GamePolitics.com
GamePolitics.com is a LiveJournal powered blog about the politics of computer and video games started and maintained by freelance journalist Dennis McCauley. It is often referenced by many other videogame sites.
Frequent topics include video game legislation, the effects of media coverage on video games and gamer culture, and stories about high profile critics and/or supporters of the industry.
Jack Thompson vs. GamePolitics
Jack Thompson frequently visits and comments on the site. In the beginning he posted anonymously, submitted numerous press releases (many of which were unrelated to the topic in which he posted them), and directed insults at McCauley and the gamers who visited the site. After Thompson made inappropriate comments regarding a gamer's suicide McCauley decided to ban anonymous posting.
In response to GamePolitics new requirement that all comments be made by people with LiveJournal accounts, Thompson signed up using the screen name johnbthompson. Shortly thereafter he created jackthompson888 and resumed posting on the site. What Thompson did not realize, however, was that people's responses to his posts would trigger an email sent to his inbox (from LiveJournal) notifying him and displaying their comments. Thompson perceived these as threats and responded with the following:
- The Congress has passed and the President has signed into law a statute that makes it a crime to send harassing emails to anyone, if it is done anonymously. That means, all you little pixelantes who are sending me emails through LiveJournal and who are not also providing your names, addresses, and phone numbers are violating this criminal statute.
- If you want Dennis McCauley sued for this, in order that I will then discover your true identities in order to put some of you into jail like the kid in Houston I got arrested, keep it up.
In an effort to point Thompson in the right direction, a LiveJournal user named startropics replied:
- Mr. Thompson sir, perhaps I should enlignten you as to how LiveJournal comments work, just as a courtesy. It's alright to be a little clueless, as I'm sure this is the first blog you've ever had.
- When someone leaves a "comment" or reply to a statement that you have made on LiveJournal, whether as a post or a reply to a post, the user in question that is being replied to is sent an email as a courtesy to let them know that they have received a comment. The email also contains the comment in question, and an option to reply to it using the email.
- Now when you were replying anonymously, you weren't receiving these emails because LiveJournal had no idea where to send the notification emails. Now it does.
- If you wish to disable this function and search for replied manually, I would suggest turning off email notification. It should be in the Personal Info section. Simply uncheck Receive comment notification e-mails and you should be all set.
- Don't worry, I do this sort of thing all the time for my grandfather. I help him all the time with his computer.
- The gamer that cares. David Cochrane.
jackthompson888 was banned shortly after for undisclosed reasons.
Thompson then created a new account whittakerchambe, apparently alluding to Whittaker Chambers, who was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contribution to "the century's epic struggle between freedom and totalitarianism". Thompson claimed that he had endowed a scholarship in Chambers' name, with John Chambers' blessing (Whittaker's son). This account was banned as well after Thompson continued to mock the passing of a gamer who committed suicide (the exact same offense that prompted McCauley's decision to ban anonymous posting on the site), and made several derogatory comments comparing GamePolitics readers to Nazis:
- Gamers are akin to the Hitler Youth. Pixelantes are vigilantes. You put threats ahead of arguments, extortion ahead of enlightenment... You all are the new book burners. Heil PS2! Heil Halo! Heil GTA! Put down the controllers and get a life, you lost souls. Jack Thompson.
McCauley found this offensive, and banned Thompson's account, stating Glad to hear you're getting your own blog, Jack... You can spout all of this crap there to your heart's content. (In the same general area, Thompson had plugged his soon-to-be new website, Jack and Goliath).
Refusing to be silenced, Thompson created another LiveJournal account, dubbed dennismcawfully, apparently mocking McCauley. In a post titled Jack Thompson with Some Facts, Not GP Fiction, he wrote:
- (Dennis) recommended a blog, which is a terrible idea. I don't need a blog. A blog is for people who have nothing to do with their lives. Kind of like the pixelantes who post here with cowardly, anonymous avatars, all three of you. No, when you're on nationl teevee since 1990, folks, you don't need a blog. You just ring up Anderson Cooper. Anderson doesn't need a blog either.
It didn't take GP readers long to point out that Anderson Cooper does in fact, have a blog at CNN. This account was banned shortly after.
The next account Thompson made - "JackandGoliath" - was banned from the website for posting a user's phone number (Thomspon's vaguely suggested the user had called him at home and harrassed him, but the reason for posting the number was never made clear).
Soon after Thompson made accounts named "jackjackjac", "firstamedment6", and "byebyerockstar", spamming press releases about his work against the video game industry and continuing his usual arguments with forum members. All three were banned as soon as possible by McCauley.
On February 23, 2006, Thompson sent an email to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, which prints many of McCauley's gaming columns. Thompson claimed McCauley was misrepresenting himself on his voicemail as a columnist for the Pioneer Press. An editor from the Press called McCauley and asked him to change the message from "columnist" to "frequent contributor". Apparently Thompson had previously complained to the Press about the voicemail message, but the Press had declined to take any action at the time. Thompson, now using the name "dennisintrouble", spammed the GP comment section with copies of the email in an attempt to prevent McCauley from deleting all the posts before they could be read. He also posted McCauley's home phone number, apparently trying to expose him to harrassment from GamePolitics' readers (though Thompson never mentioned gave a clear reason for readers to do so, and no one took him up on his suggestion). This account was also banned.
McCauley filed an "Abuse" complaint with LiveJournal in response, and also complained about the "ban-evading" Thompson was doing when he formed new accounts after being banned multiple times (this goes against the LiveJournal Terms of Service contract). Users hoped LiveJournal would ban Thompson's IP address, a punishment sometimes handed down to repeat TOS offenders.
Then, on February 28, 2006 Thompson returned to GamePolitics using the name dennisdennisde with more comments about pending video game-related lawsuits and personal attacks against some users. According to McCauley, this account was banned immediately after. McCauley explained that Thompson had been "extended a warning" by LiveJournal, but said he would "pass along the new violation". Since then, all posts by Thompson's multiple LiveJournal accounts have been deleted, replaced by the notation, "Reply from suspended user." On March 4, 2006 McCauley confirmed on the site's forums that Thompson had indeed been "perma-banned" from posting on any site using the LiveJournal system, including GamePolitics.
On March 12, 2006 Jack Thompson returned to GamePolitics using a new IP address, and the screen name murdersims.