2 Words... Jack Thompson

So, As many of you know, I work in the video game industry. Many who do not closely follow the industry have missed out on some rather interesting drama and just plain good entertainment brought about by one Jack Thompson.

Now, this man is on a crusade against violence and sexuality in video games. This is his right. I have nothing against the cause of protecting children, and I too believe that children should not be playing Grand Theft Auto or similar games. My problem with Mr. Thompson is that I believe the actual parenting of children should be done by...well...their parents.

This is not actually what this post is about. You see Mr. Thompson has been seeming less and less rational each time I hear of him and...well he said this:

" Certain regional governments in Japan have banned the sale of the Grand Theft Auto games to minors, but Japan's Sony has no problem whatsoever dumping this garbage into American kids' brains. Looks like Pearl Harbor 2 by Sony/Take-Two... "

Now statements can often be taken out of context for sheer shock value so the responsible people at Game Politics did their best to make sure this was really his intent, mentioning that his comment could appear insensitive, and he said this:

" Insensitive? What the Japanese are doing to our kids is insensitive and racist. The Japanese have for a very long time dumped pornography into this country in a fashion they would not tolerate in their own country. It is another version of Pearl Harbor. "

I could not make stuff like this up.

He reportedly went so far as to email the Japanese Ambassador, with a strongly worded letter that starts as a request for assistance, and however ends up nearly accusing the entire country of abusing America's youth. I am not Japanese, nor am I an Ambassador, let alone the Japanese Ambassador...yet I am baffled and mildly offended. Can one expect help from someone while making this sort of attack on them at the same time? Does Mr. Thompson believe that the nation of Japan is responsible for Sony's actions in America? And more importantly, does Mr. Thompson think Sony is as much to blame for this as Rockstar games...the company that actually created the questionable content?

I believe this man to be a true and undeniable Zealot, and usually there is nothing more frightening to me than a zealot... But, Damn. He sure puts on a good show...