Wretched People

I was going to sleep on this, but I figured I might as well get it out now.

First off, I'd like to say that Mr. Jack Thompson, while he is a lawyer, is less than a man. In the next five minutes, you will read something that will probably sway your thinking to agreement with me. However, I would like to stress that under no circumstances should you contact the man, as he is certifiably wack, and will likely sue anyone not coming to him with money-making lawsuits to pander. That aside, I read this, and am quoting it ad verbatim from Crtl-Alt-Del.

A reader has just brought this matter to my attention.

From GamingHorizon.com:

"Earlier this month, gamer named Mitchell S. with the online screenname "Kuja105" who posts on a few online videogame forums (including GameFaqs.com and MetalGearSolid.org) committed suicide. On January 2 he posted a message in both forums detailing his intent to end his own life, citing overwhelming complications with school and finances.

A very brief period of initial disbelief was followed by a barrage of replies from fellow forum members pleading that he not take his life, trying to talk him out of it.

For days, no word was heard from Mitchell. Fearing the worst, members and administration from metalgearsolid.org began searching for contact information, spending hours on the phone trying to get in touch with him. Finally on January 4, Ryan K., an administrator at metalgearsolid.org, got him on the phone and spent hours desperately trying to talk him out of it.

Sadly, Mitchell soon ended his own life by consuming antifreeze and painkillers.

Later, members from the site contacted Mitchell's family to find out the grave news. They reported it to their online community, and posted a tribute to their passed friend on the front page of metalgearsolid.org." Full Report Here.

Mr. Jack Thompson then sent in the following letter regarding the situation to MetalGearSolid.org, one of the forums frequented by Mitchell, where he was known well:

"Your "gamer friend" will find peace through the Lord, Jesus Christ, but sadly it's too late for that.

There is a void in every heart. You can fill it up with the things of God, or the things not of God. This unfortunate soul chose to fill it up with combat games. The playing of these video games is masturbatory activity, meaning senseless self-stimulation. If you gamers could use a dictionary you would know that that term is not necessarily a sexual one.

The real tragedy here extends beyond the life and death of this one fellow. There are literally millions of young people and young adults whose despair is deepend by turning to the things of this world and then finding them meaningless.

All of you gamers need to put down the controllers and get a life. The utter inanity of the vast majority of postings here shows how vapid "gaming" really is.

You are one of the cheerleaders for this wasting of time and the wasting of lives. Do you feel any remorse for having contributed to this "culture of death?" Of course not. Hey, let's all play MORE games, and ignore all the really productive things to do with our lives.

Let's pretend to be shocked that a gamer might descend into deeper depression, as his gamer "buds," knowing he was killing himself, couldn't figure out how to call 911 themselves for him. That would have involved leaving their computers I guess.

Sad. Sad for all of you."

Here is an article written by friends and peers of Mitchell at MetalGearSolid.org.


Hey all, lets badmouth someone who just committed suicide because of school and financial related issues, and then blame it on videogames, and videogamers. Why stop there? Lets throw in some right wing loco-lunatic propaganda, claim to know about God, and lay down the holier law.

Will I get a life? Is being a writer a life?

Mr. Thompson, once again, if you read this for whatever reason, ask yourself. You're giving up your life in this selfish pursuit. I'd put the weight of a gamer's life over yours anyday, because they live their lives in their own way, without intruding on others.

Inane? Perhaps. Violent? Perhaps. But nothing, nothing, compares to the callousness and disrespect you've shown them now, and in the past. Forgiveness is supposedly a Christian trait, but neither you are I are Christian. So expect no kind forgivings from me when Florida debars you, and you are forced to make your living like the rest of us.

Maybe then, you'll wonder what to do with your free time. Maybe you'll get tired of thumping your bible and will actually get out and do something good for a change.