Labour claims 'highest ranked UK politico in World of Warcraft' title
A London councillor has claimed to be the highest-ranked UK politician in World of Warcraft, boasting that his Undead Destruction Warlock PlaguePit has reached level 85. Theo Blackwell, the Labour finance chief of Camden Council, told the Reg that he would continue to claim the title until another elected representative of the …
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WoW is for carebears
Now if he'd played Eve I'd have been impressed. The scale of betrayal and infighting in Eve still pales in comparison to local poltiics though
Re: WoW is for carebears
I dunno, holding any decent 0.0 space is probably a lot harder than holding a seat on a small town council. Labour probably won't play EVE though cos they're reds. NBSI FTW!
Re: WoW is for carebears
Don't have the time to play Eve - had to drop it - but agree with the comparison.
Re: WoW is for carebears
I heard you can't kill members of your own party.
Carebears indeed.
Wait, what are we talking about again?
How can an MP have time to play it? given many have second jobs as well.
Everyone I know who has been really into WoW has been unemployed or has dropped out of University.
Time management
I was working full time and still had time to reach level 60, back when the level cap was 60. It's possible to play a reasonable amount without becoming a WoW hermit.
Loads of people work a 9-5 job and then have 6 hours free in the evening.
Step away from the keyboard my friend, your limited experience and observations of WoW players does not equate to any actual evidence that we are all unemployed or uni drop-outs.
"How can an MP have time to play it? given many have second jobs as well." - Really! You are working under the apprehension that being an MP is a full time job!
He's not an MP, he's a local councillor. Which is usually a very part-time job. Some might only have one meeting a week - plus an evening reading papers. Although once you're in a cabinet position in a big London Borough, there's probably lots more work.
How can an MP have time to play it? given many have second jobs as well
where does it say he's an MP?
Labour politician living in a fantasy world .... so nothing new there then!
"I have been playing MMOs for some years, and am a fan of video games in general - in fact during the day I work for the video games industry running their Next Gen Skills campaign to get more kids coding."
Any local Councilor or politician living in a fantasy world .... so nothing new there then!
How about ..
... someone coming up with a MMORPG called, say, 'World of Statecraft', where the object of the game is to form a society that is democratic, ensures everyone can contribute, doesn't allow people to amass power like wealth, and where success depends on cooperation rather than sticking knives in people's backs.
Then scrap elections and give the top players cabinet jobs.
Slightly more objective than the current fucked-up process.
"Then scrap elections and give the top players cabinet jobs."
So your system is as vulnerable to being gamed as the one in use. Competitors who are playing to win will realise that "appearance is everything". Once such a corrupt player has been given his job, how is he removed?
Sounds pretty fucked up too.
People play "sticking knives in people's back" games because they enjoy them. Not sure that your game, though noble, virtue-promoting and politically correct, will have the same appeal. Speaking personally, I like to relax by using a chain gun against some virtual opponents who are totally blameless and trying to do the same to me rather than by pre-distributing fairness and opportunity or by striving for peace and harmony through shared experience jazz-based learning initiatives enhanced by the medium of dance.
But that's just me.
@enigmatix - Re: "Then scrap elections and give the top players cabinet jobs."
Yeah, it obviously needs a bit of work. So how about allocating the real-world jobs through the medium, not of dance, but of a final where the top players are subjected to a popular vote - in which chain guns are allowed?
Re: @enigmatix - "Then scrap elections and give the top players cabinet jobs."
I'm in, pass the 3-in-1 oil - the belt feed is sticking...
I think you've solved the problem of falling viewing figures for X-factor, also. Good job.
Re: @enigmatix - "Then scrap elections and give the top players cabinet jobs."
"...not of dance...."
Well, apart from the "chain gun cha-cha" of course.
"in fact during the day I work for the video games industry"
No, you're the Cabinet Member for Finance. You're not a backbencher. During the day you're the Cabinet Member for Finance. Either that, or you're severely neglecting the job you've been elected to do.
yeahbut
all that politics stuff is for squares, much better hanging with the kids with their hair gel and video games - YEAH!
Do what you want on your own time, politics boi. Do your job properly the rest of the time. U get me, blud?
All in all, my opinion of this politico is "what a tit"
Re: yeahbut
Disclaimer: I am not a Labour support, so don't read too much into the following.
So far, the only MP that has shown any kind of true enthusiasm for the games industry is a chap called Tom Watson. His name has often come up when Keith Vaz et al are trying to get something banned as the other side of the coin. I don't know what his other policies are - he might be a completely moron in all other respects. However, at least he legitimately recognises the rights of adults to play games without having to have their hobby gutted and vetted by the Mummy Brigade.
