I’ve spent some time today cruising around gaming forums. Originally, I was looking for some information on a few upcoming games and had a few questions about … now I can’t even remember the questions because without a functional search tool, it is impossible to find any answers. (Warcraft, I’m glaring in your direction.)
1. I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in gaming message forum topics: the use of the <3 in the post title. I can barely tolerate its use in net speak — I <3 loot! I <3 OtherPlayer! I <3 priests! — and now its appearing ALL OVER message boards. This is particularly irritating because <3 had such great potential to be used for evil: insincere <3, sarcastic <3, hateful <3, et al. Such a waste.
2. Another disturbing trend, professional farmers who name their characters or fake-farmer-guilds with Love-Something: Loveusa, Loveyou, Lovekiss, Lovefree (which doesn’t really mean what I think they intend), Lovehappy, blah blah. Honestly, is this fooling anyone into thinking they’re NOT professionals or that they’re Americans? Frankly, we Americans see someone named Loveyou, we want to beat them for suggesting that we’re gay and looking.
3. Please let the “O Rly?” owl die a quick and immediate death. This is one of those things that was amusing the first few times because it had a high rude factor, but that time is past. However, if you’re responding to a Community Manager who had previously threatened to ban your ass for overuse of the O Rly owl and you O Rly again, now that would be hilarious. Otherwise, someone shoot that damn owl in the head. Two times.
4. Two message board /rudes that I’m still enjoying, even after many months, is “cry more, noob” (CMN) and “learn 2 play” (L2P). CMN has almost run its course unless it starts morphing into alternative insults like “beg more, noob” or “die more, noob”, etc. L2P, on the other hand, has legs. The permutations are endless: Learn 2 Buy Gold (© Foton), Learn 2 Farm, Learn 2 STFU, Learn 2 Heal, ad infinitum. L2P = instaclassic.
The comments are now open for abuse, but remember this: it has to be very, very clever to be funny.
If it’s that clever, I’ll probably use it in game and claim that I made it up myself.