A funny thing happened this weekend. I inadvertently sparked a lot of (hilarious) discussions and debates around the internet. If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with SarcasticGamer.com and with our Fiction Friday tradition. Apparently though, some folks aren’t. We know we make stuff up on Fridays and as such, we don’t post our “fake news” to news aggregator sites like Digg.com or N4G.com. As you may or may not know, that doesn’t stop other folks from doing so. This weekend, we had a front row seat to watch the process of how rumors get started and spread. This is some funny stuff folks, keep reading!
It all started with a seed of an idea. Torgo (one of the hosts of the Playstation Nation Podcast) often suggests funny ideas for Fiction Friday articles when we’re chatting over at VGEvo.com. This week he suggested a Fiction Friday idea having to do with “zero load time hookers” on the PS3 due to having to install GTA IV on the HD and I ran with it.
Having many opportunities to go overboard, I thought the article was more than outlandish enough that people wouldn’t, nay couldn’t, possibly take it seriously. Apparently, I’d given some people a ton more credit than they deserved. A lot of folks didn’t even bother to read the whole article… reading simply the headline, or a few bolded excerpts was enough for them to feel informed enough to “spread the word” so to speak.
There were the folks that saw the headline “PS3 GTAIV has 85 minute install” and ran with it, there were the folksthat saw “8GB-10GB Install” and ran with it, then there were the folks that fell for the more crazy stuff like the PS3 “whores” being younger, and well, there were people that were just clueless and fall into multiple categories of misinformed. Some of the arguments I read over this article truly had me in stitches.
The article even made it to the #2 spot on N4G’s front page before getting pulled for “inaccuracy.” Someone must’ve eventually read the article! It looks like not a whole lot of people bothered to read the “fake news” and “Fiction Friday” tags clearly associated with the article.
I have to say though, there were people out there that knew Sarcastic Gamer and knew what was going on. A few of them tried to clear things up for the less informed, and a few sat by and laughed (along with me.) I relate to how this all went down just like a forest fire. All it takes is a spark to get things started, it can spread fast, and before you know it, it’s out of control. I’m not sure who “Skateryboy Tell Em” is, but I’m pretty sure he’s responsible for this “forest fire” by submitting my article to N4G the way he did.
I think the lesson we all need to take away from this is to take a step back from the “I posted it first!” mentality of both news sites in general and especially the rumor rich gaming news sites. Read what you’re reporting on in its entirety before posted about it. What if the last line in the article was “Psyche!”? I mean who could really read the entire article and then still debate the validity of it?!?!
Now, for the list of shame… Here’s a (longer than I’d ever have suspected) list of communities that wasted their time discussing my fictional article. If you’ve got the time, there are some hilarious comments in there… Digg.com, Digg.com (2nd entry where someone reposted my entire article and posted a Digg link that that), N4G, GameTrailers Forums, PS3Forums, GameSpot Forums, GamePro Forums, GTAForums, EU PlayStation.com Forums, US PlayStation.com Forums, TeamXbox Forums, GameFAQS Forum, SimExchange, and That Videogame Blog.
Live, laugh and learn. Fear the Fiction Friday.
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15 responses so far ↓
1 SWSilentkiller // Apr 7, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I’m pretty sure this isn’t the first time this type of stuff has happened. Correct me if I am wrong.
2 bueatifulraven // Apr 7, 2008 at 5:39 pm
hahaha. the three red rings of herpes
3 NecrisJ1MM // Apr 7, 2008 at 5:47 pm
nope, not the first time indeed. but people are only getting dumber anyway
4 darkwonders // Apr 7, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Didn’t one of our members also fall for a fictional article. *thinks a bit*
Oh Yeah…. It was Doc!!!! XD
5 Incredible Tech » theinternetis *so* over! // Apr 7, 2008 at 6:50 pm
[...] Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires (andinternetrumors) [...]
6 Tweep // Apr 7, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Add my wife and I: I knew the article was fake but the “red rings of herpes” was far too funny to not comment on.
7 Anski // Apr 7, 2008 at 7:14 pm
My favourite bits are the logical people that say it’s just a joke… and three pages later you still have people wondering if it is true.
I’m just glad I was around for this wildfire, Rothbart. =)
8 ktman // Apr 7, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I love when you guys get people with Fiction Friday articles. It hilarious!
9 SpiralGray // Apr 7, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Even though this is almost two years old, it is still oh so applicable.
http://www.dashes.com/anil/2006/04/the-ultimate-co.html
10 Father Time // Apr 7, 2008 at 8:20 pm
You’d be surprise how gullible (a word you can’t find in the dictionary) people are.
I remember reading about a Chinese news station which reported that members of Congress were demanding a new building with a retractable dome. Their source was a fictional news piece parodying sports teams. I also remember you falling for a piece of fake news regarding Wal-Mart censorship and Lego Halo.
And not even I am immune to occasional spats of gullibility. A long time ago in a politics forum far far away someone posted a thread with the message ‘illegalise masturbation’ with details appropriate fines links and whatnot. Turns out he didn’t want to illegalise masturbation but was really making a parody out of marijuana laws. Me and thousands of people fell for it and responded appropriately.
11 TheTruePhoenix // Apr 7, 2008 at 10:17 pm
*First Time Poster*
thats just means your Fiction Friday articles are getting better. I believed it at first, probably becuase i saw my cousin wait 30 mins to play Devil May Cry 4 on his Paperweight, i mean PS3
12 Brick // Apr 7, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Gotta love them interwebz.
13 Youlikeyams // Apr 8, 2008 at 8:31 am
Well, look at it this way - great promotion for the site.
14 bueatifulraven // Apr 9, 2008 at 9:27 pm
hahaha I am sorry… red rings of herpes. I am still laughing…. hahaha
15 Klonipin » Blog Archive » Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires (and internet rumors) // May 6, 2008 at 9:00 am
[...] though, some folks aren’t. We know we make stuff up on Fridays and as such, we don’t post…read more | digg [...]
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