Yesterday the Associated Press, the wire service depended upon by almost every news organization on the planet, admitted to experimenting with a weeklong blackout on the "celebutant" Paris Hilton. GameSetWatch took note of this and discussed how former head of the Electronic Software Association, Doug Lowenstein, condemned the gaming press for granting legitimacy to Jack Thompson by writing about him and thus feeding the beast. In essence, saying the gaming press should have put a blackout on Thompson ages ago.The thing is that if the gaming press ignores Jack Thompson, he doesn't just go away. By reporting on Thompson and his antics, which get ever more desperate over time, we chronicle the man. When mainstream media organizations Google search Thompson, they find the gaming press' work. It gives them a better understanding of Thompson and his work. So, other than Thompson, is there anyone or anything the gaming press should take a cue from the AP and ignore within the industry?












(Page 1) Reader Comments
Blackout people like Mark Rein who continuously spout bullshit just to get everyone riled up.
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Also, anyone from Nintendo that ISN'T Miyamoto or Reggie.
ALSO.... EA games. And ALL of Ubisoft's port-outings.
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The man is a real-life internet forum troll.
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Also, EA. While making the gaming public aware of their antics related to the nickel-and-diming they perform more severely with each new game seems important to chronicle, perhaps every other news bit about them can just happen to get lost in the shuffle?
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Doug Lowenstein incorrectly asserts we're feeding his fire - something that he clearly doesn't need. If going by his tragic emails tells us anything, he'd be more than happy not to have the gaming press making him constantly look like a fool.
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Jack Thompson is a different story. Giving him attention just exposes him for what he is. Jack is a lunatic with completely unjustified (and scientifically proven against) views that encompass all gamers as having psychotic tendencies. He may be a media whore but its all bad for Jack. Paris on the other hand needs to be forgotten about. Its not like she betters any one but her own life. She is a useless coke slut. Bang her in the butt for coke indeed.
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Maybe we should do Bush a favor also and just ban him too. Its not like he is making anything better at this point. The whole Bush Admin needs to be muzzled.
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Taking a topic that makes you all hateful inside and turning it inside out!
Teh Fanbot 4aXXorZ Joystiq!
http://sites.gizoogle.com/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.joystiq.com%2F2007%2F03%2F03%2Fap-ignores-paris-who-should-we-ignore%2F%23comments
Anyways, ignoring the problem is NEVER the solution. A couple days ago I read an article that name Paris Hilton one of the 10 worst women capable of being a female 'role model' simply from her huge celebrity and media exposure. I'd rather see media criticizing her than try to ignore that nothing's happened.
Not acknowledging the critical faults kind of destroys the reason for ignoring them in the first place.
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If our side was to completely ignore him. His side and his followers (and yes, there are many and some even have power) would be allowed to run completely unfettered. There would be no one offering counterpoints when the games go to trial. There would be no studies being offered up in defense of the game industry. And what is the link? The killers played video games. In todays culture, that's roughly the same as saying "since all school shootings happen at school, let's ban schools."
But on the other side, each time he hits the news, the retards go flocking to death threats, screaming, and ultimately offering credence to his cause. As outrageous as he is, most of the time, the people he faces in the public arena have nothing more to say than "I play video games and I should fucking kill you for trying to take them away." This is partially the games industries fault as well. My point is summed up in the following video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yREGBKZggwA
They take Jack Thompson against Adam Sessler. Now Adam Sessler has always been a fucking clown shoe, period. But during the debate, Jack Thompson seems prepared, Adam merely fumbles with opinions.
One of the first things to use against jackie during this debate was the Padukah case. He, along with David Grossman, claimed that Carneal trained exclusively on Doom. Which is false. Carneal was not only a paranoid schitzophrenic but had trained with the gun he stole for the shooting. yes, you read that right. A troubled youth with a hatred for his fellow students, and a local adult decides to teach him how to long range shoot to better relieve stress. And how exactly did Padukah happen? Oh yes, long range sniping fire into a prayer group. From someone who was bullied and bruised everyday because he was an open atheist. Yeppers, Doom pulled that shit.
But then he mentions one study. A study that, should Sessler have recognized is the same study Thompson has been quoting for years, shows the increased violence due to video games directly relates to children who are bullied, neglected, abused by parents, and all fit the profile that we associate with future criminals. But no, yet another opportunity missed.
And then Jacki-O mentions the "changes" (the original hypelines included the ability to fight back against children and teachers) made to Bully as a bad thing. Adam could have just as easily pushed that point and said, "Doesn't the changes made to Bully indicate Rockstar's ability to recognize a line crossed and willingness to listen to a concerned community?"
Instead, sessler jumps off the deep end, not attacking JTs sources or points but instead uses blanketing statements. The gaming press rarely throws anyone at JT willing to slam down points with facts but instead, each time a Sessler takes down Thompson, gamers applaud like "Yeah, fucking take him down!" All Sessler managed to achieve in this debate is prove a hardcore gamers amazing inability to research before a debate. But hell, looking at the comments, you can't tell just how badly Sessler failed.
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oh wait, we already do that.
PHEW!
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Back then, President Eisenhower simply let McCarthy do as he pleased because [A] he didn't want to rile up his own party and, more importantly, [B] he believed the man's own frenzy would make the man do himself in.
Wacko Jacko is just that kind of guy. It seems that he gets more frenzied and fanatical in his one-man "crusade" against video game violence. The more of his own flaming crap his associates get to see courtesy of the gaming press, the more likely his associates are going to alienate him, and what will happen to him then? Let's leave things as they are with him right now; sooner or later he's going to be shut down by his own fanaticism, and not even his own buddies will want to pay him any attention anymore. That will be a sweeter revenge than anything I can hope to cook up.
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Oh, also - mAnn Coulter, just in general.
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Well here's the problem. When Jackie-O self destructs, who will take his place? Imagine a competant Jack Thompson....
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Paris Hilton makes sense to ignore, becuase unless she starts, you know, doing something with her life, then nothing she does will effect anyone except desperate pre-teen girls
Uwe Boll is a good candidate, as is anything Cliffy B says that doesn't regard GoW
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I find the commentors that say Sony completely hilarious. These are the same commentors who bitch about everything Sony says? You know, you are completely free to ignore Sony anyway. The fact that so many people bitch instead of ignoring Sony makes me thing that if joystiq stopped reporting on Sony, there'd be some really bored people out there.
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i admit sessler might have done a better job but he made some excellent points. especially toward the beginning. jack came on talking about school shootings and how doom was responsible. adam countered by saying things like: with all the other media and violence and problems for american youth out there, to attempt to say video games are the sole cause in youth violence is insane!
the other guy said his kids punch and kick each other and fight all the time and they never play video games. they also went into the first ammendment and how creative expression is protected. and at the end of the day its parents' responsibility to censer whatever they find unsuitable for they kids to consume.
anyone with a brain can see jack has no case at all. he cited ONE study showing video games lead to violence. there could be ONE study out there that says the sun isnt the center of the solar system, or that the earth is flat. just because ONE group makes an outragious claim, does not, in any way, make it true.
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For all the good it does us. They still treat him like an expert instead of a crazy person.
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