it will be a major point of contention and, aside from things like financial malfeasance or criminal conduct, is one of the major things that might deny you entry.
And let's face it -- "low profile" and "Jack Thompson" were never spoken in the same breath.

Not always. Most of the time, they make good choices. But then you have gigantic mistakes, like destroy all humans, and Warhammer 40k. The first should've been M, the second should have been T. Maybe we need a 15 rating. The Halo series, and Oblivion, didn't deseve the M rating.

So, yes, there are some problems. Enough so that I'd object to the Government choosing them exclusivly.
Wait... why do you think Destroy All Humans should be rated M? I've played it and I don't see what's "mature" about it.

Wait... why do you think Destroy All Humans should be rated M? I've played it and I don't see what's "mature" about it.

The heads exploding? The Anal probe? The humor I could let pass, but RE4 was far more mild then THAT!

In America? Not really. Australia's sucks ass.

Why?

The heads exploding? The Anal probe? The humor I could let pass, but RE4 was far more mild then THAT!
That was so cartoonish as to be unbelievable. I don't think they would have merited an M, and apparently neither did the ESRB.

BTW for those complaining over the ESRB -- it's an advisory board created by the industry itself, voluntarily.

That was so cartoonish as to be unbelievable. I don't think they would have merited an M, and apparently neither did the ESRB.

Mmm. That's why I think it needs something between "M" and "T".

Despite the fact that Hillary Clinton was a supporter of Jack Thompson....yet let's not let that fact get in the way of your right wing bashing.

He never said that. All he said was that parts of the left as well as the right agreed with Jack Thompson.
I'd like to know where Wilgrove got the notion that this thread is "right wing bashing" in the first place. People are only talking about one person*, not the whole right wing, and nobody has even suggested that the Congress-critters on the other side of the aisle did any better.

*Or they were talking about just one person until the two of you started carrying on about a Clinton.

Despite the fact that Hillary Clinton was a supporter of Jack Thompson....yet let's not let that fact get in the way of your right wing bashing.

Yeah, or you could ignore the fact that Thompson was once employed by a right wing think tank founded by Oliver North. Don't let facts get in the way of your whining.

Ah, I wonder how much he's suffering right now! :D I'd love to call him just to ask how much it hurts!

Ah, I wonder how much he's suffering right now! :D I'd love to call him just to ask how much it hurts!
You'd just get a pep talk, in the third person, about how this dismal failure is in actuality a massive victory.

You'd just get a pep talk, in the third person, about how this dismal failure is in actuality a massive victory.

Ouch. Heikoku doesn't like crazy people who speak in third person.

And one last message to Mr. Thompson, based on a very cool attack by a gaming character named Iori Yagami...

Pronounced as Japanese (Nahkeh, sahkehbeh, soshteh, shineh!)

Nake! Sakebe! Soshite, SHINE!

("Cry! Scream! And then, DIE!")

(Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYNHFz54GY4 )

Feeling evil today. I wonder why. o_o

Let me ask a very simple question. Is there something wrong with the rating system as it exists today?

Other than the people who make up the ratings are just minimum wage workers with no actual training, the ratings are vague and blunt and nobody's regulating it at all......no, nothing is wrong with it.

If you are a parent, and you think the ESRB is keeping your kids safe, you're in a sad sad state.

Here (http://www.grandtheftchildhood.com/GTC/Home.html) is a book you might want to start with if you are interested in the subject. It's a short read and quite interesting.

Why?


Because their ratings dont allow for some types of games to be released there. I believe it was a rating equal to M they didn't have, so devs have to either not release the game or dumb it down.

Despite the fact that Hillary Clinton was a supporter of Jack Thompson....yet let's not let that fact get in the way of your right wing bashing.

Another of the half dozen reasons I didn't like her.

[insert sound of Atma rolling on the floor, laughing hysterically]

How considerate of the Florida Bar- we've got 30 days to plan out the most epic of victory parties for when it's final! :D

Because their ratings dont allow for some types of games to be released there. I believe it was a rating equal to M they didn't have, so devs have to either not release the game or dumb it down.

Can you tell me which games?

Looking over my collection I have games with ratings of G, PG, M and MA15+, maybe you are thinking they don't have one for R18+ which I do remember reading somewhere something about that. But if you need a game with that higher rating you could just buy from overseas.

How considerate of the Florida Bar- we've got 30 days to plan out the most epic of victory parties for when it's final! :D

Better than Carlin's 'funeral'?

Despite the fact that Hillary Clinton was a supporter of Jack Thompson....yet let's not let that fact get in the way of your right wing bashing.

Regardless of who supported him, given his resume and mentality, its that kind of group thats most likely to hire him, if any actually does.

Don't suppose you have any grounds for saying that "Hillary Clinton was a supporter of Jack Thompson"?

