Artificial InteleGENTS

Since both of these stories involve individuals who are in the legal profession, I decided to combine this into one story.

Basically, the long and short of it is that Jack Thompson, renouned critic of video games, especially the GTA series, stormed out of court the other day after the Florida Bar recommended in the Miami-Dade court that Thompson be barred from practicing law in the state of Florida for the next ten years! Thompson threw a bit of a fit and stormed out. This is great news for gamers and the game industry, as frivolous law suits can finally be put aside, at least for the next decade.

Meanwhile, ex-Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, age 78, is headlining a project to create a free web-based game called “Our Courts.” The game’s purpose is to teach children/gamers/gamerchildren how our legal system works. The game will be free and will be ready by September ‘09. One scenario in the game includes a situation in a school where a student is asked to remove a shirt with a controversial slogan on it, which is meant to teach about the 1st amendment.

To me, this is great news, and I am giving mad props to our ex-justice, Sandra. This proves that just because someone is not a gamer does not mean that they can not break into the medium. This is a great way to show politicians and lawyers everywhere (cough*Jack Thompson*cough) that anyone can get into gaming at any time in their lives, and can make a positive change in the world while doing so. Even though this game probably won’t be anything great, it’s still a step in a new direction, and I always welcome change when it is for the betterment of society or the industry.

written by Zach Westfall \\ tags: court, Jack Thompson, politics