blog

UPDATE: A story this morning is claiming that Jack Thompson has now threatened to sue Northern Illinois University. In an e-mail from Thompson to GamePolitics.com, Thompson claims to have sent this fax to the campus of NIU:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request production of copies of all documents that reveal Steven Kazmierczak’s play of violent video games, including but not limited to the use of his computer to play Counter-Strike, which he apparently, according to the New York Post, used to rehearse for his Valentine’s Day Massacre at NIU.

The killers in the two worst school massacres in history—in Erfurt, Germanay, and at Virginia Tech University—similarly trained on Counter-Strike to rehearse for their killing sprees.

If I am not provided with this information, I shall bring a civil action  to secure these documents.

GamePolitics responded to Jack, asking if he did actually send this self-serving request/threat to a campus that is still working through a criminal investigation and a difficult mourning process. Jack's response:

Of course I sent it to them, you idiot. 

The NIU investigators have already responded, professionally, and told me they will get me this information in due time.  This is how you do this, which you wouldn’t know.

It's been a long time since I've been in a church, but I don't remember any Christian teachings about profiting from misery (the intended result of "civil action") nor calling people "idiot"

Last week I reported that Jack Thompson appeared on Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel to blame (without evidence) video games for Stephen Kazmierczak's rampage in which 21 people were shot, six fatally.

Since then, a report was published in the New York Post (coincidentally, also owned by Rupert Murdoch) in which dorm mates of Kazmericzak claim that he was, in fact, an avid Counter Strike player during his undergrad years (2004 and 2005, specifically). 

Although the New York Post piece also goes on to say that the shooter not only had served in the military, but had also gone off of his prescribed medication (mind you, much more recently than he had stopped playing Counter Strike...), Jack Thompson saw this article as all the proof he needed that his services were in need at NIU.

So he took it upon himself to write this letter to John G. Peters, President of Northern Illinois University:

John B. Thompson, Attorney at Law
1172 S. Dixie Hwy., Suite 111
Coral Gables, Florida 33146

February 16, 2008

John G. Peters, President
Northern Illinois University
1425 W. Lincoln Hwy.
DeKalb, IL 60115-2825 Via Fax to 815-753-8686

Re: Part of the Explanation for this Awful Disaster

Dear President Peters:

First of all, my condolences for this terrible loss. I have had the disturbing privilege of representing a number of families devastated by these types of incidents. I represented all six parents of the three girls killed by a 14-year-old video gamer in the Paducah, Kentucky, school massacre. I currently represent the families of three policemen in Alabama who were slain by a teen who trained to kill them on the cop-killing simulation video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. This case was featured on 60 Minutes. See
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/04/60minutes/main678261.shtml.

The day after the NIU tragedy this week, I was on the Fox News Channel predicting that the killer on your campus would be someone who was immersed in violent video games, as this is a common thread in almost all of these incidents. I mentioned in the interview the mass murder simulation game, Counter-Strike. It was the game of choice by the killers in the two worst school shootings in history—Virginia Tech and Erfurt, Germany.

Sure enough, the New York Post reports today the accuracy of that prediction. I attach herewith the Post article.

Governor Blagojevich was on Fox hours later echoing my specific concern about the linkage between violent video games and school killings.

I have addressed roughly 200 college campuses about this problem. I am more than willing to come to your campus, free of charge of course, to explain to the students and faculty and surrounding community why these games, played by students, pose a public safety hazard. Brain scan science recently coming out of Harvard explains it well. There are multiple reasons why these evil events happen. Immersion of young males in murder simulation as a form of entertainment is one of the more powerful reasons.

Blessings,

Jack Thompson

I am so glad that Jack feels it necessary to qualify that his unsolicited offer of unqualified moral guidance would come at no cost to the university. 

I could attempt to pick apart all of the things about this letter that are wrong; not just factual mistakes, but moral ones as well, but Kotaku's Brain Crecente has done a fantastic job of going point-by-point through Jack's letter and shining the harsh light of truth on it.

I'll just leave it at this: did Stephen Kazmierczak play violent video games? It would appear so. But guess what, so do tens of milions of people across the world who have not opened fire in a geography class.

The link between school shootings is not video games. Its guns.

Related Articles:

NIU Shooting Blamed on Video Games

Jack Thompson Faces Temporary Disbarment

Detroit Lawyer Releases List of 10 Most Violent Games

Share this article: