[PA Comic] Wednesday, December 11, 2013 - The Great Game

Geth

The Great Game
http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/12/11

PedroAsani

I quit that game so long ago, and I know it's changed almost beyond recognition. But damn if this comic doesn't bring back some memories that have me wanting to log in and see the place again. I guess this is how heroin addicts feel when they get sober.

I needed anime to post.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/nsa-spies-online-games-world-warcraft-second-life

Bremen

I needed a name to post. wrote: »

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/nsa-spies-online-games-world-warcraft-second-life

I heard about this and my first thought was "I really weep for whatever agents gets assigned to read through MMO chat".

Though reading that article I'm starting to suspect some NSA guys just wanted an excuse to play video games at work.

Sterica

Bremen wrote: »

I heard about this and my first thought was "I really weep for whatever agents gets assigned to read through MMO chat".

Maybe it'll finally get some decent funding for the Department of Education.

Brainleech

Rorus Raz wrote: »

Bremen wrote: »

I heard about this and my first thought was "I really weep for whatever agents gets assigned to read through MMO chat".

Maybe it'll finally get some decent funding for the Department of Education.

O yes it would be beyond nice to have this lead to that

But I wonder why other than goofing off time they thought they would find terror and other disturbing things in Wow you can just ask blizzard they probably have hard drives full of the naughty stuff said in Moonglade

PedroAsani

Brainleech wrote: »

Rorus Raz wrote: »

Bremen wrote: »

I heard about this and my first thought was "I really weep for whatever agents gets assigned to read through MMO chat".

Maybe it'll finally get some decent funding for the Department of Education.

O yes it would be beyond nice to have this lead to that

But I wonder why other than goofing off time they thought they would find terror and other disturbing things in Wow you can just ask blizzard they probably have hard drives full of the naughty stuff said in Moonglade

Well the theory is that terrorists will use game chat because it isn't monitored in the same way that phones or email are. They seem to feel that they need to monitor all communication everywhere, always. I wonder if they have people stationed out in the woods looking for conspiracies flashed with signal mirrors?

Brainleech

Game chat is semi monitored they can just go back when someone complains about this person said something that offends me or is quite naughty! and do something about it
I learned all about this way back in the 90's and early games online

They just did this to goof off and spend tax payer money in creative ways

They know where terror groups gather and post it's not that hard to figure out

apparatchik

That title though.

Athenor

I needed a name to post. wrote: »

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/nsa-spies-online-games-world-warcraft-second-life

Ahhh.. I was wondering why the blast from the past. Makes sense.

Dark Raven X

Oh! Cause they're fish monsters.

Hah.

Brainleech

Second life would be a scary place to spy upon

Rottonapple

Bremen wrote: »

I needed a name to post. wrote: »

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/nsa-spies-online-games-world-warcraft-second-life

I heard about this and my first thought was "I really weep for whatever agents gets assigned to read through MMO chat".

Though reading that article I'm starting to suspect some NSA guys just wanted an excuse to play video games at work.

there was a reason I generally kept trade chat turned off unless I really REALLY needed something

Skull2185

-Dude on the phone with his superior-

"Sir, we're going to need a bunch of Playstation 4s and Xbox Ones. We now believe that the terrorist threat has moved to next gen as well. Yes. Yes sir. Yes, we will need all the currently available games too. Thank you sir." -click-

...

"You guys! It fucking worked! Again! Wooooo!"

Jasconius

once more we play our dangerous game

a game of warsong gulch

Swainwalker

Skull2185 wrote: »

-Dude on the phone with his superior-

"Sir, we're going to need a bunch of Playstation 4s and Xbox Ones. We now believe that the terrorist threat has moved to next gen as well. Yes. Yes sir. Yes, we will need all the currently available games too. Thank you sir." -click-

...

"You guys! It fucking worked! Again! Wooooo!"

not too hard to sell to your NSA boss that you need to be on that thing that comes with a camera that can apparently detect naughty words

Element Brian

I really want to be that NSA guy who has to infiltrate some guild, and then explain it to his boss.

"No look, this match right here is very important, we win, and I'm in, they accept me as their own."

Point Break story line ensues.

OmegaDez

I had absolutely NO IDEA what this comic was about. Then I hit the forum and
Aaah, WoW.

I think WoW is when I started to feel like I wasn't part of the internet gaming culture anymore. So much weird lingo and memes originated among the MMORPG playing crowd, and since I had absolutely zero interest in the genre, I got left behind. Sad.

