"Here's a good explanation of the known gamer references in the things he scratched onto bullet casings (though the song Bella Ciao has been appropriated by Groypers). But the full arrow sequence was quickly recognized as something else: a combo from Helldivers 2 for calling the Eagle 500kg Bomb stratagem. The world of Helldivers - which evokes Robert Heinlein's book Starship Troopers and the subsequent movie - concerns fascism thematically; developer Arrowhead has characterized it as a satire where players fight for a fascist state."
"Shortly after the press conference on Friday morning, the Helldivers subreddit was flooded with players who had picked up on what may be references to the game. A thread, now deleted, was titled: "Hey Facist Catch!" with the poster asking, "Did anyone else hear/notice?!" A commenter, responding to the thread, said, "The moment I heard [the arrows] my eyes widened.""
The investigation remains early and confirms a conservative, Republican upbringing with exposure to guns. Cultural references scratched onto bullet casings include gamer symbols and songs that have been appropriated by far-right groups. A specific arrow sequence was identified as a Helldivers 2 combo used to call the Eagle 500kg Bomb stratagem. Helldivers evokes Starship Troopers and thematically involves fascism; the developer describes the game as a satire in which players fight for a fascist state. Online communities noticed the references, prompting deleted threads and calls for moderation while discussions continue in other forums.
Read at emptywheel
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]