Jacks next target...Wendy's

Not content to sue (so far this year) the Florida Bar, the Florida Supreme Court, GTA publisher Take-Two Interactive and leading gaming blog Kotaku, game-hatin� barrister Jack Thompson has focused on a new target, burger franchise Wendy�s.

In the latest issuance from his nonstop e-mail machine, Thompson turns his attention to Wendy�s CEO Kerri Anderson. What�s Thompson�s gripe? Obesity? Cholesterol? The Frostys are too thick to suck through a straw?

Nope, It�s Rockstar�s upcoming Manhunt 2. So just what is Wendy�s connection with Manhunt 2? There isn�t one, unless you connect the dots the way Jack Thompson connects the dots.

With essentially no one left to sue, Thompson has latched onto a Wendy�s promotional tie-in with Nintendo Wii toys (pictured at left). The issue seems to be that:

Thompson also claims to have the inside track on what deceased Wendy� founder Dave Thomas would have wanted in this regard:

A dear friend of mine worked for Wendy�s and with Dave Thomas closely for years. From that I know that Dave Thomas never would have tolerated the use of Wendy�s good name to promote Nintendo�s Wii, not with this game available on the Wii platform.

So now Jack's evidence is hearsay from a friend of a friend of a dead guy. Yeah, I'm sure that will hold up in court. Kudos Jack kudos.

Tech Tidbits

Blizzard makes a wish come true

Recently Blizzard had the honor to have a 10-year old join their Development team - if only for one day. You see the boy, Ezra Chatterton, has a brain tumor. While in the hospital, he only wanted to play World of Warcraft. It's his escape. You see, Ezra's parents are divorced. While he spends time with both of his parents, playing WoW is a special treat that Ezra and his father, Micah Chatterton, share. When charitable organization Make-A-Wish Foundation asked Ezra what wish he wanted, he knew exactly.

Says Ezra:

"I wished for a trip to Blizzard because I'd like to see if they could make a character and do some things for us."

Blizzard, hearing about Ezra's wish, arranged a whirlwind trip at Blizzard's main offices in almost no time. Ezra got to spend a long day with Jeff Kaplan designing a new weapon (a legendary flame-shooting crossbow), and a new character and quest. (Ahab Wheathoof) He was even allowed to add his dog Kyle to the game for the "lost dog" quest he designed. From there, he was taken to a recording studio and allowed to record his own voice-overs for this new character. On top of that, Blizzard bumped Ezra's own personal character to L70, outfitted him with all the best gear, gave him tons of gold. But before they were done, he was given the abilities of a GM, if only temporarily.

After a long day, Ezra was thrilled, and understandably exhausted. He seemed to be in an incredibly good mood, with thoughts of his future and what he wants to do when he recovers. You see, he's planning for his future as a paid developer & play tester for Blizzard -- a lofty goal I truly hope that he someday attains.

Source:Kotaku

Tech Tidbits

Let's take a look at your thoughts on removing the the V-Tech game.

Should the V-Tech Rampage game be taken offline? (471 total votes)

Here's the buzz on the forums. Thank you to everyone who posted your thoughts!

No. I think it is repulsive to no end. I think they should not have made it out of respect, but I also think it is not my place to make the final decision. -Rob

No. The game sucks, but it's our freedom of speech and expresion. Tastless, yea, mostly........ but we are all different though we all have the same rights. I chock this up to "to each thier own". - Shoboy

Should be banned. Too many "wannabes" may try to emulate the incident, and cause further tragedies. Why do we need to always embrace life's tragic events? Yes, they should be digested, and remembered.. with the goal of preventing them from recurring. - Karlsweldt

Nope. It's rude and crude and very lame and insensitive, but it's also freedom of expression. - Chylde Roland

Yes, the game is offensive in a variety of ways. In addition to the obvious, it's also raciest and crude in every sense. I think newgrounds is making a mistake by hosting crap like this, but that is what they're known for. But I still don't' believe it should be censored, or that it's truly don't any harm aside from pissing people off. - entrOpy

Newgrounds Stands Behind Decision to Keep V-Tech Rampage Available

Last week�s big story, of course, was the controversy surrounding V-Tech Rampage, an amateurish Flash game based on the recent massacre.

While Australian creator Ryan Lambourn bore the brunt of the public outcry over the game, Philadelphia area portal site Newgrounds.com came in for its share of criticism over hosting V-Tech Rampage.

In a message posted yesterday afternoon, Newgrounds programmer Ross Snyder defended the decision the keep the game online and available:

"This is a good time to reflect on what Newgrounds is all about. When Tom (Fulp) first started the site many years ago, it was a place for his personal creations, some of which were too �edgy� for the mainstream�"

"Many of his productions pushed (and occasionally pole vaulted over) the limits of �good taste�, but he published them nevertheless, and they found an audience�"

"It turned out that a lot of people didn�t really have an outlet for their not-fit-for-the-mainstream creativity - and Newgrounds evolved from a showcase for Tom�s work into a showcase for everyone�s work, free of the usual moral judgement and censorship�"

Speaking only for myself, I think V-Tech Rampage is in poor taste. In terms of gameplay, it�s decent, but tying it to this recent tragedy is a bad idea, in my opinion.

Still, it�s not any one person�s job to judge the Flash that people submit to The Portal� As the saying goes, I may disagree with what [Lambourn is] doing, but I�ll forever defend his right to do it. Telling him that his game should not be allowed on Newgrounds goes against the principles upon which this site was founded.

Tech Tidbits