All - Thompson Offering A Truce?

PlayStation News by Lyndon M STAFF 638 days ago

Here is something that was very, well, unexpected. Jack Thompson, Florida lawyer and anti-game activist, has sent a letter to the former head of the Entertainment Software Assocuiation Doug Lowenstein and Entertainment Software Ratings Boards head Patricia Vance. He offers to stop trying to pass anti- gaming laws if the game industry will tell retailers that if an M rated game gets sold to a minor by their establishment they will cease sending games to them.

In the letter Thompson said ¨ All that is needed for the industry to get federal and state governments and activists like me off your back is to craft a written industry policy whereby all ESA members direct retailers to stop selling Mature-rated games to anyone under 17. By private agreement rather than by legislation, if such sales occur, upon a factual showing on a case by case basis, then escalating commercial sanctions will be visited upon the offending retailer(s) by all ESRB members.¨

He also mentions this is one tactic that was not tried before and would make the drafting of these laws unnecessary. ¨It´s your choice,¨ Thompson wrote. ¨Let´s get this done before it is too late for you all to avoid the legislation that nobody should want but which will, by necessity, come.¨

He hasn´t declare a total cease fire, however- he also claimed to help draft an Eastern US state draft some new legislation for introduction to the House. A bill he helped draft for Louisiana had recently been overturned but he said this time would be different as ¨these people, unlike in Louisiana, know what they are doing and are prepared to prove to the court, unlike in Louisiana, that these games are harmful.¨

No response was given by the ESRB or ESA as of yet.

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