Jack Thompson’s Next Victim:…Wendy’s?

Not content with attacking explicit rap lyrics, videogame developers, and even videogame sites, Jack Thompson has now turned his crusading glare towards fast food restaurants.

Wendy's is the target this time, all over an upcoming promotion involving the Nintendo Wii. Promoting many of the videogames that we've come to love from Nintendo, the house that Dave Thomas built will be giving away toys from games such as Excite Truck and the Mario franchise with kids meals.

What's wrong with that? Well, it turns out that you can play Manhunt 2 on your Wii, of course. The promotion in no way involves Rockstar's upcoming Wii title, but somehow Jack's just plain pissed to see Wendy's even promoting a videogame console. Courtesy of GameAlmighty, the full letter Thompson sent to Wendy's CEO Kerri Anderson is reproduced after the break.

Dear Mrs. Anderson:

I should like to alert you to the inappropriateness of the above upcoming promotion at Wendy’s, in light of the below information.

On July 10, an extremely violent video game will be released for “play” on Nintendo’s kid-friendly Wii game platform. It is called Manhunt 2. It will feature, according to video game news sites, beheadings with hatchets, bludgeonings with baseball bats, the jamming of syringes into eyeballs, cutting opponents’ testicles off, and “environtmental [sic] kills” in which common objects in the field of vision, such as electrical cords to strangle victims. I attach news reports in these regards.

What makes this Nintendo Wii game all the more troubling is the nature of Wii platform itself. Instead of holding in one’s hand the typical game controller, the player holds motion capture devices, so that by moving one’s hands and limbs one is actually acting out with one’s own body the violent behavior. The American Psychological Association in August 2005 found a direct causal link between the play of violent video games and increased adolescent and teen aggression. One pro-video game industry site is referring to Manhunt 2 as a “true murder simulator” when played on Wii.

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.

Please cancel the Wii Kids’ Meal promotion immediately.

Regards, Jack Thompson