Thompson accuses UK newspapers of fabrication

US attorney Jack Thompson has claimed that recent quotes attributed to him by British newspapers are "a total fabrication".

In The Telegraph and The Daily Mail, two British newspapers which recently ran stories questioning Sony's motives in selling the PS2 game Buzz!: The Schools Quiz to schools, Thompson was quoted as saying that videogames have hurt far more people than they have helped.

In an email to our sister site, Eurogamer, Thompson claimed that he was never interviewed about Buzz.

"I had never heard about it until I was quoted having allegedly said this about it," Thompson claimed.

"I would never say what I am quoted as saying in any context, as the quotation, regardless of what it is applied to, is absurd on its face. How in the world could anyone prove and/or quantify that games have hurt more people than they have ever helped?

"It is a total fabrication by a reporter who needed a quotation from an anti-gamer person and simply made this up," Thompson alleged. "I am very upset about this."

Thompson said he had contacted the newspapers to complain.

Eurogamer was told that the quote originated in the Standard, but the writer of the article in question has not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

Buzz!: The Schools Quiz uses Key Stage 2 National Curriculum questions as the basis for its interactive quiz-show. The game was created in conjunction with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), with development self-funded by the Brighton-based software company.