Why Jack Thompson Is Wrong

I think everyone who reads videogame blogs is familiar with Jack Thompson, the lawyer on a personal crusade against the entertainment industry (and that includes videogames). His latest project is the GTA lawsuit. Well, Salon.com Technology | Grand Death Auto tells the real story; the kids that are the subject of the lawsuit didn't even know what they were doing when they decided to shoot at trucks. They expected the shots to just bounce off. Yes, they were that stupid—one has an IQ of 91—but so much for Jack Thompson's theory that the games made them violent enough to commit murder. Meanwhile, Shaun McCormack has posted some Jack Thompson emails which show how small-minded the lawyer really is.

Well, Jack Thompson, if videogames train children to be killers then why would children's hospitals across America accept donations of videogames? And for their patients, no less? That's right; a short time ago, Penny Arcade held a donation drive to make that happen. Wil Wheaton covers the story here.