lawyer who wantedto ban all video games

by Aditya Crona 3 min read

John Bruce Thompson (born July 25, 1951) is an American activist and disbarred attorney, based in Coral Gables, Florida. He is known for his role as an anti-video-game activist, particularly against violence and sex in video games.

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What are the 11 video games that got banned?

11 Video Games That Got Banned and Why. 1 RapeLay. Many of the games on this list were banned simply because of cultural misunderstandings. You…can’t say that for RapeLay. The insanely ... 2 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. 3 Custer's Revenge. 4 The Pokemon Trading Card Game. 5 Grand Theft Auto. More items

Are video games protected by the First Amendment?

There would appear to be First Amendment concerns about such legislation, and none of the previous pushes to ban video games had any success. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2011 that video games were protected speech under the First Amendment, in relation to a California law that banned the sale of violent games to minors.

Why did the mayor of Juarez ban video games in Juarez?

The mayor of Juarez wasn’t terribly popular with a video game painting his city as unsafe (despite the rampant real-world drug violence there), and convinced the governor of Chihuahua to order the seizure of any copies of the game in the state and forbid it from being sold.

Are video games an easy target for policymakers?

It seems that video games will remain an easy target for some policymakers. There’s a long history of video games being blamed for real-life ills, with various school shootings, especially the Columbine massacre in 1999, often laid at the feet of first-person shooter games.

What is a video game that allows a user or player to control a character within the video game?

Will GTA be banned in 2021?

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Is there any evidence that violent video games are linked to violent behavior?

In 2020, the American Psychological Association reported there is little scientific evidence that supports a “causal link between violent video games and violent behavior.”.

Can video games be banned in California?

In 2011, the Supreme Court said that California legislators could not ban the sale of violent video games to minors — that video games qualify as free speech, as The Verge reported at the time. “Like the protected books, plays, and movies that preceded them, video games communicate ideas — and even social messages — through many familiar literary ...

Is there a ban on video games in Illinois?

An Illinois legislator is looking to ban the sale of all violent video games in the state, according to amendments that would adjust a 2012 law, which currently keeps retailers from selling certain violent games to minors.

Why are video games banned in Hawaii?

And video games are often cited as causes of concern following public displays of violence in the United States. The bill has yet to be voted on, but Chicago already imposes a $1,000 fine on retailers who are caught selling violent ...

Is there a ban on video games in Chicago?

The ban will forbid the sale of violent video games outright. Carjackings are on the rise in Chicago, and as a result one local lawmaker is proposing a bill that could potentially ban the sale of violent video games in the city altogether.

Why are video games being pulled from shelves?

All around the world, video games have been pulled from store shelves because they were just too much for the community to handle. Whether that censorship is justified isn’t for us to say (but let’s be fair, it probably isn’t). What is instructive is to examine the games that got banned and try to figure out what pisses people off.

Why was Rapelay banned?

RapeLay. Many of the games on this list were banned simply because of cultural misunderstandings. You…can’t say that for RapeLay. The insanely controversial game developed by Japanese studio Illusion was released in 2006 and almost immediately kicked off a firestorm of bad emotions.

What does "refused classification" mean in Manhunt 2?

Manhunt 2 was “refused classification” in the UK, basically meaning it was too screwed up to even get a rating. Rockstar went back in and added some graphical filters to obscure the gore, and the edited version was originally released there.

What is EA Sports MMA?

EA Sports MMA was the video game giant’s 2010 attempt to cash in on the no holds barred fighting craze without getting the UFC license. It featured fighters from the Strikeforce promotion, as well as legends like Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture, and got decent reviews.

What is the most notorious game of all time?

Custer's Revenge. For nearly as long as there have been video games, people have been trying to make them into porn. One of the most notorious smutty games of all time is Custer’s Revenge, which hit the Atari 2600 in 1982.

When did Pikachu get banned?

The heavily Muslim Middle Eastern nation issued an edict in 2001 banning both the electronic and physical versions of the game from import. Pikachu, the beloved electric Pokemon, and his fellow pocket monsters were considered a threat to national security.

Is GTA banned in Thailand?

The GTA games have been the target of pushback all over the globe for their glorification of violence and mayhem, but only one country has taken the drastic step of banning every single title in the franchise. That’s Thailand, surprisingly enough.

15 Bully

We’re starting this off on a funny note. While you’ll see Rockstar on this list again, it’s for an entirely different reason than why Bully was pulled from the shelves in Brazil. It wasn’t for violence, but instead where it took place. The country was upset that it took place in a school.

14 Pokemon Trading Card Game

That’s right, Pokemon has made it to this list. The Pokemon Trading Card Game, more specifically, and in Saudi Arabia. Now, why in the world would anyone have anything to say against animals battling each other (I’m kidding here.

13 Grand Theft Auto

Now we all know why people would ban any of the Grand Theft Auto games, from extreme violence, to burglary to prostitution, as it isn’t a game for the weak of mind or strong of censorship. But it was banned in Thailand for a very real reason.

12 Command & Conquer: Generals

This is a real-time strategy game released in the early 2000s that was banned in China for very specific reasons. The game opens up with a terrorist organization bombing Beijing. Then part of Hong Kong. Oh yeah, and the Three Gorges Bridge as well. Sounds like one of those developers of the game really didn’t like China.

11 EA Sports MMA

Okay, this one has me in stitches. You’d think that a game that is based on violence would be banned due to said violence, but in Denmark, they are taking a much more interesting stance; Energy-drink advertisement. Specifically Rockstar Energy. It’s all over the game, from the arena floor to the participants pants.

10 The Guy Game

Not many games get banned in the United States, but this game managed to get on that illustrious list. In 2004, a game was released from, the appropriately named, Topheavy Studios. It’s called The Guy Game and you play as a guy on spring break, answering trivia questions from drunken girls.

9 The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Australia rating system for games includes “Refused Classification” as one of its rating. Basically that means that it’s just straight up banned, and that rating means no selling.

What is a video game that allows a user or player to control a character within the video game?

According to Evans, “a video game that allows a user or player to control a character within the video game that is encouraged to perpetuate human-on-human violence in which the player kills or otherwise causes serious physical or psychological harm to another human or an animal” is an example of a violent video game.

Will GTA be banned in 2021?

23 Feb 2021 2,052. 2:42. A Democrat lawmaker in Illinois has announced he wants to ban the sale of Grand Theft Auto (GTA), along with other video games that feature violence, after his state witnessed an increase in the amount of carjackings.

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