Thompson v. The Florida Bar

Filing 272

Plaintiff's MOTION Judicial Notice Re News Articles Re SLAPP Bar Complainant's Latest Illegal Activity by John B. Thompson. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit News Articles Re SLAPP Bar Complainant)(Thompson, John)

Thompson v. The Florida Bar

Doc. 272 Att. 1

San Jose Mercury News
The "Manhunt 2 issue stays hot http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2007/10/the_manhunt _2_issue_stays_hot_.html
By Mike Antonucci Thursday, October 25th, 2007 at 5:31 pm in TV, Dean and Nooch on Gaming, Music, Mike Antonucci, Movies & DVDs, Art & Animation, Xbox, General. The Common Sense Media organization sent this press release today, along with what it described as a "Manhunt 2 screenshot depicting the central character decapitating a police officer with a shovel: "SAN FRANCISCO, CA ­ The most violent and gruesome video game ever produced for a mass market will hit shelves on Halloween, and Common Sense Media is encouraging parents to boycott the game. "When it was initially submitted to the Entertainment Software Rating Board in June, Rockstar Games' "Manhunt 2" received an "Adults Only" rating that would have prohibited it from being sold at major retailers throughout the U.S. "But Rockstar resubmitted the game, and the ESRB dropped the rating from "Adults Only" to "Mature", meaning the game will be widely available in stores across the country. What did Rockstar cut out to get the rating reduced? No one knows, because neither the ESRB or Rockstar will comment on the rerating process. "What we do know is this: The British Board of Film Classification banned the game in June ­ and refused to lift the ban in August after Rockstar submitted the same version of the game that got an M rating in the U.S. "Common Sense has obtained footage of the game being played, and will be showing it to the press a day before the title hits stores on October 31. (The screenshot on the left is taken from that footage). "Research suggests that nearly 60 percent of kids play M-rated games on a regular basis. And data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that underage kids can purchase Mrated games more than four out of ten times. Before "Manhunt 2" hits shelves on Halloween, Common Sense wants to make sure that parents know this game is NOT okay for kids." [You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.]

Dockets.Justia.com

2 Responses to "The "Manhunt 2 issue stays hot"
1. voghan Says:
October 25th, 2007 at 7:15 pm

I think letting parents know that this game is above the average persons sense of decency is a good thing. I think the real issue is there that a game like Manhunt 2 in essentially censored from it's original content. There is no reason why I shouldn't be able to buy an AO rated game for a console. 2. jack thompson, attorney Says:
October 26th, 2007 at 5:48 am

I met with Take-Two/Rockstar's Chairman Strauss Zelnick and warned him that the Manhunt 2 game would turn into a disaster. That was before it was banned for sale to adults in the UK and now in other EU nations. Strauss just laughed. He's not laughing now.

Common Sense Media Urges Parental Boycott of Manhunt 2 http://www.gamepolitics.com/
October 26th, 2007

Not suprisingly, watchdog groups are weighing in on Manhunt 2 as the game's Halloween launch draws near. San Jose Mercury-News scribe Mike Antonucci reports that Common Sense Media has issued a press release urging parents to boycott the game. Not bad advice, actually, since no one under the age of 17 should be playing Manhunt 2, anyway. The group also takes a shot at the ESRB rating process. From the CSM release: The most violent and gruesome video game ever produced for a mass market will hit shelves on Halloween, and Common Sense Media is encouraging parents to boycott the game... What did Rockstar cut out to get the [Adults Only] rating reduced [to M (17+)]? No one knows, because neither the ESRB or Rockstar will comment on the rerating process.

What we do know is this: The British Board of Film Classification banned the game in June ­ and refused to lift the ban in August after Rockstar submitted the same version of the game that got an M rating in the U.S... Research suggests that nearly 60 percent of kids play M-rated games on a regular basis. And data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that underage kids can purchase Mrated games more than four out of ten times. Before "Manhunt 2" hits shelves on Halloween, Common Sense wants to make sure that parents know this game is NOT okay for kids. Common Sense Media promised to hold a Manhunt 2 press conference on October 30th, complete with video footage. A screenshot of a police officer being decapitated with a shovel was included with the CSM press release. We're working on obtaining a copy of that pic, which does not appear on Rockstar's official site. Posted in Controversial Games, Games & Culture, Video Game Critics, Game Consumer News | 22 Comments »