ESA says Rhode Island game bill is unconstitutional, Jack Thompson ... agrees?

Well hell just froze over.

He's just trying to get back on the gaming industry's good side. DON'T FALL FOR HIS LIES

.....Wow.

Please explain why we should not let parents decide what their children play. I'm an adult that plays violent games, but I wouldn't want my 8 year old child play some of my FPS. Please, don't take this as an insult. I'm wondering why people think this way.

I probably shouldn't go out without a jacket now, we just got a sudden cold spell.

Why would he do that?

IT'S UP TO THE PARENTS, DANG IT! THESE POLITICIANS DON'T RUN OUR FAMILIES! MOMS AND DADS WILL DECIDED WHEN THEY'RE CHILDREN PLAY M-RATED GAMES!

Sorry about the caps lock, it always pops up when anger occurs.

Maybe he's trying to slip in a few of his own ideas.

You see, Jack has a special disorder where everything he attempts, ends up the opposite of what he wants. He tries to get parents en masse to rally around him to protect their kids, people scoff at him. He cites the original Doom as a horrible influence on children, the calender tells him it's not 1993 anymore. He tries to use his lawyer-powers to change game regulation, he gets disbarred. This was a terrible thing for Jack, a wonderful thing for us...until now. It would seem Jack is now aware of his disorder and understands how to use it. He's going to work towards what he doesn't want to happen, in order to bring to fruition his master plan.

You can hate him, but I feel sorry for him. Think what your life would be like if every day, were opposite day.

I think it's pretty dumb to make selling a game that is rated M to a person 17 or younger a misdemeanor.

However, I do not get how it would be unconstitutional? Can someone explain it or point me to some information?

Also, in response to people saying that it should be up to parents to decide what there children play, under this proposed law they could still do that. Its not a law banning underage gaming. It just adds a penalty (misdemeanor) to selling a M rated game to a minor. I'm guessing it would be a fine? A parent could still buy the game and the minor can still play it. So I guess I'm not getting your all's point about parental guidance as counter argument to the proposal? A parent would still have to, a should, guide there children regardless of this laws implementation or not.

I hate that we have to have laws that are stupid. For instance it personally it baffles me why we have laws against Drunk Driving because I think it is pretty obvious why you should not drink and drive but yet we have laws for it none the less.

At any rate this law shouldn't be needed but I can't think of any reason why it would hurt anyone or change anything. That's really the only counter argument that I can see. That is this already happens, or should be happening, on the parental side of a minors gaming habits.

It's funny. You think Jack Thompson is about to make a heel-face turn, and then it turns out he was just being a douche.

Someone please explain how this "empowers parents"?Yes it takes time and effort to properly parent a child, including making sure that they didn't run out and buy game you deem inappropriate among many other things. It is also a responsibility of good parenting and if you can't take enough time to raise your kids right, spend quality time with them, and make sure they are staying out of trouble then you are one of many parents who quite simply shouldn't have kids.

Having a kid is a large responsibility, it's too bad most of America has forgotten what responsibility means and settled for finding scapegoats instead.

He's still a dick.

I'm moving out of RI now... well... I was going to anyways, but this just adds to the reasons why. Terrible roads, terrible drivers, and terrible lawmakers!

I'm going to agree with everyone that says the responsibility is in the parents' hands. Really people? ESRB does their secret shops, you can look up the results. Most retailers to a pretty decent job of carding kids. But what happens? Their 18 year old friend comes in and buys it anyways. This isn't going to change anything. Kids get cigarettes, alcohol, and whatever else if they really want it. Are our tax dollars really going to stop them from getting the games? Parents should stop using games as babysitters and start paying attention to what their kids play.

People still care about Jack Thompson? Wasn't anyone content to let him fade into obscurity?

am I the only looking forward to the day when something happends to him (death, jail, bankruptcy, robbery you name it) someone close to him will blame video games for it.

It kills me that they think it's wrong that a minor can buy a M-rated video game, but they're just fine with them buying R-rated movies.

It's opposite day!

Forgive me if I'm misunderstanding something, but would this not make the law like it is here in the UK? We have law-enforced age ratings that must be adhered to, so someone has to be of the appropriate age (and usually prove it with ID) to buy said game. This stops kids buying games like GTA or Gears, for instance, which are rated 18.

So basically, this would stop kids being able to buy adult games and punish retailers who sell adult games to kids.

So why is this a bad thing?