Can you tell me which games?

Looking over my collection I have games with ratings of G, PG, M and MA15+, maybe you are thinking they don't have one for R18+ which I do remember reading somewhere something about that. But if you need a game with that higher rating you could just buy from overseas.

I think he does mean "greater than M/MA15+"(I have never been able to understand the distinction).

An example: Fallout 3 was rejected by the Oz censors for drug use. Only after changes were made was the game permitted entry.

Oh, and if you bring in a game refused classification, you are comitting a federal felony. Just so you know.

How considerate of the Florida Bar- we've got 30 days to plan out the most epic of victory parties for when it's final! :D

I read on Kotaku, that a game developer had a party to celebrate the disbarment.

Jack Thompson has said himself that worked together with Hillary Clinton during the San Andreas "scandal". You really shouldn't trust anything he says, but I can see why people connect the two.

And what's wrong with the ratings? Nothing whatsoever. If a game is rated M, don't buy it for your kid. I wouldn't mind some some work being doing to make sure kids can't buy it themselves, but that has nothing to do with the rating, or the existence of the game.

As for Clinton's attack on GTA and other games, it's just as bad as what Jack is doing because GTA is already rated M. It doesn't matter if it has violence or sex, just as it doesn't matter if a movie has it. What could possibly matter would be to keep it out of the hands of kids, but, as I said before, that's another issue.

a stain on my profession has been expunged.

Really? Can you remove a small stain from a giant one?

Jack Thompson, mr "video games are a tool of satan", has been permanently disbarred by the florda bar and the recommendation has been confirmed by the florida supreme court.

http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/09/25/disbarred (slow loading)

his response to disbarrment on kotaku.com

http://kotaku.com/5054801/thompson-responds-to-disbarrment

supposedly the ruling is a permanent disbarrment with no right to petition for reinstatement.

i say its about time this asshole got booted from practicing law.What surprises me most is that I never would have thought Ash would frequent either of the two sites...

What could possibly matter would be to keep it out of the hands of kids, but, as I said before, that's another issue.

.........you know that is the issue that Clinton was trying to address right?


Look, I dont love Senator Clinton either, but some people here....gah.

Epic lulz forever.

As a resident of the very odd state of Florida, I applaud this and scream, very loudly, "Finally!!!"

I'd like to know where Wilgrove got the notion that this thread is "right wing bashing" in the first place. People are only talking about one person*, not the whole right wing, and nobody has even suggested that the Congress-critters on the other side of the aisle did any better.

*Or they were talking about just one person until the two of you started carrying on about a Clinton.

Exactly! :)

the video game ban crusade is not the reason why he was disbarred. so folks, if you think this will shut him up, you're all wrong.


Other than the people who make up the ratings are just minimum wage workers with no actual training, the ratings are vague and blunt and nobody's regulating it at all......no, nothing is wrong with it.

If you are a parent, and you think the ESRB is keeping your kids safe, you're in a sad sad state.

Here (http://www.grandtheftchildhood.com/GTC/Home.html) is a book you might want to start with if you are interested in the subject. It's a short read and quite interesting.
The ESRB is voluntary, it's meant as a guideline and not the rule. All the ESRB does is give an idea of what's in the game.

In America? Not really. Australia's sucks ass.
Why?Because their ratings dont allow for some types of games to be released there. I believe it was a rating equal to M they didn't have, so devs have to either not release the game or dumb it down.

as I understand it, Australia's ruling is that if the game cannot fit within their rating system, then it's effectively banned from being sold in Australia (http://xboxoz360gamer.com/2008/09/26/silent-hill-homecoming-refused-classification-in-australia/).

What surprises me most is that I never would have thought Ash would frequent either of the two sites...
oh i dont. i got it from my son. we have been following the bizarre thompson disbarrment saga for a while.

.........you know that is the issue that Clinton was trying to address right?


Look, I dont love Senator Clinton either, but some people here....gah.

She was saying a lot. Quoting from page 1 of this very thread: "She also called upon the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take immediate action to determine the source of graphic pornographic and violent content appearing on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game."

The ratings are fine. They are not an issue. Clinton seems to disagree, however, or otherwise she wouldn't suggest launching federal investigations regarding violence in an already M-rated game.

And if Hillary only thought it would be nice if it wasn't as easy for kids to buy violent games themselves, that would be fine with me, but she doesn't stop there. Another Clinton quote for you, proving that she has no fucking clue whatsoever what she's talking about:

“Children are playing a game that encourages them to have sex with prostitutes and then murder them,” the senator and former first lady said. “This is a silent epidemic of media desensitisation that teaches kids it’s okay to diss people because they are a woman, they’re a different colour or they’re from a different place.”

Some people indeed.

