This is by far the best argument I have heard on the whole "violent games" issue that the media decided to make a carnival of. A new study says that various groups - politicians, the media - promote the hysterical beliefs of video game violence because they present a simpler solution than the real problems.

Full story after the link.

Jack Thompson is at it again, and this time he has his eye on the recent shoot out that occurred at North Illinois University earlier today. In an interview with Fox News, he presented the same arguments as with previous campus massacres and other violent incidents, pinning the blame once again on violent video games. You can read more about what Jack Thompson had to say, as well as the video interview in the full article after the jump.

(Editor's note: L'amour, l'amour! It's sure as hell driving us mad, but who's complaining?)

It's not even Valentine's day yet, and already, people are spreading the love all around. And that's with or without Barry White songs stuck in our heads right now. The fireworks are over; time for the season of love! QuickJump QuickPeek is brimming once again with some loving, and here's the latest box of chocolates, from us, directly to you!

It's a Nintendo Holiday this Christmas, according to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. The NOA boss has recently gone on the air on FBN to discuss several company matters, including Nintendo's Wii production rates, and their current sales numbers for the DS. The video interview will also be featuring more clips of Super Mario Galaxy, which is currently scheduled for launch this November 12. You can watch the Reggie's stint on Fox News by accessing the full article.

Article originally posted Oct 27, 2007 at 02:20PM

(Editor's Note: Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble; eye of newt and... all that jazz. What's your costume going to be like this year? It's finally that time of year when CosPlay fanatics can run wild in the streets without fear of getting hounded by the cops. Do we have some people coming in as Kratos this year? Maybe wanna dress up as a character from a new IP, like say, Altair from Assassin's Creed - he seems to be pretty popular among the ladies. Be that as it may, it's time to don the QuickJump QuickPeek suit - hold the eye of newt, please! The 18th edition rolls out today!)

Clear the decks for this one, folks! Following last week's #17, QuickJump QuickPeek 18 has parked its merry bottom on the QJ blogs! Halloween is just around the corner and this edition of our weekly recap has nothing less than the most wicked news and updates. Of course, "wicked" here may connote either of two things: 1) wicked in the sense of being vilely putrid in nature, or 2) wicked in the sense of being made out of pure win, awesome, or [insert your own expletive of jubilation].

This week, we've got a heavy dosage of updates that'll make pumpkin heads roll. For one, Clive Barker's Jericho is already on shelves this week for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 - that right there is probably enough to give you some goosebumps for the next couple of weeks. Rawr. Now just to give you a slight swig from the QuickPeek cauldron, it's a potion of sorts with various PSP batteries colliding, highly-anticipated games finally getting the gold status, and some little after taste of bold remarks from iconic analysts, CEOs, and attorneys.

Something wicked this way comes! On with the pumpkin rolling!

Click the Full Article link below to read the whole of QuickJump QuickPeek 18!

Jack Thompson's "secret shopper" ploy along with his credit card-toting 15-year-old son continues. Thompson has recently given out a statement that he will file a lawsuit against Best Buy today for charges of selling M-rated games indiscriminately to minors in their online store.

Thompson will use Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act as his trump card to use against the retail sales mogul Best Buy. The controversial lawyer drafted a letter addressed to Best Buy's corporate counsel, part of which reads as:

Best Buy, despite promises made to the American people and to me personally, has continued to sell Mature-rated video games to children under seventeen years of age. Best Buy has been doing this at its cash registers here in Miami, Florida, and it is presently doing so, this very moment, at www.bestbuy.com, as it sells Mature-rated games to anyone of any age with no real age verification whatsoever.

At this point it should be noted that according to the Federal Trade Commission, the mere use of a credit card is already an acceptable proof that the buyer is of 18 years of age, since most teenagers under 17 years cannot be issued credit cards.

How will ole' Jack Thompson fare this time? It looks like he is indeed on a roll, what with his recent plea to ban Manhunt 2 through Fox News. Do stay tuned for more updates!

Things got a little heated in a recent debate over Manhunt 2 (Wii, PSP, PS2) in Fox News' Cashin' In program when outspoken anti-videogame activist Jack Thompson argued for banning the game in the US. On the other side of the debate is Jonathan Hoenig, a regular of the show.

On Thompson's side of the argument, he stated how violent video games make adolescents and teens more aggressive and how the games are sold to minors despite the game's rating (citing how his own son was able to buy Bioshock from Best Buy despite the game's rating.)

On Hoenig's side, he argued for the constitutional rights of a person, pointing out the conflicting ideas of banning a game despite the right to free speech. The debate got to the point where even the show's host, Terry Keenan, gave her own views on the matter.

M-rated games coming to the Wii are expected to be criticized and contested. Manhunt 2, in particular, is receiving much word from anti-game lawyers. In an interview by Fox News, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum talked about the game's Wii version requiring players to slash and stab using the Wiimote.

