Is the press to blame for Jack Thompson?

Former ESA (Entertainment Software Association) boss Doug Lowenstein has challenged the role of the games press in the rise and fall of US attorney Jack Thompson.

Thompson has been exiled from the legal world following many wild campaigns against adult videogame content and subsequent rulings by the US Court. But such infamy would never have been obtained had the press rightfully ignored him, argues Lowenstein.

"The game press had a schizoid relationship with Thompson. He was the person they loved to vilify and the person they could not get enough of," said Lowenstein in a letter to Kotaku.

"The media knew well that he was a charlatan who wholly lacked credibility. But hey, they said, he was news and could not be ignored. That was a cop out. It gave Thompson a platform he might not have had for as long as he did.

"Mainstream outlets were worse but the game press knew better. But he was the game press' crack. So as it takes delight in his apparent demise, it is a good time to contemplate whether the game media itself has matured," he added.

Thompson, our Captain Hook, has appealed his verdict and called the disbarment ruling "retaliation" for a book he wrote detailing actions the Florida Supreme Court made against him.

He has around 30 days before his disbarment comes into effect. Tick tock.