Jack Thompson coming after Bioshock next?

[Queasy]

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Things have been remarkably quiet on the Jack Thompson front recently; hell, what with GTA IV held back until next year and Manhunt 2 currently trying to appeal its unrated classification from the BBFC, you?d think he?d be sitting back, sipping on some margaritas and psyching himself up for a new year chock full of violent digital atrocities to campaign against. But no, it seems that Thompson?s crusade knows no rest ? the lawyer recently revealed in a comment on an unrelated topic on Game Politics that his sights are now set on BioShock.

?Please note that big trouble is on the way for Take-Two re BioShocks [sic]? stated Thompson, finishing with his trademark, ?Hooah!?

Wait a minute ? BioShock? I can sort of make the conceptual leap to how animated violence in a semi-realistic city space might, hypothetically, affect an impressionable mind, but BioShock is set in a decidedly un-realistic crumbling underwater utopia where the ?enemies? are not the emergency services and gangsters ? they?re malformed genetically altered freaks, for crying out loud. And those are the ones that look the most human.

It?s probably those Little Sisters ? perhaps kids, who by the way aren?t supposed to playing BioShock, nor any Jack?s other favourite whipping boys, will be subconsciously trained into having violent inclinations towards corpse-sucking small girls with glowing green eyes. Plus, its? not as though knocking them off in the game is without repercussions ? no, no; mess with them and you?ll learn the error of your ways via the medium of a lightning-fast behemoth in a diving suit with a drill for a hand. Tell me that?s not a good reason to rationally question the morality of your in-game actions.

The sad fact is that the only reason Thompson has taken his fight to BioShock is because it is being published by 2K Games, a subsidiary of his arch-nemesis Take-Two Interactive. We tried contacting 2K Games for a statement but at the time of print we hadn't heard anything back. If we do, we?ll let you know.

 

[RandomFool]

Well at least he's dedicated. It's too bad he'd doesn't put his efforts towards something worth while.

 

[purbeast0]

i honestly don't understand why companies even care what Jack Thompson says about their games. All he does is give away free publicity. I would buy him a 6 pack if he attacked my game.

 

[Slick5150]

Its more of a shame that the press (whether it be gaming or mainstream) continues to give this guy an audience.

 

[Yreka]

Originally posted by: RandomFool
Well at least he's dedicated. It's too bad he'd doesn't put his efforts towards something worth while.

Yep.. Like not being a douche bag.

 

[yowolabi]

He can't possibly hurt bioshock. It's a shame that people give him attention.

 

[PricklyPete]

It is a shame. Honestly, I don't think many level headed people give the guy much attention. He comes off as a wacko in the interviews I've seen him in.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: yowolabi
He can't possibly hurt bioshock. It's a shame that people give him attention.

I find it funny that he personally hasn't stopped any game from coming to market since he's started on this tirade. Why does he keep going?

 

[Dumac]

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: yowolabi
He can't possibly hurt bioshock. It's a shame that people give him attention.

I find it funny that he personally hasn't stopped any game from coming to market since he's started on this tirade. Why does he keep going?

He did hurt it, IMO. They changed the allowed character behavior towards little sisters. Not only can you now not harm them besides leeching their Adam, but the developers also decided to change the event into a black screen with only vague audio. It'll still be a great game, but this protection from 'child-like' violence is starting to get annoying.

 

[Aikouka]

Go read the official thread about the little sisters being immune... the thread's in PC gaming.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Dumac

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: yowolabi
He can't possibly hurt bioshock. It's a shame that people give him attention.

I find it funny that he personally hasn't stopped any game from coming to market since he's started on this tirade. Why does he keep going?

He did hurt it, IMO. They changed the allowed character behavior towards little sisters. Not only can you now not harm them besides leeching their Adam, but the developers also decided to change the event into a black screen with only vague audio. It'll still be a great game, but this protection from 'child-like' violence is starting to get annoying.

They didn't change it because of Thompson himself, though. They came to what they use because of societal pressure, not one man's lunacy. I'm not saying that I don't agree with the direction they took, but I'm just saying it wasn't because of Thompson.