Yes, the "Axe of Inappropriate Responses"
by Mike Schramm 
Nov 3rd 2006 at 9:45PM
Yes, in case you're wondering, we did see this on Digg earlier today as well. It's a screenshot from the WoW Forums in which a player (from Syndicate on EU Ragnaros) posts announcing the death of his brother, another player who was well loved by some on the server. And then, of course (this is the WoW Forums, after all), a level one alt makes a response that's not quite the most conventional thing to say when you hear of someone's passing.
Now, Joystiq thinks it means WoW players are desensitized and "sad." But as many people have said, on both Digg and Joystiq, I like to think that, seeing as he was a true WoW player, Nano wouldn't have minded at all. In fact, he probably would have /laughed right along with us.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Odds and ends
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Shaz Nov 3rd 2006 10:31PM
aw that sad.
wow players desensitized and sad? Pah! i say.
Nano would enjoy that as good as any.
touching.
/raises beer to nano
never met ya but RIP man
Ratmaggot Nov 3rd 2006 10:47PM
I don't know about players, but if the original poster really thought that the forums are a place to post such a thing, he kinda deserves everything he gets. It's not like the forums are known to be a carebare, loving, sharing and supportive place, is it?
cheezedog420 Nov 4th 2006 12:16AM
I give it a few more days before it turns out that the brother who used his dead brother's account to assure community members how much the late Brother enjoyed playing WoW, turns out to be one and the same person.
What? I seen it happen before. Thats the oldest Internet attention whore trick in the book. Once one persona fails to attract attention anymore, you kill it off, and assume the persona of famialy member to gain sympathy attention.
Sorel Nov 4th 2006 4:47AM
There was a similar comment made on my old US server (proudmoore) about 18 months ago by one player who had a knack for annoying most of the server anyway. He made a comment on a thread talking about an in-game funeral that was going to be held.
His post and all posts referring to it were deleted and the player was permanently banned from posting on the forums at all. Eventually the person got banned from the game for other antisocial behaviour.
michel Nov 4th 2006 5:39AM
I don't know about other "wow players" , but I am not a "desensitized" players.
I'm tired of people wanting to put me in the same bag of everyone.
and, yeah, be careful of what people are saying on forums (or blogs..) . it's not always true. and death is not a thing to talk everywhere to everyone.
Brinstar Nov 4th 2006 8:51AM
Yes, deny the inappropriateness and insensitivity of that comment by saying that the deceased would have appreciated it. Whatever makes you feel better, I suppose. I think you're totally proving what Joystiq said.
Dr. Woo Nov 4th 2006 8:08PM
If he was a true WoW player, he would have figured...nay, EXPECTED a response like that on the official forums.
Acariquara Nov 4th 2006 9:05PM
Was he soulstoned?
Jason Nov 6th 2006 7:19PM
Well, in light of the hoaxes along this line that have taken place in EQ and DAoC, I'm not at all surprised by this.
Related note, I lol'd at that screencap. Hard. And Loud.
Hugh Nov 9th 2006 11:54AM
I quit WoW a few weeks ago but the guild I participated in had a hoax that smacks of this very thing. The girlfriend of one of or members posted on our forum that he'd passed away after an illness. We took the whole thing seriously and passed along our condolences. A short time later, one of our less-trusting members went on a 'hunt' for veracity in this death. Turns out, the member in question has an active mySpace account and on the day of his death was on a road trip. We all felt extremely used by a cheap attention-getting stunt.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
I'd rather apologize for laughing if it can be proved true, than feel grief for a P.O.S liar.