The Sandbox

Who is the best candidate for gaming? How many Americans game? What kind of Constituency do we have?

Are we truly as caught up in the tongue pointing, finger-wagging and other gestures of complaint as gaming's most prominent political e-publication reflects? Okay, a front page full of meta-coverage of Fox and their alimentarily cinched attitude towards games?!

Or does someone have an opinion on what will happen to free speech and studies into the effect of games (violent, sexual and/or otherwise) on our culture in the coming 5 years?

Do I?

Jack Thompson has been sanctioned by the Florida Supreme Court, meaning he cannot file anything with the court on his own, he has to have another lawyer in good standing sign as well. I guess it's sort of like a learner's permit situation for lawyers.

Gamepolitics.com has also posted several excerpts from the record of Thompson's disbarment hearing last November (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5, so far), and they will be posting Thompson's closing arguments sometime soon. All I can say is that I'm fascinated at how he appears to be going out: he's manifestly not arguing the actual case, he's continually harping on the violence in games. This case is not about violent video games, it's about his behavior and abuse of the legal system.

I can't believe he's so stupid that he doesn't recognize that. Clearly this is a strategy arrived at by concluding that the case is lost, that he'll be disbarred, and he will move into a pure book-writing, speech-giving, cable news meat-puppet existence. So why not damn the torpedoes, go out on the crusade, keep your bonfides and not compromise on anything?

Anyway, fascinating stuff.

The gaming world is rejoicing in yet another victory over Jack Thompson, who has been recommended by the reviewing judge to be found guilty of 27 misconduct charges. The weird thing here is how a process like this points out the disconnect between the reality of the law, and a lay person's understanding of the law, because really, it seemed like it was incontrovertible, that Jack Thompson is a fruitbat.

Here is the summarized list of judgments against old Jack. As an overall, "let's strip this guy of his right to practice law in Florida" motion, the layperson would say, "Um, obviously?" So why this stuff goes on for review after review, with appeals and so forth, it's beyond my non-lawyerly mind to understand. Obviously the accused need protection against abuse by the state, but there is always a situation like this that makes one wish that you could just cut to the chase, because it's so apparent that this person is abusing the system.

The good news here, one hopes, is that Jack will be able to free his time up from his busy ambulance chasing schedule, and devote himself full-time to promoting games. Stirring up controversy around games is the main service he provides me, and that he can spend more time on it, that will help me and my colleagues immensely.

Found on Kotaku, Disbarment with Extreme Prejudice, that's the recommendation by the Florida Bar, for Jack Thompson. OK, "enhanced disbarment" is the term, but whatever, I'm a violent game designer, and I am trying to immolate your very soul with my overtly destructive vocabulary. Rawr!

So it goes to the Florida Supreme Court, for review on September 2nd: mark your calendars, I'm sure it will be a colorful countdown come late August. It doesn't look good for Thompson, who declared that the reviewing judge did not have the authority to rule over him and walked out on the hearing. "Do too," she said, unecclesiastically.