Re: Swamp, zombie fps by Aprone
Dateline New York, October 29 2016
The United Nations Security Council met again in a tense closed session concerning the groundswell of unrest among the world's blind gamers concerning issues surrounding an audio game called Swamp, released by famous game developer Jeremy Kaldobsky, AKA Aprone, a name that has far eclipsed Satoshi in internet significance. Thousands of protesters surrounded the UN compound, continuing a three month siege over difficulties in international currency exchange that have prevented many gamers from access to this phenomenon of a game.
"It is impossible to overstate the significance of this problem," United States UN Ambassador Samantha Power said in a press conference before the beginning of the Security Council meeting. "We have seen governments in seven countries overturned, massive fluctuations in national and internet currencies and a growth in instability over the entire international scene."
Powers is referring to ongoing naval tensions between China and several US allies in the western Pacific that were originally concerned with territorial issues, but were revived when China declared Swamp "a grave threat to national security" and took steps to block it with the so-called Great Firewall of China. This provoked massive demonstrations from the Chinese blind gaming community, which were taken by the government in Beijing as proof of the validity of their charges. China accused Kaldobsky, and an as yet not outed British national who goes by the pseudonym of Dark as American spies and provocateurs, "seeking to foment instability in pursuit of commercial advantage."
In March of 2014, Kaldobsky, a programmer and well-thought-of developer of audio games announced that, due to massive hacking efforts, possibly underwritten by foreign governments, he was forced to charge an entirely nominal fee to discourage the hackers. While he received almost unqualified support from the then relatively small community of players, certain problems of international finance began to rise as players from parts of the world that are less well connected to the US-led western financial system found it difficult or impossible to actually make the payments. There were others for whom what would seem a nominal sum in the west actually constituted a significant portion of monthly or yearly income.
And things snowballed from there. Demands for higher living standards and a living wage for all began sweeping the world. A movement to make full employment of those with disabilities mandatory, begun in Denmark achieved a sudden and wholly unexpected viral status and became world-wide. Governments in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and in several southeast Asian nations fell under the weight of the popular demand for full employment and international currency reform.
So where is Swamp today? It is running on hardened systems in Fort Meade in Maryland, coindciding with the headquarters for the National Security Agency, further fueling speculation that the entire affair was a US psychological warfare operation against growing rivals in the information warfare battle space. It is said that these servers have the capacity to run 2 million concurrent swamp connections, at the cost of injecting sophisticated, distributed malware onto each client computer, allowing the NSA to further its total information strategy. Kaldobsky has disappeared, last seen in Homg Kong, where he released his long-awaited $59 braille display. A spokesperson familiar with US security policy was unwilling to comment upon any connection between Mr. Kaldobsky's apparent flight from the United States and the worldwide turmoil that has surrounded his game for the last nineteen months.
Presidential candidates Rand Paul and Hilary Clinton have both devoted extensive time in their c ampaign material and speeches to addressing Swampgate. Paul has characterized it as a tool of encroaching socialism, while Clinton has whole-heartedly endorsed the protests, without actually stating any policy initiatives that would result in a Clinton administration from such support. With the US Presidential elections less than a week away, it is clear that both candidates are using Swamp as a rallying call to their respective bases. What is unclear is whether there will be any change in a US policy that both candidates have declared unfocussed and impotent.
URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=168492#p168492
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