Friday, April 12, 2013

World of WTF

Have you ever thought that maybe there was hope for the human race? That somehow we may, as a species, survive, fulfill our potential and build a brighter future? You have? Well, here, this will take care of that.
I don't speak Mandarin but I'm pretty sure he's
saying the equivalent of Whatthefuckholyshit?
In fairness, MOP does raise the level
cap and add a new character class.
Did you click on it? No? Sigh...I'll sum up, but seriously, this is the last time...I mean all you have to do is click the link...So an 18-year old walked in to an internet café in Taiwan and stabbed a man to death with a watermelon knife. Holy shit. That's terrible right? Well yes, but no, believe it or not, that's not even the worst part. Get this: nobody even tried to stop him. Everyone was so into Mists of Pandaria or whatever that nobody did a goddamn thing. Can you believe it?

Oh, but hey, even that's not the worst part. Hold on to your ever-dwindling hope for humanity because not only did nobody try and stop the guy, but some of the café patrons kept on playing their games. At least one did so, according to witnesses, whilst covered in the victim's blood.
Above: the moment the last ember of the human spirit was extinguished forever.
Also, the moment Andrea's guild just pulled off a successful raid against some Ogres.
Although it explains how no one
is trying to stop Michael Bay from
doing the Ninja Turtles reboot.
We'd all like to think that if we're ever in a similar situation we'd step up and kick the crap out of the murderer, get on the news and then have lots and lots of sex, but the reality is probably closer to the apparent apathy in this café. There's a phenomenon called the bystander effect, in which people are so paralyzed by the shocking brutality they're witnessing that they can't intervene. It might help explain what happened in Taiwan and it existed long before online games. Of course, it doesn't explain why some of the customers went back to playing. They might just be terrible people, playing in to the media stereotype of gamers as sociopathic addicts who are one Redbull away from a killing spree.

Look, I'm guess I wasn't expecting one of the café patrons to turn into Batman, defect the knife with a well-thrown batarang, and leave the assailant tied, gagged and ready for the police to pick up, but goddamn. 
"Game over, scumbag..."
-Batman, because he would 
totally say something like that

2 comments:

  1. Yeah, but for some reason I read that in Wolverine's voice. Even though it didn't end in "Bub." Go figure.

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    Replies
    1. Well, Wolverine's been a member of the X-Men, the Avengers, X-Force, Alpha Flight-why can't he be Batman too? Oh...looks like he can: http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Claw.

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