![JackThompsonAttorney](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/JackThompsonAttorney.jpg)
"A Modest Video Game Proposal" is the title of an
open letter
An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally.
Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...
sent by activist/former attorney
Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to:
Sports
*Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City
*Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Bright ...
to members of the press and to
Entertainment Software Association
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) and renamed on July 21, 2003. It is based in ...
president
Doug Lowenstein
Douglas Lowenstein is the founder and former president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). He resigned on February 12, 2007 to head up the newly formed Private Equity Council.
Lowenstein graduated from Washington University in St. L ...
on October 10, 2005. He proposed that, if someone were to "create, manufacture, distribute, and sell a video game in 2006" that allows players to play the scenario he has written, in which the character kills
video game developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...
s, he would donate $10,000 to the charity of former
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City and founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993.
The company owns two major publishing labels, Rockstar Games and 2K, which operate internal g ...
chairman
Paul Eibeler
Paul Eibeler was CEO of Take-Two Interactive between 2005 and 2007. Prior to this role, he served as president of the company between July 2000 and June 2003.
Early life
Eibler was born on July 26, 1955 in Hicksville, New York. He attended Holy ...
's choosing.
The title of the letter alludes to
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish Satire, satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whig (British political party), Whigs, then for the Tories (British political party), Tories), poe ...
's 18th-century satire essay ''
A Modest Proposal
''A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick'', commonly referred to as ''A Modest Proposal'', is a Juvenalian satirical essay wr ...
''.
Thompson stated that he thought such a game would never be made because developers would be afraid to "train" people to kill them. He was unaware that
Running with Scissors had already released a commercial
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
, ''
Postal 2
''Postal 2'' is a 2003 first-person shooter developed by Running with Scissors. It is the sequel to the 1997 game '' Postal'' and was released for Microsoft Windows in April 2003, macOS in April 2004 and Linux in April 2005. ''Postal 2'', as wel ...
'', in which the player could massacre the employees of Running with Scissors, including its CEO, Vince Desi, and actor
Gary Coleman
Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor and comedian. Coleman was the highest-paid child actor on television throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. He was rated first on a list of VH1's "100 Greatest Kid S ...
. Before that, some games had the game company buildings as
Easter eggs
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tra ...
, sometimes
destroyable by the player (for example, ''
MechWarrior 2
''MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat'' is a vehicle simulation game developed and published by Activision, released in 1995 as part of the '' MechWarrior'' series of video games in the ''BattleTech'' franchise. The game is set in 3057, and is pla ...
'' features the
Activision
Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
headquarters in some
levels
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
*Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
*Canal pound or level
*Regr ...
), and ''
Doom II
''Doom II'', also known as ''Doom II: Hell on Earth'', is a first-person shooter game by id Software. It was released for MS-DOS computers in 1994 and Macintosh computers in 1995. Unlike the original ''Doom'', which was initially only available ...
'' even had the player essentially kill
id Software
id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and ar ...
co-founder
John Romero
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
in the final
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
battle of the game.
The "Modest Proposal"
Jack Thompson wrote a letter that describes a game whose protagonist is Osaki Kim, the father of a high school boy beaten to death with a
baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the sport of baseball to hit the ball after it is thrown by the pitcher. By regulation it may be no more than in diameter at the thickest part and no more than in length. Although histor ...
by a 14-year-old
gamer
A gamer is a proactive hobbyist who plays interactive games, especially video games, tabletop role-playing games, and skill-based card games, and who plays for usually long periods of time. Some gamers are competitive, meaning they routinely ...
who played a game about beating people to death with a bat. The game intro shows the court session where the killer is sentenced to "only" life in prison.
Osaki Kim then swears vengeance, and gets weapons, "even baseball bats. Especially baseball bats." Kim goes to
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
to kill Paula Eibel, the CEO of Take This, the company that made the "murder
simulator
A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the s ...
on which his son's killer trained", along with her husband and kids, then urinates on their severed brain stems (as in ''
Postal 2
''Postal 2'' is a 2003 first-person shooter developed by Running with Scissors. It is the sequel to the 1997 game '' Postal'' and was released for Microsoft Windows in April 2003, macOS in April 2004 and Linux in April 2005. ''Postal 2'', as wel ...
''). (Take This is a parody of the name
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City and founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993.
The company owns two major publishing labels, Rockstar Games and 2K, which operate internal g ...
, whose developers created the games ''
Grand Theft Auto
''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones (video game developer), David Jones and Mike Dailly (game designer), Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan Hous ...
'',
''Bully'', and
''Manhunt'', all of which are games which Jack Thompson lobbied against.) Kim then kills the lawyers of Blank, Stare, the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
law firm that defended Take This, "with singer
Jackson Browne
Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States.
Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...
's 1980's hit
Lawyers in Love
''Lawyers in Love'' is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1983 (see 1983 in music). It reached number 8 on the Billboard Pop album chart and number 30 on the ''Billboard'' 200. It was Browne's fourth st ...
blaring." Kim then destroys high-tech
video arcades
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) system ...
called GameWerks. Lastly, he goes to
E3 on its opening at May 10, 2006, destroying all
video game industry
The video game industry encompasses the development, marketing, and monetization of video games. The industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs worldwide.
The video game industry has grown from niches to mainstream. , ...
execs in "one final, monstrously delicious rampage".
Along the way, Kim steals supplies from
Best Buy
Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...
,
Circuit City
Circuit City is an American consumer electronics retail company, which was founded in 1949 by Samuel Wurtzel as the Wards Company, operated stores across the United States, and pioneered the electronics superstore format in the 1970s. After m ...
,
Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
and
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
stores, and roughs up store managers and clerks, yelling "You should have checked kids' IDs!"
Games made
''Defamation of Character: A Jack Thompson Murder Simulator''
A group of modders known as the Fighting Hellfish (the name is taken from
an episode of ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'') had released exactly one week prior a
mod
Mod, MOD or mods may refer to:
Places
* Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band
* M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US ...
for the game ''
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', called ''Defamation of Character: A Jack Thompson Murder Simulator''. The mod features Jack Thompson himself acting out a remarkably similar scenario, at one point even assassinating Doug Lowenstein. Acting under
hypnosis
Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...
, Thompson moonlights as Banman and takes to the streets in his "
Bannedwagon" to destroy the entire shipment of
Rockstar
Rock Star or Rockstar may refer to:
Films
* ''Rock Star'' (2001 film), an American film starring Mark Wahlberg
* ''Rockstar'' (2011 film), an Indian Hindi-language film by Imtiaz Ali
* ''Rockstar'' (2015 film), an Indian Malayalam-language fi ...
's ''
Bully
Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by ot ...
'' before it reaches distribution. Jack later assassinates
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the 78th United States attorney general. She held the position from 1993 to 2001, making her the second-longest serving attorney general, behind only Wi ...
after thwarting her coup, which forces him to confront the realization that his time spent researching violent games has turned him into his own "
Manchurian Candidate". Although the team never asked him to donate the money, Thompson refused to when he discovered that the game existed. Initially he claimed that the game did not meet his criteria but later claimed that his proposal was satire and said that he would not donate the $10,000.
Thompson argued that the game had to be released in 2006, that Paul Eibeler had yet to pick a charity, and that the game had to be released by a company, not thrown together by "anyone in a garage". Despite his former claim that his proposal was satire, he claimed the offer was still valid, and that only the description of the scenario was satire, the offer to donate money was real.
''I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator''
In response to the "Modest Proposal", a company called Thompsonsoft created ''I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator'' in January 2006.
The game is based on the description of the "Modest Proposal". The story follows a disgruntled father of a killing victim who takes his revenge upon the games industry, which he blames for "training" the man who killed his son. Thompson argued that the game industry would never make such a game, in which the targets are virtual representations of themselves, for fear of turning players into their own killers. Jack Thompson later claimed that the game did not come close to his proposal, although other than the fact that former Take-Two Interactive CEO Paul Eibeler has not officially picked a charity, he has not gone into detail as to what parts of his proposal are yet to be satisfied. He also announced that "the attorneys for these idiots will be contacted."
''Joystiq'' challenge
On April 4, 2006, Thompson commented on the online gaming blog ''
Joystiq
''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 as part of the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs, now owned by AOL. It was AOL's primary video game blog, with sister blogs dealing with MMORPG gaming in general and the popular MMORPG ''W ...
'', suggesting a game in which the editors and writers for the blog were murdered. Thompson claimed that being targeted would let the writers know what it felt like to be a police officer or a woman after the release of ''
Grand Theft Auto
''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones (video game developer), David Jones and Mike Dailly (game designer), Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan Hous ...
''.
Instead, ''Joystiq'' actively challenged its readers to develop such a game over the course of several weeks, running a
contest
Contest may refer to:
* Competition
* Will contest
* Contesting, amateur radio contesting (radiosport)
Film and television
* ''Contest'' (2013 film), an American film
* Contest (1932 film), a German sports film
* "The Contest", a 1992 season 4 e ...
with a prize of merchandise as incentive. Photographs of each staff member were provided.
