When the online world becomes real...
Posted by Norlander on September 16 2012 07:51:29
As most of you know, there was an orchestrated attack on the American consulate in Benghazi on the evening of the 11th of September. What most of you probably don't know is that I was acquainted of one of the US Foreign Service who died in the attack. I didn't know it either until a few days later... but he played eve-online.
Sean Smith, or Vile Rat as we knew him, was one of the main diplomats for Goonswarm, as well as being an Information Management Officer with the United States Foreign Service, sitting in Benghazi that night, on jabber, talking about the protests outside. He had done so before at other postings (Baghdad, etc.) but this time he didn't come back online. There are several dedicated threads about him, the best one done by The Mittani.
In the game I knew him, not well, but I knew him. We've only talked to each other once in game and twice had a discussion on a forum. I had to deal with his lesser minions when I did diplo work with Goonswarm. I've read plenty of posts by him, and he and DBRB got Boddin's dread killed 10 months ago in a backstab. He was a power-gamer that we all knew. What struck me as profoundly weird was learning that a fellow gamer had died in a consular attack, while in the line of duty. Seeing it being reported that he was a gamer on NBC News, CNN, Andrew Sullivan and DailyKos, but mostly that the online world got real... the guy behind that avatar in game got killed by an angry mob attacking a consulate.
Extended News
As most of you know, there was an orchestrated attack on the American consulate in Benghazi on the evening of the 11th of September. What most of you probably don't know is that I was acquainted of one of the US Foreign Service who died in the attack. I didn't know it either until a few days later... but he played eve-online.
Sean Smith, or Vile Rat as we knew him, was one of the main diplomats for Goonswarm, as well as being an Information Management Officer with the United States Foreign Service, sitting in Benghazi that night, on jabber, talking about the protests outside. He had done so before at other postings (Baghdad, etc.) but this time he didn't come back online. There are several dedicated threads about him, the best one done by The Mittani.
In the game I knew him, not well, but I knew him. We've only talked to each other once in game and twice had a discussion on a forum. I had to deal with his lesser minions when I did diplo work with Goonswarm. I've read plenty of posts by him, and he and DBRB got Boddin's dread killed 10 months ago in a backstab. He was a power-gamer that we all knew. What struck me as profoundly weird was learning that a fellow gamer had died in a consular attack, while in the line of duty. Seeing it being reported that he was a gamer on NBC News, CNN, Andrew Sullivan and DailyKos, but mostly that the online world got real... the guy behind that avatar in game got killed by an angry mob attacking a consulate.