Okay. I think Jack Thompson has finally lost it all. I knew he was crazy, but this is ridiculous. He was the first of a few media-whores to immediately blame the Virginia Tech tragedy on violent video games. He did this within 48 hours of the incident… First let’s go over a list of materials found in the shooter’s room according to a search warrent.
• Chain from top left closet shelf
• Folding knife & combination padlock
• Compaq computer from desktop
• Assorted documents, notepads, writings from desktop
• Combination lock
• Dremel tool and case
• Nine books, two notebooks, envelopes, from top shelf
• Assorted books & pads from lower shelf
• Compact discs from desktops
• Items from desktop & drawers: winchester multi tool, 3 notebooks, mail, checks, credit card
• Items from 2nd door: Kodak digital camera, Citibank statement
• Two cases of compact discs from dresser top
• Drive: Seagate: 80 Gb
• Six sheets of green computer paper
• Mirror with blue plastic housing
• Dremel tool box with receipt
• Dell Latitude service tag
Now as of yet, there’s been no mention of any such violent video games in the CD cases or on the computer hard drives. One of the students sharing a dorm common room has specifically said they have never seen Cho playing violent video games and that most of his time was spent typing away on papers. The only mention of games at all during this whole period has been Thompson’s irrational blaring that somebody had said he played Counterstrike in Highschool. Thompson has apparently gone and sent this note to Microsoft (Specifically Gates)…
‘Several Korean youths who knew Cho Seung Hui from his high school days said he was a fan of violent video games, particularly Counterstrike, a hugely popular online game published by Microsoft, in which players join terrorism or counterterrorism groups and try to shoot each other using all types of guns.’â€
Mr. Gates, your company is potentially legally liable the harm done at Virginia Tech. Your game, a killing simulator, according to the news that used to be in the Post, trained him to enjoy killing and how to kill. You knew five years ago that your on-line game, Counterstrike, so clearly figured in the massacre by a student in Erfurt that the event and the game impacted the race for Chancellor in Germany at the time!
Yet, here you are, five years after “Erfurt,†still marketing Counterstrike. having done nothing to disable the server(s) for this mass murder simulator, and it looks like “Virginia Tech†is a consequence. There’s more going on in the world than Vista. Just ask the bereaved Virginia Tech families.
Mr. Gates, pull the plug on Counterstrike today, or do we need more dead to convince you? “Virginia Tech†was the 9-11 of school shootings, and it appears Microsoft is in the middle of it, in more ways than one.
What? Counterstrike was developed by Microsoft games? Since when? Well, actually, since 2004. Which would be after Cho graduated from high school. Previous to that, Counterstrike had only been published by Valve for the PC. So Cho never even played the Microsoft Xbox game (2004), most likely. Why is Jack Thompson so angry at someone who isn’t remotely responsible? I have no idea. Because he’s senile? Because he’s lost his mind? Because he wants more attention?
Now I suppose that writing about it just contributes to feeding his flame of attention, but people need to realize just how far off Thompson is. If you have any questions, just google him…
Peacefully yours,
A Counterstrike Gamer
