Games

I remember this weird moment in the 2000s when the anti-terror panic had reached full "check the terrorism weather forecast" levels of absurdity. National security ghouls were scared that World of Warcraft could be used by Al Qaeda to plan 9/12: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/09/the_pentagons_w.html

In a presentation late last week at the Director of National Intelligence Open Source Conference in Washington, Dr. Dwight Toavs, a professor at the Pentagon-funded National Defense University, gave a bit of a primer on virtual worlds to an audience largely ignorant about what happens in these online spaces. Then he launched into a scenario, to demonstrate how a meatspace plot might be hidden by in-game chatter.

In it, two World of Warcraft players discuss a raid on the “White Keep” inside the “Stonetalon Mountains.” The major objective is to set off a “Dragon Fire spell” inside, and make off with “110 Gold and 234 Silver” in treasure. “No one will dance there for a hundred years after this spell is cast,” one player, “war_monger,” crows.

Except, in this case, the White Keep is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. “Dragon Fire” is an unconventional weapon. And “110 Gold and 234 Silver” tells the plotters how to align the game’s map with one of Washington, D.C.

It's cool that the actual version is a lot weirder and on the child labour game ~~that is otherwise mostly used by paedophiles.~~ oh nope, got to the end. astronaut1 astronaut2 always has been.