Game-hating lawyer discredited even more

In response to Miami attorney Jack Thompson's $10,000 challenge to the gaming industry, enterprising gamers have produced at least four Web-based games according to their interpretations of Thompson's challenge, as well as a Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas modification that lampoons Thompson's crusade.

Zork Thompson 1.0, Jack Thompson Presents... Osaki!, A Modest Video Game Proposal, and The Golden Rule: O.K.'s Revenge were programmed and released by various gamers and groups as responses to Thompson's challenge.

According to the Game Politics blog, Thompson claims that his offer to donate $10,000 to Eibeler's preferred charity was satirical.

"I'm not interested and won't be commenting on the mod," Thompson said, according to Game Politics. "The satirical piece entitled 'A Modest Video Game Proposal' was intended to highlight the patent hypocrisy and recklessness exhibited by the video game industry's willingness to target cops, women, homosexuals, and other groups with some of their violent games. To be fair, though, you can't expect a bunch of gamers to understand the satire if they think that Jonathan Swift, the author of 'A Modest Proposal,' is the name of a new Nike running shoe..."

Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins (Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade) claim that, in response to Thompson's actions, they have donated $10,000 to the Entertainment Software Association Foundation. Krahulik and Holkins are the organizers of Child's Play, a charity dedicated to distributing toys to children's hospitals.

Last week, Dr. David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and Family condemned Thompson's tactics of "extreme hyperbole" and "personally attacking individuals." According to Game Politics, Thompson responded to Walsh and accused him of being too soft on game retailers such as Target and Best Buy.

"I am wondering just who, David, these people are whom I have criticized 'who have worked to improve the lives of children'," Thompson wrote to Walsh, according to Game Politics. "Do you have in mind the folks at Best Buy, one of whom you copied with your letter? I know you get money from people connected with these folks, David, but you do know that Best Buy is presently pre-selling, to adults and to children, the Columbine simulator game, Bully? You do know that, right, David? Of course you do. I told you Best Buy was doing that. So is the Target Corporation, whose Chairman Bob Ulrich you copy with your letter. I am wondering, David, what these men have to do to get on your bad side? Do they actually have to do the physical bullying of kids, as selling a bullying rehearsal trainer to kids is okay?

"Liberals, like you, love to label things," Thompson wrote further, "and then think that the labeling has accomplished something. If that had been the case, then Churchill's calling Hitler a Nazi would have ended the war. But no, people like me had to get into the trenches and stop the Nazis. And there were always those tut-tutting back home about what a nasty business it is to stop the bad people, and can't we all just 'get along'."