Reporter Rick Karr presents a special online report on the news that the government will be infiltrating popular online role-playing communities such as Second Life and World of Warcraft. Watch the video below (if you don’t need a primer on what an MMORPG is, then skip to 1:25 min. in, where the real info starts).
See original Karr post.
See more of Karr’s video essays at Moyers Journal Online.
Tags: Bill Moyers Journal, government, MMORPG, Rick Karr, Second Life, spying, World of Warcraft
[...] This clip, from PBS’ Bill Moyers Journal, is notable for a number of reasons. First of all, I’m fairly sure this is the most balanced, objective look at MMORPGs I’ve ever seen in mass media — they talk about both Second Life and World of Warcraft, but there isn’t a single mention of addiction or cluelessness or any of the other stuff mass media throws at us. [...]
First off, if anyone knows anything about these games then they would know that the people on them go to work (day job) then come home and get on the game. This is it, it’s their life, no time for anything else. So maybe the smart thing to do is find out who is on these games and then spy on the people who are not! These games cause kids to drop out or fail out of school/college and grown men to loose jobs and families (yes some women too)If our gov’t is that dumb and needs to spy on a group of people planning a raid on Mount Huchwawa in the land of Najasprocket, then this country WILL be hit again.
In response to Sara Benson, little do you realize how much information “Leaks” to foreigners. You don’t realize there are people trained to “Acquire” information without you realizing it. I can get into a conversation with a person and about 30 minutes into know what they do, where they’re from, how old they are, male or female, real name, married or single, children, type of car they drive, etc. Its rediculous to think that someone who is TRAINED to do this, can’t get more information from someone, especially military personnel who log on after work. The govt is right in this assesment, being that there are so many countries that play this game, INCLUDING the country we are at war with. Sure 98% of the people who play it are kids or stay at home wives, but all it takes is tracking down someone in the military and “buddying” up to them and slowly get information over a period of 2-4 months. So to you, I say your an idiot Sara, let the people who know how to practice national security do their job, and keep that hole under your nose closed if you obviously aint any brighter then a 10 watt lightbulb when it comes to this kind of thing.
I strong smell a gaming freak in the troupe of POlice force ..
They also want to play games to fume boredom from their life
PBS covers the government’s intrusion into online worlds | Warcraft-News.com Says:
[...] This clip, from PBS’ Bill Moyers Journal, is notable for a number of reasons. First of all, I’m fairly certain that is the most balanced, objective look at MMORPGs I’ve ever seen in mass media — they talk about both Second Life and World of Warcraft, but there isn’t a singled-out mention of addiction or cluelessness or any of the other stuff mass media throws at us. [...]