Re: yeahbut
I didn't know that was a right, I thought it was an opinion.
Counsellor != Minister
No, he's the finance chief on Camden council. BIG difference, pal.
Read the article.
Councillors are part-time
With a handful of exceptions, local councillors are part-time and have a real job too. They don't get paid to work full-time.
Camden pays £9,654 basic allowance, and the cabinet members get an extra £15,954.
That's just over £25K.
Re: Councillors are part-time
£25k for a few evenings a month. Nice "work" if you can get it.
No, you're the Cabinet Member for Finance. You're not a backbencher.
Sadly, you failed the UK immigration test by not knowing the difference between a council and a government
Re: yeahbut
Tom Watson was also one of the only MPs to take phone hacking by News International seriously before it all blew up. He was allegedly targeted by the Murdoch papers for his pains.
Playing WoW?! Outragerous. He should be out shooting wildlife, having sex with prostitutes or selling weapons to some military junta like any self respecting MP!!
A scary number of of people here seem to be confused at the difference between a councillor and an MP!
and the fact that Councillors are not full time and only paid expenses.
Not true any more
Councillors get a basic allowance, have done since 1991.
Most councillors have to go part-time at their proper jobs while they're on the council; if you have to go to a three or four day week (with the consequent 20% or 40% pay cut) then the allowance compensates for that.
The amount varies: parishes pay only expenses, and often none of those; at the other end, Birmingham pays a basic allowance of £16,257.
Special Responsibility Allowances are usually a lot more - Birmingham's Leader (a full-time job) gets about £50K on top of the basic; £30K would be more typical for an urban (large) council, and rural (smaller) councils pay a lot less in general.
No one here plays.
Of course my title is wrong but no-one has noticed the horrible glaring errors and rubbish that is included in this article.
When did WoW get Wizards?
Level 85
Unless things have changed a lot in the few years since I quit, reaching level cap in WoW is not an achievement. 'Top players' will reach this in a couple of weeks after it's raised, and just a couple of days for the most hardcore (AKA no lifers). 95% of the game is for when you've already reached the level cap.
Re: Level 85
Some people levelled from 85 to 90 in Mists of Pandaria in less than 24 hours. Normal people about a week.
The councillor needs to pull his finger out and get levelling if he wants to keep his bragging rights.
If he can claim....
.....to be the highest ranked WoW politician until someone proves otherwise, then I here by declare myself "Supreme Ruler of the Universe" - until someone proves otherwise.
Re: If he can claim....
You're not Supreme Ruler of the Universe - you're a very naughty boy!
As a british councillor...
I'd be more impressed if he reached the level cap in the Cambridge made MMORPG RuneScape.
This space for rent.
Interesting - the LibDem councillor in the guild I was in hit 85 within a few weeks of Cataclysm coming out - so nearly two years ago. They are probably rapidly approaching 90 now.
Exacly my first thought. I'd be embarrassed to say I was only at 85. What a casual.
N00B indeed
did you check out his equipped items, crappy quest reward, level 318 greens?!
N0000000B!
A "score of 85"?
What?
Was he also "bibbling and bobbling to his rockular music", daddyo?
I believe it's known as "level" rather than "score". Score is likely what Ms. Leach does before unleashing her majestic journalistic abilities to convey such authority and accuracy.
old news
jesus, who HASN'T got a lvl85 character these days? I've got 4, and that's pretty shit.
Re: old news
I'm currently away from the game for a bit... but I had 9 out of 10 level 85's raiding DS at the end of Cata.
Being a Labour activist I can overlook, but a Warlock rocking +Spirit gear? Unforgivable!
Slowly working my way up to 90
Well, real difference between UK and US.
In America the democrat got slammed for being weird - here I just get done over for being crap at it.
Re: Slowly working my way up to 90
Don't take it to hard, I take abuse for playing Warcraft as well.
That Lock has alot of spirit
As an alliance it is my duty to hunt him down like a dog - spirit indeed
Re: That Lock has alot of spirit
To be fair, my main is pelegius not plaguepit - he has a long way to go - the paladin is a more advanced tho I am converting him from a healer back to a dps.
Well it shows that he would not make a good person to run a country, I would like to see all the MPs play Eve online and set up their own corporation called [GOVUK] (their corp ticker) and see how long before they have nothing left.
Eve is like real life and i don't believe that the current government or opposition have any clue as to how to run a company let alone a country.
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