I’ve ignored this chatroulette craze thus far. I can see how it could be intriguing, but I have enough distractions. The videos of folks dressing up, like Cobra Commander are amusing but if I want to talk to frat boys or perverts, I’ll just call one you guys on Skype.

So if you haven’t taken the plunge or you fear what you’re going to find there, this is a decent short documenting the chatroulette experience.

via Daily What

I had some good times playing the game formerly known as PMOG and I will miss it, to be sure. What’s the Nethernet? It was an MMO that we played all over the web. The Internet was our game board and a toolbar on Firefox was how we interacted. The game developers are turning out the lights and moving on to other projects.

I started playing around the same time that I joined Twitter. Last night during a chat with a close friend from The Nethernet on IRC,  we realized that PMOG/TNN was the first time we took a chance and joined a social game. We let our walls down and made some real connections. I remember several months ago, the developers posted in the forum asking what parts of the game the players really enjoyed. I would guess, 99% of us said, “The community.”

Bean counters & marketing gurus are all about numbers. If you get the players/users, then you have a base number which you can use to estimate your all mighty profits from ads, subscriptions and the like. The formula is practically a law in the Internet business world. So, the developers of The Nethernet did what any start up company would do, they went out looking for numbers. Instead of numbers, they got us. We are a community.

We may not have a home, but I have hope to keep the connections that I have made. I humbly offer a refugee camp for those of you interested in remaining in contact. Snocrsh has also made a Ning for lost souls. You can also find many of us on freenode. You can connect through the web using their webchat or you can download xchat, pidgin, colloquy and a number of other free IRC clients. You’ll find your Nethernet friends in the channels #pmog, #thenethernet.com.

Share your own experiences, ideas for a new home or questions about IRC in the comments or the refugee camp. We’ll do our best to keep on jaunting.

Nintendo played it safe & family friendly by not allowing gamers to text or have voice chat in friend rooms. Instead they have some predetermined messages you can send to each other. The predetermined phrases are terrible, I don’t think they thought it through very well because you can’t even hold a conversation with the phrases. The most you can get is:

“Good job!”

“Thanks!”

or

“Any requests?”

“Koopa Cape!”

There are a number of things you can say, but it is all exclamations, so a conversation they do not make.

“I have to go!”

“Koopa Cape!”

So, I have decided to fill in the gap with some phrases that they should have included–

• Brb, my lederhosen itches.

• Take that blue shell and shove it up your ass.

• My mom wants me to “go outside & play.” What a bitch.

• I bet you ten dollars I win. What are you chicken?

• I like to cut the crust off of my sandwiches, you?

• This is fun. We should go out and buy other great Nintendo games like Mario Galaxy, Paper Mario, Mario Party and Mario’s Amazing Liver 76.

• I am depressed.

• Why does this game encourage me to do ‘shrooms?

• You only beat me because my internet is really slow. My dad is downloading ‘movies.’

• Okay fat ass, let’s race again, but down the street on our bicycles.

• Hey, if Mario and Luigi have evil twins, why doesn’t Bowser have a good twin, huh, huh?

• Well, now I have no friends at school and no friends online. I guess I will go cut myself some more.

• I cheated. Life isn’t fair, deal with it.

• That’s okay. I am deleting your friend code as soon as we leave this room.

• Great job you beat me, a little child in a pediatrics hospital, dying of cancer.

• I won because I was Mario, a racist depiction of an Italian made by Asians. Your just a turtle for God’s sake.

• I should go, my wife is getting pissed that I am playing video games. Never get married kid.

• Yes, you did kick my ass for the last 3 races, but I was using the time to hack your network. Your computer has a nasty little virus now, and I downloaded those pictures you told your girlfriend you deleted.

• You drive like a woman.

• Remember RC Pro Am?

• Have you given yourself to Jesus?

• Can I have your phone #? This isn’t any fun unless I can hear your sobs.

• Hi, I am a corporate sponsored Mario Kart driver. Before we race, let me tell you about the delicious Bumblebee Tuna products.

• Did you know you can drink your parents’ booze? Just mark the level on the bottle before you drink and then fill it with water. They’ll never know.

• Yes, by all means, let’s meet in the real world. You say your 15, right?

• Thanks, I find I drive better wearing a snorkel and bunny slippers.

• Oh yeah, my dad says your country doesn’t even have indoor plumbing.

• Well, your nation’s patriot act means you don’t have any civil rights whatsoever. Put that in your precious indoor plumbing.

• Oh, I have to go now, been playing 3 days straight. I have bed sores on my ass.

• Sorry I did that. I deserve a spanking. Where do you live again?

• Nick Cage is a terrible actor. There I said it.

• Do you think Everybody Votes is just a way for Nintendo to obtain marketing data on us? Me neither, let’s race.

• Hold on, my other friend is online too, I’ll invite him in and we can team up on the pathetic bed wetter.

• You wanna race or just chat, Nancy boy.

• Do you know where can I get a fake ID?

• I dare say you sullied the good name of Mario with that race, chap.

• It must be jam, ‘cuz jelly don’t shake like that.

• Remember the car chase in the French Connection? Our race was nothing like that.

• My dad just called my mom a succubus, what’s that?

Add your own in the comments, I am sure you can come up with even better ones.