[Jim]

JT must be bored and he probably can't reach Bill Gates directly, so he's been sending out these to various outlets. Didn't see it posted yet.

Bill Gates Microsoft Corporation Redmond, Washington Re: Halo 3 Dear Mr. Gates: As you know, the Federal Trade Commission has repeatedly found that games rated “Mature” by the video game industry-captured Entertainment Software Rating Board are routinely sold to kids under the age of 17 despite the age rating. The most recent failure rate of the ratings on “Mature” games, according to the FTC, is 42%. The entire rating system is a fraud, and “broken,” the latter description aptly provided by Senator Hillary Clinton. As you also know, Lee Boyd Malvo trained on Microsoft’s Halo to further enable him to become the remarkably efficient “DC Beltway Sniper.” That was reported by NBC News at the time and was noted in Malvo’s criminal trial. You appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes II and rather revealing and usefully noted that “the cool thing about these games is that they transport you to a world you think is real.” Precisely. Capcom has recently disclosed to investors that your video game industry’s violent games, sold to children, pose a real hazard to the health of the industry. Right on. The hyperviolent Microsoft Xbox 360 game Halo 3 is scheduled by your company for commercial release in September of this year. The Beta version that was released last week shows us all just how violent the game is and how inappropriate it is for play by anyone under 17, as the “Mature” rating it will surely receive indicates. Here’s the deal, Mr. Gates: Either Microsoft undertakes dramatic, real steps, through its marketing, wholesale, and retail operations to assure that Halo 3 is not sold, via the Internet and in stores, directly to anyone under 17, or I shall proceed to make sure that Microsoft is held to that standard by appropriate legal means. I have done that before successfully as to Best Buy, and I shall do so again as to Microsoft and all retailers of Halo 3. Regards, Jack Thompson

[ManaByte]

I don't really think he wants to take on MICROSOFT.

[SolidSnakex]

Here’s the deal, Mr. Gates

:lol :lol

[TheKingsCrown]

:lol

[Razoric]

How is this guy still practicing law?

[godhandiscen]

You are messing with the wrong game Thompson. If something happens to Halo 3, you will regret it. You will regret it.

[JdFoX187]

I hope Jack pursues this just so Microsoft can finally bury him.

[Tieno]

Halo hyperviolent? :lol

Why isn't this guy ragging on Gears of War? That's hyperviolent!

(I wouldn't mind if little brats didn't get Halo though)

What rating does Halo 2 have in the US?

[Gigglepoo]

Halo isn't even violent...

And the Beltway Sniper was an ex-solider.

[SketchTheArtist]

Is he for real? Serisously, he's not some Stephen Colbert-type comedian, right? O_o

[pCeSlAyEr]

I hope MS crushes this sorry excuse of a man.

[Odysseus]

i support the guy's efforts to hold the industry's feet to the fire in terms of selling mature-rated games to minors. the marketing and promotion are in the hands of the publishers and those areas are worth addressing, but the ultimate sale is still retailers' responsibility, so he might want to save some of his time for eb games, wal-mart, etc.

good luck with this.

[besada]

Man, now this is a dustup I'd like to see. Venom-dripping Microsoft lawyers versus Thompson. Maybe he can drag Disney into it, too, and we can have a Lawpocalypse.

[Ranger X]

LOL

He will try with every single dev up until he's banned from having the power to do anything just like he is with Rockstar and Take-Two right now.

What a ****ing joke

[Haunted]

Well, a FPS like Halo should not be sold to children, I think we can all agree on that.

However, the way JT approaches this is just wrong (and by now hilarious). What a sad character. :(

[anachronous_one]

More "outlets" need to take a stand and simply not publish the trash that is issued by Thompson. He is the ultimate attention whore <imanattentionwhore.jpg> and I suspect that if he is simply ignored long enough, he may just shrivel up and slink away.

I suggest that NeoGAF be the first to no longer report anything that this twit spews forth.

[Proelite]

Cue Jack Thompson vs Master Chief pics!

Anyways, children under 17 shouldn't be buying Halo.

[GhaleonEB]

Awesome.

[Haunted]

What rating does Halo 2 have in the US?

Both Halo and Halo 2 have a mature rating in the US.

[Rekki-Maru]

:lol well he can't go after Take-Two anymore so I guess he is targeting another successful game, after this is over with he'll probably be complaining about Mario.

[Dabookerman]

Halo 3 is Hyper Violent

This makes..

Gears of War Extraordinarily Violent

[BenjaminBirdie]

Awesome.

Halo 3 needed a little publicity.

