Failed Louisiana video game bill sponsor speaks out

A few more gaffs like this and I'm pretty sure we will not be hearing about too many bills like this in the future.

http://www.ebizmba.com

hmmm a 100k would be a nice startup fund for parenting classes. Or maybe a few million pamphlets explaining to parents what the ESRB ratings are for...

"Psychopathic killers are not born, they are made!"

How sadly naive to think that, even if that statement is wholly true, it is video games that have the power to do this.

But, as I've pointed out time and time again, it's easier to blame a thing than to blame a person, or accept that some people are just bad.

Blaming parents is hard. Blaming video games is easy.



This man should be voted out of office for being naive and dangerously ill-informed.

Here is what I posted on the editorial:

Your first mistake was in partnering with Jack Thompson. His reputation is going down as a fear-mongering lawyer who looks for any opportunity to take a swipe at regulating the video game industry. Your second mistake is not knowing that several bills that Jack has helped to write have already been struck down in other states. Perhaps you should jump on the Internet once in a while and do some basic fact-finding before attempting to write legislation.

I am a 30 year old parent who grew up playing video games. Yes, in my youth I even played "murder-simulators" such as "Doom" and "Quake". I also watched Transformers and GI Joe with robots and people shooting at each other all the time and I didn't grow up to be psychopathic individual. I can't believe how blind people have become to see that video games are just the new medium that is being blamed for society's ills. First it was radio, then television, then rap music, and now video games.


I can't wait for more Gen X'ers and Gen Y'ers to come into office so that video games will stop being persecuted for society's problems. These games are rated "Mature" for a reason, they are meant for children age 17 and up just like a rated "R" movie. As the poster above me said, the industry is doing much better in selling "M" rated games to under-aged children than any other industy is. Legislators like you make me want to foray into the political arena just so that there can be a dissenting voice that stands for reason. Let me, as a parent, decide what is right for my children. Let the video game industry, which has shown much better improvement in regulating itself than other industries, continue to do what it can to curb the selling of violent video games to youth. I don't need politicians like you telling me what is and is not acceptable for my children.

the sad part is not all parents regulate their children or care or understand 35 year old parent talking here. avid video gamer too.just dealing with other parents of my kids you come to understand how ignorant most parents are.

They should worry about hurricane than video game.

Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know much. I'm just a caveman. Your videogames frighten and confuse me...

@clo1_2000

You forgot about how D&D and later AD&D was fostering satanic rituals and nihilistic values into our youths (and thus banned from schools and even turned into a social scapegoat).

You also forgot how comic books were taking the blame, leading to the CCA, crippling the graphic novel industry for decades while Europe, Japan, and Korea started kicking our asses in both story, standards, and distribution methods. Once Superman was no longer allowed to throw a bank robber into the sun (thus ruining Superman forever), the damage to the industry began. Damage that only recently reversed once DC Vertigo started challenging the independants and brought adult content to the mainstream. Yes, comics were blamed for youth violence as well. Along with some of these other things...

Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Beatles, Rock Music, Jazz, Art, Theatres, Plays, Sports (yes, there was a period where sports were for "savages" and could only lead to more violence in the streets), among countless others.

And each time, it's always narrowminded bible thumpers waving the ban fan on the fires. Video games will get past this rough spot, we just gotta ignore the fundamentalist until then.

Note: Christians aren't bad and that wasn't the point of the bible thumper comment. But Jack Thompson? He's a bible thumper.

I don't eat at a restaurant without Googling it first. This guy should have done the same and saved himself the humiliation . Jack Thompson hasn't done much good for anyone lately. In the first five results on google, he's called an idiot, and a liar. If that's not a red flag, I don't know what is.

No video-games in Nazi Germany!

No video-games for Attila the Hun.

etc etc etc

Hmmm - maybe a flawed theory.

Everyone wants to put blame somewhere.

#7. Nice caveman lawyer reference. wow...i feel old.

#7. Nice caveman lawyer reference. wow...i feel old.

Poor Phil.

I just cannot stand the stupidity Jack causes. You cannot just single out video games without scrutinizing the rest of the entertainment industry! Even then you won't make any headway though. Things have ratings, kids shouldn't get them, if they get them it is either the fault of the stores or the parents.

What do they expect? A scanner on every counsel that can tell the age of the player and not let him play if too young? They certainly aren't going to stop production of these games because of the 1st amendment, my personal favorite amendment. Perhaps they should try to get rid of that amendment before passing these laws :p

"They certainly aren't going to stop production of these games because of the 1st amendment, my personal favorite amendment. Perhaps they should try to get rid of that amendment before passing these laws :p"

Shhhh!!!! Jack is listening!!

maybe he will run for President next.
Hilary Clinton is.