When talking about violent video games and lawyers, it's almost inevitable to include Jack Thompson's name. This time, he's the one who sparked the issue by sending a letter to McCollum and Florida Governor Charlie Crist. The letter said:

Florida retailers are scheduled to sell a very violent video game called Manhunt 2 which will be available, remarkably, for “play” on the kids-friendly Nintendo Wii gaming platform. The Wii device does not utilize traditional push button game controllers but instead utilizes hand-held motion capture devices… It is a training device.

Let's not go into the idea that JT is looking for backup on his endeavors. Crist still haven't taken a position, but McCollum took the story. The interview with him expressing concerns is expected to be aired sometime before Manhunt 2's July 9 release.

Like what he did with Bully, Thompson is already suggesting beforehand that the game be considered public nuisance. How he contests a game he probably knows nothing about aside from a few screenshots and videos, we may never know. Heck, it's not even out yet - same reason why his attempts against Bully failed. Who knows if a harmless game like Trauma Center would have doctors poking each other's eyes out if nobody played it yet?

Meanwhile, McCollum's office took notice of the fuzz. His Press Secretary sent Game Politics a letter that read:

Attorney General Bill McCollum is concerned about any games which may instill violence in children, particularly games that encourage children to engage in violent behavior, even in simulation. He believes it is important to help protect children from influences which may introduce violence into their lives and stresses the importance of parental involvement in the efforts to keep these influences out of our homes and away from our families.

Looks like Super Smash Brothers Brawl will take some heat too, since it encourages kids to beat the crap out of their friends and throw them out the stage. Nintendo is not fazed, stating that games simply have different audiences just like movies, televisions, and books. Don't let the kids touch Manhunt 2, problem solved.

Ever since Manhunt 2 was announced to appear on Nintendo Wii, the title has received a lot of unnecessary bad publicity from various personalities outside the video game industry.

Among these people was Jack Thompson with his "letters of concern" regarding the impact the game might have on children. It looks like Florida is on Thompson's side on this one as Attorney General Bill McCollum was reported to express concern over the release of the title.

Quite interestingly, reports mentioned that McCollum was concerned on the Wii version alone (and not on the PS2 and PSP version) precisely because of Wii's motion-sensitive controller. As you all know, Manhunt 2 will require players to stab, club, and slash (read: kill) enemies.

With the Wiimote, players need to really perform these actions instead of simply pressing some buttons. Amidst all these, Rockstar has remained defensive and Nintendo downplays the issue by saying that Manhunt 2 is not theirs anyway.

There were various attempts to contact the Attorney General but to no avail. GamePolitics.com was able to contact, however, the official's press secretary. According to the secretary, McCollum believes that it is important to help protect children from influences which may introduce violence into their lives. The statement continued,

Attorney General Bill McCollum is concerned about any games which may instill violence in children, particularly games that encourage children to engage in violent behavior, even in simulation... [He] stresses the importance of parental involvement in the efforts to keep these influences out of our homes and away from our families.

 

Lastly, Fox News reporter Orlando Salinas recently had a discussion with Bill McCollum regarding the matter. The interview, according to sources, will air close to Manhunt 2's release on July 9.

First and foremost, we would like to give our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of those 32 people (33 including the gunman) involved in today's shootout at the Virginia Tech campus. While everyone is still reeling in shock from the events at Norris Hall this morning, we share everyone's sentiment that it is indeed a horrible tragedy. Already, CNN is even calling it the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.

But why post something that's not gaming related? Well, we would have wanted to avoid this whole issue altogether, however, someone had apparently brought videogames (something oh so close to all of our hearts) into the picture. Hence, the relevancy to these blogs.

As Kotaku reports, Jack Thompson spoke on FOXNews about the Virgina Tech shooting, saying that the massacre is linked to videogames. Now, we do not know to what extent Jack Thompson said this and we do not know the exact context in which the attorney said this. While it's pretty hard to form any substantial and unbiased judgment from such a lack of details, CobaltBlue, as a comment to Kotaku's post, sheds some light on what happened in FOXNews for us:

@possiblymalignant: Fox News Live was calling him a "School Shooting Specialist", or that's what he's calling himself now. All he talked about though was linking video games and "murder simulators" to school shootings. I guess we can look forward to a new Jack Thompson crusade now.

Maybe there is more to Thompson's statement than just "the Virgina Tech shooting was due to videogames" after all? And we have yet to find an actual video, transcript, or news clipping from FOXNews or any other news source. For now, this is what we have.

Pic courtesy of FOXNews.

---

Update: We've managed to grab the Fox News interview with Jack Thompson over at YouTube which was uploaded by rgbyhkr. Here's the clip.