[homez99]

This is living.

[fallout]

As you also know, Lee Boyd Malvo trained on Microsoft’s Halo to further enable him to become the remarkably efficient “DC Beltway Sniper.” That was reported by NBC News at the time and was noted in Malvo’s criminal trial.

Or, you know, the fact that the guy that he was running with was trained by the US military and was considered an expert with a rifle.

[Mithos Yggdrasill]

Thompson should stop bothering the videogames industry.

[Francias Castiglione]

He has a point, the Washington Snipers tried to use "standby" to evade the police and when that didn't work they attempted to BXB unsuccessfully.

[ZealousD]

Halo is hyperviolent?

There's like, hardly any blood. No dismemberment. Anything. It's just gunplay.

I still have trouble seeing how Halo is rated M in the first place.

[Ranger X]

More "outlets" need to take a stand and simply not publish the trash that is issued by Thompson. He is the ultimate attention whore <imanattentionwhore.jpg> and I suspect that if he is simply ignored long enough, he may just shrivel up and slink away. I suggest that NeoGAF be the first to no longer report anything that this twit spews forth.

This again...

He will not magically disappear. He needs to be talked about a bit more so there's more people knowing how stupid he is. He shall then lose it's liscence to go to court or something. Thompson is in a position where he have more of an effect on the industry than all of us Gaffers combined.
He needs to be laughed at and proven wrong up until he gives up. (Give up in Thompson language must mean "die" or "cannot excercise right anymore").

[Barnolde]

How is this guy still practicing law?

Because he's not very good at it?

[Nexus Zero]

I agree we should do all we can not to sell adult games to minors in the same way we do films, but at this point I'd sell a five-year-old Manhunt just to spite JT.

[cartoon_soldier]

If anyone can shut up this guy once and for all its MS.

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

How the hell could anyone train themself to become a sniper by playing Halo? Just because they both involve shooting doesn't make them a similar experience.

[rafman400]

I bet Jack Thompson just sucks at video games.

[Tieno]

How the hell could anyone train themself to become a sniper by playing Halo? Just because they both involve shooting doesn't make them a similar experience.

Let alone the lack of auto-aim in real life.

[seat]

If Thompson were less condescending towards the companies he attacks, he might actually be able to get something done. As it stands, he's a non-factor.

[RiskyChris]

Wow, JT taking on the big MS? I hope their lawyer hive descends on him like fresh meat.

[Proelite]

How the hell could anyone train themself to become a sniper by playing Halo? Just because they both involve shooting doesn't make them a similar experience.

I guess the sniper jumped around and sniped while in mid-air.

[Chiggs]

Or, you know, the fact that the guy that he was running with was trained by the US military and was considered an expert with a rifle.

Today: Microsoft! Tomorrow: The Military Industrial Complex! No job is too large for Jack Thompson, Attorney at Law!

[mr_bishiuk]

How can someone train to be a sniper on Halo?!

Surely any judge would just laugh his socks off?

[ElectricBlue187]

You are messing with the wrong game Thompson. If something happens to Halo 3, you will regret it. You will regret it.

:lol :lol :lol

[disappeared]

[Steroyd]

Oh noes if Jack Thompson takes down the daddy of the space marines no Microsoft game is safe.

Nooooes!!

>_> <_<

[Proelite]

There are over 10 million Halo fans in the world. How many Jack Thompson fans are there? :lol

[Death_Born]

How can someone train to be a sniper on Halo?! Surely any judge would just laugh his socks off?

*Imagines sniper aiming a rifle without looking in the scope and the kickback knocking him through the wall*

[Odysseus]

There are over 10 million Halo fans in the world. How many Jack Thompson fans are there? :lol

he's hoping to appeal to the 7 billion people that aren't fans of halo.

[Haunted]

That's a cute avatar. :lol


Thompson is just misguided.

[fallout]

Today: Microsoft! Tomorrow: The Military Industrial Complex! No job is too large for Jack Thompson, Attorney at Law!

Heh, the day that these idiots actually start targeting things other than videogames, movies, TV, etc. is the day I might actually give them some respect.

[onegoodlogan]

Did Jack Thompson just say "right on"?

[Chiggs]

he's hoping to appeal to the 7 billion people that aren't fans of halo.

I didn't realize we had that many people on Earth yet. Good Christ, that's just way too many.

[Lord Error]

JT being off the mark as usual. I don't even understand why Halo was rated M. The game is not really that violent, and you shoot at purple and blue aliens. At the same time, Medal of Honor, where you kill people, is rated T. Go figure.