(S10E08)
Cartman: You can just hang around outside all day tossing a ball around, or you can sit at your computer and do something that matters.
I think I can say with almost absolute certainty that South Park is the first television show in history where a character actually uses the word "pwnage." Since I'm online doing this here blogging thing all the time I caught that particular phrase, though there was a lot in this show I didn't understand, since I've neither seen nor played Warcraft before. The episode gently mocked those who do nothing but play Warcraft, but at the same time, it made it clear what an awesome game it is. It was funny to watch everyone become so immersed in the game they begin to think of it as real life, but it did make me think back to my younger days when a particularly difficult Nintendo game would cause me to throw my controller across the room in anger. I guess we're all susceptible to the allure of these games. Well, not all of us, but those of us with nerdly tendencies. Truth be told, I think that, like Butters, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is more up my alley.
As I mentioned before, Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind World of Warcraft, helped out with this episode, creating a brilliant juxtaposition between the characters within the game and their real life doppelgangers. The best player in the game, a man who "has no life" has reached a level of experience so high that no one can defeat him. Within the game he's a muscular, shirtless warrior. In reality, he's a fat guy with a goatee who munches on chips while playing, his mouth hanging open as if in a vegetative state.
Other great moments:
- Stan's father becoming so obsessed with the game he actually pulls a stranger from a car in order to get the "Sword of Truth" to his son.
- Cartman's mom actually holding a bedpan under Cartman so he can take a crap and keep playing, and doing it willingly as if it's no big deal.
- Stan's dad only being able to say "I love you" to his son through his game character.
NOTE: Our sister site Joystiq also has a review of the episode. Thanks, Ross.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-05-2006 @ 11:07AM
T-Raveling said...
could..... not..... stop..... laughing..... I had given up on South Park over the last few years, but this episode has won me back for this season.
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10-05-2006 @ 11:05AM
Amanda said...
My brother is that guy that plays WoW (to the fans) non-stop. It would seriously interfere with a lot of our plans. We lived in an apartment together for a year and this was a typical conversation... Me: "do you want to go to the movies?" Him: "I can only go on nights when we aren't raging" Which seriously left me Tues & Thurs nights - if I was lucky and he wasn't teaching tutorials for newbies. Also I would see him come home from work Friday and pretty much play through the weekend. Half of the time barely dressed and forgetting to eat or calling for takeout.
Now I understand that I shouldn't complain - he's made a ton of money from being a computer-geek and he's very generous when it comes to me. But it's sad when I've actually had to say to him that the real world is passing him by. He's lost relationships with girls he's dated over being glued to the computer.
All that being said - this episode was great. Watching those kids get fat & not wanting to leave their chairs for food or pooping - might be a real eye-opener for anyone that stopped playing WoW long enough to see the episode.
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10-05-2006 @ 11:34AM
Will said...
I wish I had seen that. I haven't watched the show regularly since season 6.
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10-05-2006 @ 11:59AM
Robert said...
It's going to be the end of the world!...of warcraft.
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10-05-2006 @ 11:55AM
drake said...
I'm suffering from stomach soreness this morning after laughing so hard.
Favorite line:
"How do you kill that which does not have a life?"
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10-05-2006 @ 12:42PM
Ross Miller said...
I gotta make mention of our review at sister site Joystiq:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/04/joystiq-review-south-park-makes-love-not-warcraft/
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10-05-2006 @ 12:58PM
Jim Wiid said...
My wife plays WoW a lot, not like the kids in the show, but she loved the episode too, she was nodding at all the things they were saying and even admitted to me that she knew where they were playing in the game. Hats off to the South Park creators and Blizzard too.
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10-05-2006 @ 2:13PM
BGDC said...
I have NEVER seen Warcraft or even a screenshot of it. And it's been years since I last watched South Park. My girlfriend turned SP on last night and I laughed my butt off. Great send up of gamers.
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10-05-2006 @ 3:36PM
Karen said...
"Veronica Mars" used "pwnage" in Season 1, "The Wrath of Con."
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10-05-2006 @ 5:08PM
SenorWeird said...
Curse you, Karen. Beat me to pointing out Miss Mars did it first.
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10-05-2006 @ 6:13PM
Geoffrey M. said...
I was LMAO most of the time, and I nevered actually tried WoW but I seen alot of my friends play it and i think they enjoyed episode even more. My favorite quote was:
Stan: I can't believe its all over. What do we do now...
Cartman: What you mean....Now we can finally play the game
Kyle: Oh yeah...
Hilarious!
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10-05-2006 @ 6:37PM
Karen said...
Don't feel too bad, SenorWeird! You STILL got more stars than I did...
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10-06-2006 @ 10:05PM
Keith McDuffee said...
Karen -- The difference there is on VM she said "ownage", where on South Park they actually *pronounce" the 'P' in pwnage.
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10-07-2006 @ 8:30AM
Robbeh said...
Hilarious! Can't believe Blizzard, makers of Warcraft, aided in the production of this episode. Great mock up, couldn't stop laughing.
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10-07-2006 @ 11:39AM
Stuart said...
Just a note on the first comment...
Where you said in the typical conversation: "Him: "I can only go on nights when we aren't raging"," it should have been: Hime: I can only go on nights when we are not RAIDING."
Sorry, being a WoW fan, and playing the game for several hours a day, I felt the need to point out this injustice. :)
Anyway... Overall, I found the episode very entertaining. And yes, I was able to point out exactly where they were in the gameworld. :(
One more note: Humans can't be Hunters! Stan's Dad has hax!
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11-18-2006 @ 8:02PM
WOW Gold said...
Yeah of course Blizzard gave them such access, this was 30 minutes of free advertising for World of Warcraft.
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12-29-2006 @ 10:06AM
Joe said...
I am a gamer and was not to crazy about paying monthly fee to play. After watching this episode I bought the game played it and have not stopped.
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