Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[North Korea employing MMO hackers to fund government]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/06/north-korea-employing-mmo-hackers-to-fund-government/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/06/north-korea-employing-mmo-hackers-to-fund-government/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/06/north-korea-employing-mmo-hackers-to-fund-government/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

What's a dictator to do when his third-world economy is wheezing along on its last legs? Hack some video games, of course! According to a report in the New York Times, North Korea's Kim Jong-il unleashed an army of young computer crackers on popular South Korean online gaming portals to find ways to make quick cash.

South Korean authorities claim that a squad of approximately 30 hackers operated from a base in China and were given the mission of breaching online gaming servers (including those of the immensely popular Lineage) to set up bot factories and automated farming collectives. The digital booty was then sold to gamers for a reported $6 million over two years.

Chung Kil-hwan, a senior officer at South Korea's International Crime Investigation Unit, says that the hacker group "reports to a shadowy Communist Party agency called Office 39, which gathers foreign hard currency for Mr. Kim through drug trafficking, counterfeiting, arms sales, and other illicit activities."

MassivelyNorth Korea employing MMO hackers to fund government originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bot-farmsbotscrackersculturedictatorshipfarmersgold-farmershackerslineagemmo-industrynorth-koreaoffice-39real-money-tradingrmtsouth-koreaSat, 06 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Behind the Curtain: OH NOES POLITICS]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/01/behind-the-curtain-oh-noes-politics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/01/behind-the-curtain-oh-noes-politics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/01/behind-the-curtain-oh-noes-politics/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Before we get started, a few caveats. I'm no more politically aware than the average person, probably a little less. I've never studied politics in any seat of learning past High School, nor have I studied it on my time for fun. I may have made mistakes below, or came to false conclusions regarding the nature of the political systems I've outlined, so any mistakes are the result of that. That, or the fact that I'm loaded with the cold, and I've taken so much over-the-counter medicine today, that huffing paint is probably the next logical step in my intoxication.

What with Election Day fast approaching for my estranged colonial cousins across the pond, my thoughts have turned to politics of late. I got to thinking about the conjunction of politics and MMOs, and indeed if there even was such a thing. Do any modern MMOs have a recognisable political system? Is there even a place for politics to play a role in MMOs? What I thought I'd do is have a look at a handful of forms of government and imagine how they might be applied to MMOs, and see if that can't get a discussion going. In short, I want you to do my work for me.

Continue reading Behind the Curtain: OH NOES POLITICS

MassivelyBehind the Curtain: OH NOES POLITICS originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anarchybehind-the-curtaindemocracydictatorshipfeaturedpoliticsthralltotalitarianismvelenSat, 01 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST