So you thought the dirty video game scandals were over? Not by a long shot! Miami attorney Jack Thompson got a fresh horse and began his next charge in his never ending attempt to expurgate video games and expunge media in general of material he finds offensive.
The latest game to draw his attention is to what he deems pornographic content in the oh so obscene game of Sims2 by Electronic Arts (EA). He claims the game, through downloadable mods, can have access to obscene material, including exposed genitalia.
In an email to EA, Thompson said, “Adult “porn sites” are featuring, via free downloads, the mods that allow the consumer to customize the appearance of the labia, nipples, pubic hair, and penises. As you know, The Sims 2 already features reproductive activities in this “T” rated game.” Thompson also copied the email to Senator Hillary Clinton.
The email also said that these mods could be applied to children in the game and this turns the game into a virtual “pedophile’s paradise” and that EA, by not actively and forcefully going after modders, is encouraging this behavior. So, Thompson is essentially saying that since EA’s not attempting to rub out this behavior, they are in fact encouraging pedophilia.
EA’s VP of corporate communications said in GameSpot, “This is nonsense. We’ve reviewed 100 percent of the content. There is no content inappropriate for a teen audience. Players never see a nude sim. If someone with an extreme amount of expertise and time were to remove the pixels, they would see that the sims have no genitals. They appear like Ken and Barbie.”
Jack’s Been Around
Good ol’ Jack Thompson has gone down this road before and has been at it for nearly 20 years. He first got into the “stop the obscenity” movement back in the 80s when he went after 2 Live Crew in Florida over their “As Nasty As They Wanna Be” album, which was ruled obscene by the a federal court. He led his campaign as in interested party. And that’s not the only time he’s done this either.
He showed up at Time Warner shareholder’s meeting at the behest of Oliver North’s Freedom Alliance regarding Ice T’s “Cop Killer” album. He said widows would be able to sue Time Warner when their husbands were shot as a result of people listening to this song. Ice T got dropped. At that point, Thompson was just getting his stride.
In 1999, he went after entertainment companies for parents of children killed during the Paducah schoolhouse shootings. He blamed the movie “The Basketball Diaries.” The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals through it out.
Then he went after first person shooters, claiming they were the reason behind Columbine and the “Beltway Sniper”. Then he went after the most recent victim of his attacks, RockStar Games’ “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas”. He also went after Howard Stern a couple of years ago. Stern’s radio show got Clear Channel fined and six station dumped Stern’s show.
John Stith is a staff writer for murdok covering technology and business.