And if Hillary only thought it would be nice if it wasn't as easy for kids to buy violent games themselves, that would be fine with me, but she doesn't stop there. Another Clinton quote for you, proving that she has no fucking clue whatsoever what she's talking about:

“Children are playing a game that encourages them to have sex with prostitutes and then murder them,” the senator and former first lady said. “This is a silent epidemic of media desensitisation that teaches kids it’s okay to diss people because they are a woman, they’re a different colour or they’re from a different place.”

Some people indeed.

You do realize that this is part of the game, right? Where you can pick up a prostitute, get the health benefit, and then kill her for the money you just paid for the health boost? I mean, it's not as though the game says "Kill x number of prostitutes in x amount of time," but it doesn't exactly dissuade it.

What frustrates me sometimes about video games is that there are some games where it seems as if the same material in an M-rated game shows up in a PG-13-rated movie. Also, when you have a game tagged as AO when, really, that's what Mature is supposed to stand for. :p

You do realize that this is part of the game, right? Where you can pick up a prostitute, get the health benefit, and then kill her for the money you just paid for the health boost? I mean, it's not as though the game says "Kill x number of prostitutes in x amount of time," but it doesn't exactly dissuade it.

Sure you can, but the game doesn't encourage it. It's not what the game is about. The health boost and pitiful amount of money you can make by seeing and then killing a hooker is far outweighed by the time you actually spent on the task. In GTA4 when you see a prostitute, Bellic even says something along the lines of "now I know I'm a low-life". Yeah, I felt bad after doing that.

And the game certainly isn't part of an epidemic that teaches kids it’s okay to diss people because they are a woman, they’re a different colour or they’re from a different place.

Indeed. Idiots on both sides yelling "Yay! Video games are teh ebilz too!"

I'm just glad this pro-censorship idiot is thrown out of a profession that already has a bad name.

At least now we can play our murder simulators in peace and tranquillity.

I just had a thought:

Try saying "Jack Thompson Disbarred" in a Japanese accent.









You get "Jack Thompson Disballed".

Anyway, this is a long time in coming, and I'm pretty sure that he won't be allowed to practice law elsewhere.

At least now we can play our murder simulators in peace and tranquillity.

Was that sarcasm? I have trouble with sarcasm over the internet...

Was that sarcasm? I have trouble with sarcasm over the internet...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_O.K_-_A_Murder_Simulator

Thompson famously called Counter Strike (and probably the GTA games) a "murder simulator".

Sure you can, but the game doesn't encourage it.

You're right. This is why, when I hear people say that the game encourages people to hack the game to see the Hot Coffee mod, or to go and take pot shots at police, or this and that, I have to sit back and laugh because the game often portrays that yes, you can do this, just that it's far more worth your while to not waste your time with it and there are often repurcussions for such actions.

...

As a matter of fact, it would be funny if these same people moved to have the industry remove the Restart button on consoles to show people that there is no Restart button in real life. Which people know if, y'know, they're able to discern Reality from Fantasy like 95% of us are able to without trouble.

Care to substantiate that allegation?

You may very well be right, but much is said about Senator Clinton that isn't true.


She supported a bill by that Bastard Joseph Leibermann to put all video game rating systems under control (something along those lines... correct me if I'm wrong people, the memory of it is fuzzy). Also, you'd not ask for proof if it was Fascist Fuhrer Bush, would you? You can see the swastika painted over all of D.C. 8> that, censorship is evil. Also, everyone please boycott the debates tonight, as there are NO independant/third-party candidates included. Why else would the Federal Commission of Presidential Debates be established but to keep the truth from the eyes of the American people?

She supported a bill by that Bastard Joseph Leibermann to put all video game rating systems under control (something along those lines... correct me if I'm wrong people, the memory of it is fuzzy). Also, you'd not ask for proof if it was Fascist Fuhrer Bush, would you? You can see the swastika painted over all of D.C. 8> that, censorship is evil. Also, everyone please boycott the debates tonight, as there are NO independant/third-party candidates included. Why else would the Federal Commission of Presidential Debates be established but to keep the truth from the eyes of the American people?

Is that tinfoil hat too tight? Perhaps you should loosen it.

She supported a bill by that Bastard Joseph Leibermann to put all video game rating systems under control (something along those lines... correct me if I'm wrong people, the memory of it is fuzzy). Also, you'd not ask for proof if it was Fascist Fuhrer Bush, would you? You can see the swastika painted over all of D.C. 8> that, censorship is evil. Also, everyone please boycott the debates tonight, as there are NO independant/third-party candidates included. Why else would the Federal Commission of Presidential Debates be established but to keep the truth from the eyes of the American people?

Oooooooooo-key then.

Some of us will be watching the debates because our candidate of choice will be cleaning the cobwebs out of a senile old man's brain.

