5 gaming-related attacks from Anonymous

The battlefield has changed. While hollow threats from single sources have failed to work, the cover of the Internet has brought them together to create a faceless organization, one known only as “Anonymous.”  Banding together to unite as a whole, they set out to administer their distinct brand of justice by any means necessary. When gaming is involved, it might be worth it to know how to avoid being targeted as the one and instead be part of the whole.

Targeting the PlayStation Network and Sony Executives

As part of a splinter group from Anonymous, “SonyRecon” is “fighting the good fight” against Sony after the unjust treatment of PlayStation 3 hacker GeoHotz. Supposedly forcing the PlayStation Network to go down for “maintenance” recently and targeting the personal information of Sony Executives, the damage is not just affecting Sony, but consumers as well.

GameStop – Battletoads

                   

In November of 2007, more than 40 GameStops were targeted in what can only be described as one of the biggest crank calls to date. Calling in to ask for a pre-order of Battletoads, Anonymous caught many employees of the nationwide video game retailer in a display of vulgar (and hilarious) proportions.

The motive was unclear behind this. Whether it be because of constant upselling of pre-orders or simply to have a good time, I’m sure we can all agree on one thing: they all had it coming.

Zangief Kid

Fed up with countless bullying, 16-year-old Casey Heynes fought back and became an Internet sensation when a YouTube video of him pile driving a taunting bully spread like wildfire.

Anonymous took notice of this and made him a hero. They helped to spread the tale of “Zangief kid” (after the great Street Fighter wrestler) to news outlets worldwide, while the bully has had personal information ranging from his Facebook page to his MSN username exposed on the Internet for all to see.

 

Jack Thompson

The granddaddy of gaming despair, the attorney and activist we all love to hate, activist Jack Thompson has been against video games from the get-go. Since the days of Mortal Kombat, he has rallied against such controversial titles as…The Sims 2.

Anonymous could not stand for such actions, and rallied together to have him lose his license after exposing some of his past, and has even caught him sending gay pornography in a court filing.

They didn’t just break Thompson; they flat-out destroyed him.

Habbo Hotel – The Great Habbo Raid

Habbo Hotel, a social game experience that lets players “make friends, join the fun,” and “get noticed,” faced the wrath of Anonymous on July 12, 2006. Turning an ordinarily family-friendly game into something a whole lot more dark, tens of thousands of afro-sporting, African-American “nigras” invaded the game and shut down the pools in the game in what is known as “the great Habbo raid.”

While this seems like an insensitive protest, this was all done to protest the supposed racism of the Habbo moderators.