Jack Thompson: Mass Effect controversy 'ridiculous'

Perhaps the most well-versed individual on gaming controversy (by merit of instigating many of them), Jack Thompson has found a way to make the Mass Effect Fox News report more ridiculous by defending the game. Unfortunately, weather.com has not updated the current temperature in Hell, but we'll let you know when we find out.

Responding to the latest press release, Kotaku's Brian Crecente asked Thompson what he thought about the Mass Effect story. Thompson responded, "The guy who shot his mouth off about it had no idea what the Hell he was talking about." (We assume he meant conservative columnist Kevin McCullough and isn't confusing Fox News guest Cooper Lawrence's gender.) Thompson later added, "This contrived controversy is absolutely ridiculous."

To catch you up to speed: just after McCullough apologized for writing about Mass Effect's "virtual orgasmic rape," Fox News' Live Desk with Martha MacCollum ran a similar, ignorant segment on the "Sexbox" (so clever) title that pitted Geoff Keighley against a child care author who openly admitted she never played the game. Publisher Electronic Arts demanded a correction, Fox countered, and Lawrence apologized after gamers review-bombed her book on Amazon.

Reader Comments (90)

Correction: Cooper Lawrence isn't a child psychologist ("psychologist" is a legally protected term, one has to hold a PhD in psychology in order to bill oneself as such). She has a masters in developmental (child) psychology. Which, depending on the institution, can take about 1-2 years of work. Hardly an expert.

Who divided by zero?

Didn't you read? It was ME!

MWHAHAHAHAH!

blarg, well i guess now i have to at least give him a chance.

That just shattered my whole universe...

theyre just videogames, they are all just jumping the gun and overeacting

How could anyone NOT find the Mass Effect controversy ridiculous? This doesn't make HIM any more off the mark in his understanding of games. Fox and that blogger guy were bashing the game with innacurate (read: completely bollocks) information, so there isn't really much to go on in terms of supporting Fox, Cooper Lawrence or the blogger guy.

Sure, the man who said even children can activate the "Hot Cofee" mod and that Sims 2 is made with pedophiles in mind...now says running your mouth without info is wrong. It's not hypocritical folks: When JT talks bull, he KNOWS it's bull. He knows to say a lie, you gotta know the truth!

Which one of these is not like the other? Which one of these just doesn't belong?

Might there be hope for the man?

Or, thinking about it, did anyone check to see if he had a goatee?

You guys let your guards down way easier than I do. Think back on the history of ridiculous shit we've all seen this man capable of and then tell me to care what he thinks about Mass Effect, good or bad.

More shocking is Joystiq linking to the enemy.

He is downplaying this controversy in order to enhance the legitimacy of his own controversies.

*head explodes*

So, do I hate Mass Effect now? Cause I liked it - but now I may not be too sure.

Not surprised, this is what naturally happens once said fandom passes Rule 34:

http://fap.yiffstar.com/linkarchive/data.furaffinity.net_art_narse_1199740604.narse_garrus_mass_effect_porn.jpg

I would like to congratulate Fox for actually getting this low. Quite a skill.

The article must be one giant typo.

When I saw it, I shit bricks.

Damn you gotta love Fox news, it takes a special kind of suck to get EVERYONE on the same boat...I mean come on f they did their job right, then hell, that might breed a..wait for it...sane opposing viewpoint for anti-game beliefs. Remember folks, in the real world its not about who's right, its just who's less wrong.

You know when you've been owned when Jack Thompson calls you rediculous.

Wait... what Thompson is saying and what you guys are claiming Thompson is saying are two different things.

Thompson is saying that he doesn't see any problem with it. That's not defending it. If anything, that sounds like Jack is being studiously neutral about it.

If Thompson was defending it, he would have actually pointed out where the controversy is flawed, how this was a manufactured and unnecessary story, and how this isn't exposing kids to any objectionable material because it's rated M and is not being pushed to kids anyhow.

Jack is being sensible about Mass Effect; this does not mean he is defending it.

Please Jack, don't do this.

I want to play SSB: Brawl at least once before the universe implodes. You are not helping.

March 9th is so... close...

::Fetal Position::

I pain you that it's been leaked.

What's Thompson's angle? He must be planning some sort of video game coup, or something.

Ok, if Jack Thompson (hyporacticly) insults you for your attack on video games, you have officaly hit rock bottom.

When I'm a grandfather I'll tell my grandkids about when I saw the video game wars with my own eyes. The battles went back and forth with losses on both sides. I lived through the Amazon bombs and yellow journalism. Alliances that were set up and quickly destroyed. I'll even show them my medals. Yes. That is a real Killamanjaro.

Wow... I am speechless.

I... o.o Jack Thompson actually saying something smart-ish...? o.o Oh God I'm scared...

The end is near!
The world is coming to an end!
Gamers and Jack Thompson agree on something!
Its over hide yuor wives!

Finally Jack has found some creditability with me, but don't expect this to last with him, I feel he will be back to the riving lunatic shortly,

My whole world is crumbling!

CONFIRMED: Jack Thompson accepts position at Rockstar North!

I think you read it wrong. From his words, he thinks that the game's DEFENDER was wrong. This, at the least, is consistent with his past ravings.

Jeez, leave Mass Effect alone, there were worse scenes in GTA, apart from the hot coffee, nobody ranted on about that ¬_¬ Is it because its lesbian?

Something is up.

Fascinating...maybe Wacko Jacko (no the OTHER one) has begun to think, now that he's realizing no one's listening to him?

But one point: to call Cooper Lawrence a "child care author" is scary. The three of her four books that are available on Amazon are "Been There, Done That, Kept the Jewelry", "The Fixer-Upper Man" and "The Cult of Perfection" - sounds more like an author targeting next-gen yuppies that don't WANT to have kids...except as possessions. :P

Next on News at LOL:
Game blog readers drown in irony and hypocrisy floods from monitors across the world.

DO NOT BE FOOLED!!!!!! Jack Thompson wants to control what we play. Period. He uses his tired "what about the children" crap to force his brand of fascism on us. I'm a gamer and parent of young kids, and I guarantee that if GTA IV were to be shut down and destroyed the way Jack wants, The world would not be any better.
KIDS NEED GOOD PARENTING, NOT CENSORSHIP.

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Jack Thompson: Mass Effect controversy 'ridiculous'

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