Ohhh baby, you *know* how much the Herald hates to say we told you so… well ok, we rather like it…but this one is particularly delicious. The Herald has come into possession of the following letter written by anti-video game activist and attorney Jack Thompson to the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary (and VP, but everyone at EA is a VP as far as I can tell) Steve Bene. Jack is on the warpath about the nude skin mods in Sims 2. Hmmmm, wonder if anyone has told Jack about the nude skin mods in TSO… Oh, be sure to check out the cc list on his letter.
Pulling up a lawn chair, donning pith helmet, cracking open a cool one…
Steve Bené, Attorney
VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Electronic Arts Inc.
209 Redwood Shores Parkway
Redwood City, CA 94065 fax: 650-628-1422 email: [email protected]
Re: The Sims 2 and Porn
Dear Mr. Bene:
Mods are readily available via the Internet to turn the characters in your company’s The Sims 2 into nudes with exposed genitalia. This includes the children in the game. EA has made this modding easy by making it readily possible to remove “the blur” from the genital areas. Even the New York Times’ web site is providing this cheat code to remove the blur.
Adult “porn sites” are featuring, via free downloads, the mods that allow the consumer to customize the appearance of the labia, nipples, pubic hair, and penises. As you know, The Sims 2 already features reproductive activities in this “T” rated game.
Such modding is made more likely by public statements by the game’s creator, Will Wright, that he supports the modding of the game.
To the extent that your company does absolutely nothing to crack down on this apparent infringement upon EA’s copyrighted material, which is in possible violation of its various software agreements and warnings, then EA collaborates, in every sense of the word, with the modders to put this material into the hands of consumers, many of whom are children, given the inviting “T” rating on the game.
I urgently ask Electronic Arts to stop this modding activity by appropriate means, otherwise the “T” rating given the game by ESRB means, for all practical purposes, nothing and breaches trust with parents.
Regards, Jack Thompson
Copies: Media
U.S. Senators Clinton, Lieberman, Brownback, Santorum
California Assemblyman Leland Yee
Nutcase whinging radical conservative with too much time on his hands. I think we can safely dismiss this "issue" and forget it.
I hate ©Electronic Assholes© , more than most people. But what 'Jack' claims is a joke. It's rediculous, not relevant to anything mildly important. Someone is trying TOO HARD to LOOK FOR things in non-issues to get publicity about.
It's the same kind of censor blur used on shows like Jerry Springer regular series. (not uncut or anything) . So what's your point? That it's a game? What's your second point then? *silence* . How do you know kids aren't watching J.S and being "exposed" to much more garbage than they would ever see in The Sims 2??
Incase you didn't notice admist your wild spree of shooting off reports to like minded senators and media outlets, there's non-graphic suggested or censored things with a sexual nature in 1000's of games. I dare you to track them all down, then write reports about them do. Every single one. Come back when you have.
Hacks and mods can remove or add ANYTHING, if they feel there is a need. So the blame is not with the game company. And unlike Rock Star games, what's in The Sims is not left over code that was forgotten and not taken out. It's just a curtesy blur by EA to cover up barley notice cartoon fictional breasts and private parts. They aren't real enough to matter. This aint interactive graphic sexual acts in the backseat of a car like GTA:SA , just basic bitmap textures. very basic. EA is not at fault here and is hiding nothing. Infact i think EA should sue YOU Mr T for being so stupid and trvial. lol.
Take note America this is where some of your wasted tax dollars go, giving people like Jack Thompson credibility. J.T would probably like sex ed classes removed from high schools too. Such a subject is taboo and people fear to discuss it.
- RB.
Posted by: RB | July 23, 2005 at 10:24 PM
Basically what RB said. Its a game, and if anything, the parents should be held responsible for what their kids download. The game doesn't cause this happen, the Mods the people download do. If you don't want it, don't download it. The game, from the box is a Teen game. However, once you make changes and download extra things, then why is that their fault? I can download a "G" rated picture and draw boobs on it. Should I then sue whoever sold me the picture?
Posted by: Towelie | July 29, 2005 at 02:09 AM