Testing the Limits of Parody

Jack Thompson is a loud-mouthed Ohio attorney who has made a living fighting what he perceives to be "obscene" things in popular culture, from rap music to video games. In fact, it's the video game crusade that's got him in the news again. Via Prawfsblawg and GamePolitics.com, comes word that Thompson is none too pleased about being parodied in the forthcoming fourth version of Grand Theft Auto:

The showcasing play of the game to Game Informer revealed that the first killing mission of the 'hero' of the game, Niko, is to kill a certain lawyer. When Niko comes into this lawyer’s office, having used subterfuge to do so, Niko pulls a gun on the lawyer who says, 'that the firm supports the second amendment and that ‘Guns don’t kill people. Video games do.' '

That's from a letter Thompson filed a federal court in Florida (for reasons that are not at all clear to me) which concludes with a plea to Rock Star Games to "[g]overn yourself accordingly, or else."

Thompson is obviously not happy about being tweaked by his adversaries (I imagine that the Rock Star guys must be Simpsons fans), but does he have a beef? Could he sue (successfully) for some sort of defamation? I wouldn't think so, but I imagine he can make the process long and painful for the other side.