Famicom Vandals Hit Scottish Church

Thanks to the Gaming Age messageboard for pointing to a local Scottish news story describing a church in Aberdeen bizarrely daubed with a Nintendo-related slogan. According to the story, "Paint was splashed all over the church's front door and the phrase 'The Famicom' was scrawled in foot-high writing on the wall." Although the story says that "Police have confirmed they are searching for the culprits - but are unable to shed any light on the meaning of 'The Famicom'", readers may have some idea of the word's origin, although perhaps not the motive for the attack.

Re:Can you say "Butterface"

[mechugena]

Instead of "Butterface", you can say "Cincinnati Bengal". You know...nice uniform, ugly helmet!

Re:Hrm

[acxr is wasted]

Kiss my black (white) ass

Unable to Shed Any Light?

[Gleng]

"Police have confirmed they are searching for the culprits - but are unable to shed any light on the meaning of 'The Famicom'"

Surely they can manage to type something into a search engine?

This Google search [google.com.au] pulls up over 200,000 results!

Re:Unable to Shed Any Light?

[Inda]

The UK police are stupid. I've had much first hand dealing with them and this is my conclusion.

Not only is their sense of humour removed on the first day of police training school, but their manners and common sense are removed too. They are turned into power tools with one objective: Be difficult.

There was a burglary a few weeks ago in a house that backs onto my garden. Exactly one week later the police, in their helpful and efficient way, asked me if I'd seen anything. A week later! I ask you...

UK police? Don't make me laugh.

Re:Unable to Shed Any Light?

[Gleng]

Yeah, I'm from England and I can vouch for that ;)

Re:Unable to Shed Any Light?

[laughing_badger]

There was a burglary a few weeks ago in a house that backs onto my garden. Exactly one week later the police, in their helpful and efficient way, asked me if I'd seen anything. A week later! I ask you...

... and I answer. That would be because most peoples routines are the same from week to week and hence this is one of the best times to ask for information. The same is done with reconstructions.

Y'know, from my experience, if you approach the police as if they are just regular guys then you get treated really well by them. Ever considered that you might have a chip on your shoulder?

prints

[joFFeman]

if they can't lift any good fingerprints from the crime scene, they should be on the lookout for a guy sporting a powerglove. it's so bad.

Next Time:

[Gothic_Walrus]

It always sucks when people do this. Still, if they're going to do it again, I've got a better slogan for them...

Now You're Painting With Power!

Can't help but laugh

[Yorrike]

I know this is an actual crime, and people have been wronged, but I couldn't help but laugh right the way through reading that article.

Quotes of particular note:
"Mr Gvodinsky said: "I am disgusted, disgraced, ashamed, immensely angry, lost and helpless. "
Um, get a grip?

"And what is this 'Famicom'?""
I just inivisage a Dr Evil scene with the whole inverted commas sign going on here. It's hilarious that they're all left wondering what the meaning of this myterious word "Famicom" could be.

It's just the Evening Express's style.

[kyz]

It's a tabloid rag. Every day it has some old lady being mugged or kid getting run over as the front page news. The P&J is a lot better.

I live on the other side of the river from Woodside (the posh name for Tillydrone). It's a fucking dump and I only ever go through it to get to the city as quickly as possible. It's interesting how I heard of this on Slashdot first.

Famicom wasnt a UK brand anyway

[carndearg]

I dont think the early Nintendo consoles were ever sold in the UK under the "Famicom" brand. As I remember the 8 bit Famicom was sold as the "Nintendo control deck" and the Super Famicom was just sold as the "Super Nintendo Entertainment System", or SNES. So it seems our Scottish vandals are collectors of exotic retro imports.

Re:Famicom wasnt a UK brand anyway

[brejc8]

You're right. It was called NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) in the UK.
http://www.classicgaming.com/museum/nes/

Re:Famicom wasnt a UK brand anyway

[PainKilleR-CE]

As in the US, but at the very least the recent anniversary information has informed a number of people about the Famicom.

In any case, it doesn't take long to find out what Famicom means, as someone else pointed out, a google search brings it right up.

Re:Famicom wasnt a UK brand anyway

[DemoLiter2]

Brand name "famikon" is Japanese abbreviation for "family computer", a similar abbreviation "pasokon" is used for PC ("pasonaru kompyutta"). "Famicom" and "Super Famicom" were NES and SNES respectively.

Moo!

[pumpkin2146]

Slashdot the new Crimestoppers ?

If I were the police...

[sebi]

...I'd pay a visit to Acclaim Headquarters as soon as possible. Vandalism would be the logical next step in their marketing strategy.

Re:If I were the police...

[skyknytnowhere]

And releasing games for the NES would go right along with their business strategy.

skye

famicon

[bigbigbison]

If only the police had access to some kind of engine designed for searching. A sort of searching engine, if you will. Then they could type this mysterious word "famicon" in the searching engine and find what the word meant...

Re:famicon

[IM6100]

Why would it matter 'what the word means'?

It could have the word 'Porterhouse Steak' on it and the reason for the vandalism would be just as senseless.

It could have the word 'Reckless' on it, and a dictionary opened to the page where 'reckless' appears and the word 'reckless' underlined lying on the ground near the vandalism, and it would be just as senseless.

This is just juvenile vandalism. Boring, etc.

Quit Helping

[Metal_Demon]

You people keep talking about how they could just enter this information into a search engine (as if something that convenient really exists), do you not realize that this will be one more thing to say is evil about those things that the famicom is used for that I shall not mention.

maybe not nintendo?

[kisrael]

there is always the chance that this isn't by Nintendoites, that Famicom is...I dunno, something about Famiy planning or something weird like that

Re:maybe not nintendo?

[pocra]

There is a (scary) prophylactic available called the femidom [birth-cont...ondoms.com], which is only a couple of letters away... but my money's on the Famicomafia or the Famicommunists.

They painted it on a church??

[Chester K]

They were probably upset that, indeed, sorry Mario, the savior was in another castle.

Revenge? ;P

[FortissimoWily]

Perhaps they were stopped from playing games when they were kids by people who'd listened to the "Video games are tools of Satan!"-style propaganda that was put about by some organisations back in the early '90's...?

Hey, stranger things have happened.

When fanboys attack

[MMaestro]

Maybe it was done by PS2 or XBox fanboys who want to discredit and get Nintendo in trouble?

"Nintendo encourages vandalism!"

It's a set-up

[ameoba]

It's the Xtian fundies trying to provide undeniable proof that video games make children into monsters; they broke into their own church and want to use it as a reason to push for anti-video game legislation.