NCAC Applauds Utah Governor’s Veto

 The National Coalition Against Censorship this week applauded Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s decision to veto bill House Bill 353 and called on the Utah Senate and House of Representatives to uphold the veto. The bill was crafted with the help of former ambulance chaser Jack Thompson, who was supposed to make it “constitutionally sound.” The bill made it past the state lawmakers almost unanimously, but the governor apparently didn’t agree.

“We are glad to see the Governor demonstrate his respect for the First Amendment, and we hope that the legislature follows,” said Joan Bertin, Director of the NCAC. “This decision should send a signal to other states considering similar proposals to enforce voluntary age ratings and recommendations on video games, movies, and books.”

The NCAC urged the Utah legislature to follow the Governor’s lead - they have until mid-May to override the veto. The legislature is expected to decide on holding a vote to override the veto as early as next Wednesday. NCAC is asking its members to urge their Representatives and Senators to vote with the governor and sustain the veto. No doubt organizations like the ECA and ESA are mobilizing their membership to do the same by phone, email, carrier pigeon and smoke signal.

Utah Attorney General: Bring It On, Thompson!

Snap, snap! It’s already been brought! No this is not the beginning of a cheer-off between former lawyer turned unemployed activist Jack Thompson and currently employed Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff - if only, right? Speaking to Game Politics (better known as JTNN), The AG of Utah brushes off some recent Thompson threats to “proceed” if his office doesn’t “take action against major retailers like Best Buy, Target and Wal-mart for alleged sales of Grand Theft Auto IV to minors.”

Here’s the full measure of Mark Shurtleff had to say (the most important part to us, anyway):

.. I’m not concerned about his threats of impeachments or lawsuits or anything else. I just won reelection by 70% of the vote and he himself is facing his own troubles out there [in Florida]. So, whatever, bring it on, Jack. I’m really not going to give it much thought, frankly.”

And there we are.. but with all due respect to the Utah AG, you’re not doing a very good job of ignoring him.

Utah Game Law Passes

Those hoping that Jack Thompson’s influence on video game legislation in Utah would dissipate like his legal career in Florida will be dismayed to hear that the ill he helped author has passed the Utah House of Representatives with an almost overwhelming vote of 70 - 2. The bill passed similarly through the Utah Senate with very little resistance.

The bill, sponsored by Utah Rep. Mike Morley, will have to be signed by the governor Jon Huntsman to become law and survive the inevitable legal challenge that the ESA will bring before the Utah courts.

The new law attempts to enforces stricter penalties on retailers who sell M-rated games and R-rated movies to “buyers subject to an age restriction or recommendation,” though how the state can enforce such a law is beyond my understanding.

thanks, Joystiq.

ESRB President Issues Open Letter to Utah

ESRB president Patricia Vance has written an open letter to Utah Lawmakers and parents in a last ditch effort to appeal to some common sense - as she sees it. The letter is response to a law that was drafted with the help of Jack Thompson, who has shifted seamlessly from game hating ambulance chaser to full fledged anti-gaming campaigner.

This probably marks the first time in many years that Thompson has successfully helped produce something that could affect consumers and game makers. The legislation fines retailers and movie theaters that knowingly provide M or R rated products to minors. Yes, we know that the language of the law is vague.. ESRB President Patricia Vance’s letter after can be found after the break:

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The Top 21 News Stories of 2008: 7 - 1

(Contributors: Adam Oldakowski - Managing Director GOG.com, Hal Halpin - ECA President, Tom Ohle - CD Projekt RED, Rich Carlson - Digital Eel, Eric Holmes - Radical Entertainment, and Game Trust members Evan Narcisse, Gus Mastrapa, David Chapman and James Fudge)

Crispy Gamer wraps up its Top 21 News Stories of 2008 with our top 7 news stories. See what stories were the most interesting and had the most impact on the game industry and gamers in 2008. We start with #7 right now.  Also be sure to check out #8 - 14 and #15 - 21, if you haven’t already.

Next: #7 –>

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Jack Thompson Disbarred

It’s official: anti-game Florida-based attorney Jack Thompson is an attorney no more in the Sunshine State, after the Supreme Court handed down the final decision on his disbarment case. And this disbarment isn’t for five years, ten years or even twenty years - it’s for life.

I could write about how Jack Thompson filed an emergency motion last week prior to this judgment being handed down, or that Thompson calls this decision retribution, but I’m not going to bother. To be honest, writing a story with his name in the headline is a waste of your time and mine. Here is a taste from a press release Thompson issued today after the jump:

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Jack Thompson Defends Mass Effect?!?

I often lament how every time Jack Thompson (full time anti-game activist and part-time attorney) sends out an email someone has to write a story about it — and yet here I am compelled to go against my own gut instincts because this is actually newsworthy. Brian Crecente over at Kotaku solicited Jack’’s opinion on the whole Mass Effect controversy that has been in the news over the last week and his response was rather…shocking: Jack says that it’’s a bunch of nonsense. What?

In talking to Jack about his recent e-mail related to GTA IV‘’s release, Brian asked Thompson for his opinion on the whole Mass Effect controversy that continues to unfold:

I don”t see any problem with it. The guy who shot his mouth off about it had no idea what the Hell he was talking about, Thompson said in a follow-up email. Thompson added in another email: This contrived controversy is absolutely ridiculous.

One point of clarification — I assume when Thompson says the guy, he is referring to the Townhall.com blogger and not self-help author Paige Lawrence. If he is referring to Paige, then it might be time for Thompson to get a new pair of spectacles, or for Lawrence to get an extreme make-over.