Ethnography of a Basement Dweller

This is FPS Doug. He is a character on an internet-based show called Pure Pwnage (shot here in Toronto). FPS Doug is obsessed with playing first-person shooter games. He became a meme when this video of him shouting "BOOM, HEADSHOT!!!" first circulated the underbelly of the internet. It was enough of a cultural phenomenon that a character in the most recent Grand Theft Auto game was modeled after him, and many FPS players mod their own games to enable a recording of Doug shouting his catch-phrase any time they get a headshot.

I should note that he is irritating from about the 2 second mark, but it's worth watching for both the scene where he's getting ready to go for a jog, and the scene where he describes the intersection between his virtual world and his RL world while driving down the street. Note: Language Warning.



In light of today's question regarding the validity of ethnography in a virtual environment, I wonder how it would be remotely possible to study a lunatic like FPS Doug. Unfortunately, his portrayal is popular mainly because of its high degree of authenticity.

On a side note, here are some Furry LARPers. Anyone who remains curious can google "furry" or "yiff" at their own peril. My apologies to any furries in the class.