Still, what is this about, other than being a WoW reference?

Smrtnik

The nsa story linked above

OmegaDez

Smrtnik wrote: »

The nsa story linked above

OOH. Right. I should have read the entire thread.
LOL. This makes the whole thing a lot funnier. I wonder why they never have the newspost ready at the same time as the comic. It mystifies me.

Xaquin

Anyone selling an FBSS
Meet me at the tunnel in
East Commons
Runic Carver FS PST
I'll buy it
Cleric needed for CR, will donate!
A Skeleton hits you for 4 damage
Noob training Slate to FP, look out!

Pls sell me ur FBSS for 10 plats
I will take no less than 10k ....
GTFO

Does griffins spawn here at night?!
One more needed at orc 1
GIVE ME UR FBSS FOR FREE LOLZ
Selling a bunch at second torch PST

Swainwalker

waterboarding murlocs is a dark and hilarious one-off

hateseeded

I would reactivate my account just to form a guild called <Islamic Extremists> but, I'm sure it's already been done in every possible permutation by now.

syndalis

hateseeded wrote: »

I would reactivate my account just to form a guild called <Islamic Extremists> but, I'm sure it's already been done in every possible permutation by now.

what would be the best is if the guild was mostly comprised of Islamic people who liked skateboarding, Doritos and Mountain Dew. And red bull.

roflstomp

This comic was full of win, and feels like some old-school PA. :-D

hateseeded

syndalis wrote: »

hateseeded wrote: »

I would reactivate my account just to form a guild called <Islamic Extremists> but, I'm sure it's already been done in every possible permutation by now.

what would be the best is if the guild was mostly comprised of Islamic people who liked skateboarding, Doritos and Mountain Dew. And red bull.

Reminds me of a hilarious comic in an SF newspaper during the very first "X-Games". tried to find it but failed. Basically, it showcased several little known new sports featured in the games, one of which was an SF favorite: "aggressive passive-aggressive behavior". Still makes me giggle.

Raiden333

As soon as I saw this headline the other day I was like "I'll bet anything this gets made into a PA Comic"

Great one.

Skull2185

Stuff like this:

Tycho wrote:

When your hosts here at Penny Arcade first met in Newspaper Production class, we ran a fairly transparent but incredibly satisfying scam, wherein we would assess local arcades during school hours with the idea that an article might come of it. On the way back, there was a pizza place that offered massive, unconscionable cratons of pizza for fifty cents each. He said that we should return immediately to school, but I brooked no dissent on the issue. He was afraid that something would happen, and I said we would cross that bridge when we came to it. He’d never heard the saying before, and it hit him in the chest. I’m certain I’ve told the story before, but I got the sense that he had been crossing a lot of bridges preemptively.

Is why I will pay any amount of money to read anything Jerry writes. I would pay $100 for just a book of shopping lists he's written.

Matz

hateseeded wrote: »

I would reactivate my account just to form a guild called <Islamic Extremists> but, I'm sure it's already been done in every possible permutation by now.

Guild leader should be "DurkaDurka"

YoungFrey

Matz wrote: »

hateseeded wrote: »

I would reactivate my account just to form a guild called <Islamic Extremists> but, I'm sure it's already been done in every possible permutation by now.

Guild leader should be "DurkaDurka"

Well, there are 229 of them, shouldn't be too hard to find one.

Neuroskeptic

Skull2185 wrote: »

Stuff like this:

Tycho wrote:

When your hosts here at Penny Arcade first met in Newspaper Production class, we ran a fairly transparent but incredibly satisfying scam, wherein we would assess local arcades during school hours with the idea that an article might come of it. On the way back, there was a pizza place that offered massive, unconscionable cratons of pizza for fifty cents each. He said that we should return immediately to school, but I brooked no dissent on the issue. He was afraid that something would happen, and I said we would cross that bridge when we came to it. He’d never heard the saying before, and it hit him in the chest. I’m certain I’ve told the story before, but I got the sense that he had been crossing a lot of bridges preemptively.

Is why I will pay any amount of money to read anything Jerry writes. I would pay $100 for just a book of shopping lists he's written.

Sorry, but no, Jerry is bad. He uses long words and is pretent...ito..ous... whatever. Me good. He bad.

Am I doing 'those' posts right?

Chairman Meow

Yes, long words like preemptively and transparent. How dare he!