Strange, this forum used to be constantly attacking Hillary for her ridiculous views on video gaming. But no one seems to remember.

Strange, this forum used to be constantly attacking Hillary for her ridiculous views on video gaming. But no one seems to remember.

No, I remember and I sometimes spoke up in her defense then as well.

I don't agree with her, but (as we've discussed in another thread) that doesn't mean she is insane.

Oooooooooo-key then.

Some of us will be watching the debates because our candidate of choice will be cleaning the cobwebs out of a senile old man's brain.

I'm not so sure. While he's a far better orator in general, Obama doesn't really stand out at debating. I'm more curious to see what John McCain's plans actually are. For all the gripe Obama gets for only talking about abstract ideals, the only concrete thing I've seen from McCain is that he's not Barack Obama. Gee, thanks John McCain.

Strange, this forum used to be constantly attacking Hillary for her ridiculous views on video gaming. But no one seems to remember.

Her and Tipper Gore have ridiculous views on art.

the video game ban crusade is not the reason why he was disbarred. so folks, if you think this will shut him up, you're all wrong.
Except it doesn't really give you any idea of what's in the game. "Cartoon violence" to one minimum wage high school drop out might be different than it is to another. Games rated "M" for violence even though one gives you points for NOT shooting people while the other only gives points as the body count rises.......completely different message.

The things I find objectionable are going to be different than what you find objectionable, true. However, my tolerance for things isn't expressed in a letter rating meant to inform. As it goes right now, the ratings are not informative.

Except it doesn't really give you any idea of what's in the game. "Cartoon violence" to one minimum wage high school drop out might be different than it is to another. Games rated "M" for violence even though one gives you points for NOT shooting people while the other only gives points as the body count rises.......completely different message.

The things I find objectionable are going to be different than what you find objectionable, true. However, my tolerance for things isn't expressed in a letter rating meant to inform. As it goes right now, the ratings are not informative.

Rating: Mature.
Content: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs.

That's how pretty much all GTA games are rated in the US. Compare this to how movies are rated by the MPAA, and it's vastly more descriptive. Mature means that it's unsuitable for people under the age of 17. I don't think it gets any clearer than this. Don't buy it for your kid.

Rating: Mature.
Content: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs.

That's how pretty much all GTA games are rated in the US. Compare this to how movies are rated by the MPAA, and it's vastly more descriptive. Mature means that it's unsuitable for people under the age of 17. I don't think it gets any clearer than this. Don't buy it for your kid.

Why not?

For the record I find most MPAA ratings arbitrary anyway, especially between PG and PG-13.

Why not?

For the record I find most MPAA ratings arbitrary anyway, especially between PG and PG-13.
the buying should be up to the family eh?

the ratings are just a freaking warning that if such things matter to you you might want to check the game out before you buy it for your 10 year old and let him play it unsupervised in his bedroom.

they seem to me to be mostly harmless and mostly useless.

the buying should be up to the family eh?

the ratings are just a freaking warning that if such things matter to you you might want to check the game out before you buy it for your 10 year old and let him play it unsupervised in his bedroom.

they seem to me to be mostly harmless and mostly useless.

Like Earth?

Like Earth?
aye

...

Why not?
well, the ESRB and MPAA inform what's in the movie content wise. take the label on GTA.
Rating: Mature.
Content: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs.
so why should some grandmother be shocked that she gave this game to a 10 yr old and successfully sue the game makers when it's labeled right there STRONG SEXUAL CONTEXT?

should it be the Seller's responsiblity? the Manufacturer's? or the customer's?

For the record I find most MPAA ratings arbitrary anyway, especially between PG and PG-13. but I bet you still pay attention to the ratings when you take your family to see a movie?

sure the difference between a PG and PG-13 is as laughable as the difference between R and R-17, but does that invalidate the value of the MPAA labels and using them as a suggestion/guideline?

Can we lynch Tipper now?

Can we lynch Tipper now?
isnt she kinda gone-by?

Can we lynch Tipper now?

... I would say wait till JT stops dancing at the end of his rope first. don't want him to slip away due to some loop hole...

What frustrates me sometimes about video games is that there are some games where it seems as if the same material in an M-rated game shows up in a PG-13-rated movie.

That actually makes a lot of sense. Having a character you control participate in a violent act should have more impact on you than merely watching a similar violent act in a movie, especially if it's a less-than-linear videogame where you nominally have some sort of choice about who you're going to kill.

No, I have no source to back up this idea, it's just my off-the-top-of-my-head reaction. I'm not that big a fan of violence, but I've found playing, say, Half-Life or GTA more disturbing than watching a similarly violent movie.

I'm ignoring for the moment that PG-13 is an almost completely useless rating. It's very hard to parse what content lets a movie get away with PG-13 and what gets it slapped with an R.

Maybe he can get a job a EB games:)