Quick Facts
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Biography
Jesse Petrilla is an American businessman, politician, and activist. He started his business career in video game design in 2002, appearing on MSNBCamong other networks discussing his satirical video games. He was a regular guest on TechTV’s “The Screensavers” in 2002 and 2003. From 2004-2009 he served as Chairman of United American Committee, a non-profit organization he co-founded with Ted Hayes focusing on national security issues, and published articles on the subject as a contributor for Breitbart News and FrontPage Magazine. In 2012 he deployed to Afghanistan as an officer with the California Army National Guard. In 2013, Petrilla founded a company manufacturing telecommunication infrastructure materials, as well as Petrilla.com, an online news site for the telecommunication industry.
Video games
Plunder & Pillage
Released at the end of 2001, Plunder & Pillage was Petrilla's first publicly released video game. It was a pirate themed first person shooter, and was only 3 levels, released as a demo. The game was never completed, as Petrilla began working on Quest for Al-Qa'eda.
Quest for Al-Qa'eda: The Hunt for Bin Laden
Released in early 2002, Quest for Al-Qa'eda was a first person shooter, developed independently by Petrilla as a Mod of the video game Duke Nukem 3D utilizing the Build Engine. In the game, the player is tasked with destroying Osama Bin Laden and his forces.
Released as a free download, and due to heavy media coverage, the game received over 2 million downloads over the span of approximately one year. The reviews were mixed. When compared to commercial games, Quest for Al-Qa'eda received poor reviews, but earned points with critics solely for its comical aspects.
Quest for Saddam
Released in May 14, 2003 by Petrilla Entertainment, during the buildup to the Iraq War, Quest for Saddam was a budget first-person shooter featuring Iraq's ex-leader as the target of the player's aggression. Due to its content, it received a rating of M for mature by the The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). The game was built on the platform of the Torque video game engine.
In 2006, an Al-Qa'eda linked group called the Global Islamic Media Front released a modification of Quest for Saddam, calling it Quest for Bush: The Night of Bush Capturing. In commenting on the issue, Petrilla told the Washington Post, "They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. But I'm not flattered."
Politics
Petrilla served as a California delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Petrilla was elected in 2010 to the City Council of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, receiving 7,396 votes, and served from 2010-2014. He ran unsuccessfully for the California State Assembly in 2014.
2014 California State Assembly
| California's 73rd State Assembly district election, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary election | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Wendy Gabriella | 16,420 | 27.8 | |
| Republican | Bill Brough | 16,365 | 27.7 | |
| Republican | Jesse Petrilla | 11,287 | 19.1 | |
| Republican | Paul G. Glabb | 8,353 | 14.2 | |
| Republican | Anna Bryson | 6,549 | 11.1 | |
| Total votes | 58,974 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Bill Brough | 76,783 | 67.9 | |
| Democratic | Wendy Gabriella | 36,292 | 32.1 | |
| Total votes | 113,075 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Controversies
Gun charges
On March 11, 2001, when Petrilla was 17 years old, he was arrested and charged with 14 Counts (12 Felony Counts) for his involvement in a brawl in which he fired multiple warning shots from a rifle. Petrilla plead No Contest to two of the counts and was sentenced to 240 days in jail by Judge James L. Roeder, and five years of formal probation for which he served three years. The charges were later reduced to misdemeanors and dismissed after Petrilla petitioned the court.
U.C. Irvine campus cartoon controversy
On February 28, 2006, while head of United American Committee, Petrilla organized an event at the University of California, Irvine which displayed controversial Danish cartoons of the Islamic prophet Mohammad. The event was a panel discussion on the root causes of ongoing riots related to the cartoons which had been published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. The event included panel speakers from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim backgrounds, and displayed anti-Semitic and anti-western cartoons from Middle-Eastern newspapers alongside the Danish cartoons of Mohammad. The event attracted hundreds of Muslim protesters and was harshly criticized by Muslim leaders who deem any depictions of their prophet to be offensive. It gained international exposure with global coverage on major news networks.