Response by ''Penny Arcade''
On October 17, 2005,
Mike Krahulik
Michael Krahulik (; born September 25, 1977) is an American artist for the webcomic '' Penny Arcade'' and co-founder with Jerry Holkins of Child's Play, a charity that organizes toy drives for children's hospitals. He goes by the online moniker ...
and
Jerry Holkins
Jerry Holkins (born Parkinson"Holkins is a combination of Holcomb (hers) and Parkinson (mine)." https://twitter.com/TychoBrahe/status/12073336701; February 6, 1976) is an American writer. He is the co-creator and writer of the webcomic '' Penny A ...
of ''
Penny Arcade
''Penny Arcade'' is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website ''loonygames.com''. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have establish ...
'' donated the promised $10,000 to charity on Jack Thompson's behalf. Krahulik and Holkins donated the money, under Thompson's name, to the Entertainment Software Association Foundation,
the charitable arm of the
Entertainment Software Association
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) and renamed on July 21, 2003. It is based in ...
. Thompson e-mailed both ''Penny Arcade'' and ''
Joystiq
''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 as part of the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs, now owned by AOL. It was AOL's primary video game blog, with sister blogs dealing with MMORPG gaming in general and the popular MMORPG ''W ...
'', who ran a story about the donation, demanding that the articles be taken down "or else." The check was presented to the ESA Foundation at an ESAF fundraising dinner in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
; in its memo line was written: "For Jack Thompson Because Jack Thompson Won't".
In retaliation, Jack Thompson faxed a letter to Seattle Police Chief
Gil Kerlikowske
Richard Gil Kerlikowske (born November 23, 1949) is a former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He assumed office on March 6, 2014 and retired January 20, 2017. He also served as the Director of the Office of National Drug Cont ...
, requesting assistance in halting the activities of Krahulik and Holkins. In his letter, he described how personnel within ''Penny Arcade'' were harassing him: the sale of an "''I Hate Jack Thompson''" shirt and frequent postings on their website where they allegedly admitted to harassment.
According to ''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'',
as of 9:55a.m. PDT October 18, 2005, the
Seattle Police Department
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States, except for the campus of the University of Washington, which is under the responsibility of its own police department ...
had not received Thompson's fax, which at that point had been sent to ''GameSpot'', ''Penny Arcade'', and other sites. Thompson emailed ''GameSpot'', claiming that he had fixed the URL for ''Penny Arcade'' (which was incorrect in the original fax) and faxed the letter, commenting, "They have it now." Thompson also told ''GameSpot'' that he was not a "pixelated
piñata
A piñata (, ) is a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration. Piñatas are commonly associated with Mexico. The idea of breaking a container filled ...
in a game." He ended by saying that the "moral midgets" at ''Penny Arcade'' had chosen "the wrong target" and "I've been at this longer than he has." These vague threats have been deemed "nothing to worry about" by ''Penny Arcade''. The Seattle Police Department confirmed to ''GameSpot'' on October 21 that they had received a complaint from Thompson.
On October 21, 2005, Thompson claimed to have sent a letter to
John McKay, U.S. Attorney for the
Western District of Washington
The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (in case citations, W.D. Wash.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays ...
, in an attempt to get the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
involved. Thompson reiterated his claims of "
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
" and accuses ''Penny Arcade'' of using "their Internet site and various other means to encourage and solicit criminal harassment".
''Penny Arcade'' denies the charge of "extortion", noting that they paid the $10,000 to charity, and are asking nothing in return.
Thompson also contacted the office of
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senat ...
Representative
Mary Lou Dickerson
Mary Lou Dickerson (born September 3, 1946) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 36th district from 1995 until 2013.
Early life and education
Dickerson was born ...
, and her office confirms they asked John McKay to look into the matter. Thompson has not clarified how he is being "extorted," but accuses ''Penny Arcade''s Mike Krahulik of soliciting
Florida Bar
The Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar in the United States. Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys. The Florida Bar is also responsible for the governi ...
complaints against him through Krahulik posting the Florida Bar's link on ''Penny Arcade''s website. The link, however, is in a post asking fans to stop sending letters to the Bar because the Bar is fully aware of the current situation.
On October 27, 2005, the Seattle PD acknowledged receipt of Thompson's complaint, although after the initial reading of the letter they noted that the complaint appeared to be a civil, rather than criminal matter. They passed the letter on to the chief of their criminal investigations bureau for review.
References
External links
Attorney Proposes Violent Game 2005 GameCube Advanced article containing the full text of Thompson's letter
Defamation of Character: A Jack Thompson Murder SimulatorI'm O.K – A Murder SimulatorPenny Arcade official websiteJoystiq.com official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Modest Video Game Proposal, A
2005 in video gaming
2005 works
Satirical works
Video game culture
Violence in video games