The History of PWNage?

Volume 4: January / February Comments (2)

by Alex Fonseca

Pwn is a slang term that implies domination or humiliation of a rival, used primarily in the Internet gaming culture to taunt an opponent that has just been soundly defeated. Pwn may have sprung from the similar term “owned”. Examples include “pwnage” or “you just got pwned”. “owned” was regularly used in website defacements, and it subsequently spread to gaming circles, where it came to mean acquisition of superiority through the downfall of another entity, be it another gaming clan, or a single user. The history of the word PWN’d came from a typo experienced by most keyboard users. PWN’d has had very humble beginnings. This can be in the context of winning an online game, triumphing in forum debate, or successfully hacking. It can also serve as the signature to a rebuttal, such as “You got owned!” to announce the defeat of another user on the internet in the form of a debate or “flame war”, or increasingly in real world situations.

Owned has now spread beyond computer and gaming contexts and become part of standard slang, where it usually entails defeat, loss or humiliation, often in an amusing way or through the dominance of an opposing party. Two other variations of the word owned include own3d and 0wn3d, terms which incorporate elements of “leetspeak.”

Many historical figures have been pwned throught history. Napoleon Bonaparte was imprisoned and then exiled by the British to the island of Saint Helena where he died, translation sweet, sweet PWNage. On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was shot and killed while having his nightly public walk…. PWNage. Hitler, tyrant of the Nazi Germany, died inside a bunker after his murder suicide pact with his wife….Pwned.

Not only that but he was a n00b. Selena, popular Mexican folk singer in the nineteen eighties was shot by her manger in the back….. PWN’d. And let us not forget the sweetest PWNage of all time. The American Revolution, America>Britain….. UBER PWNage.

Now that was PWNage. Seriously, how embarrassing, America wasn’t even a country yet and we still kick’d ARSE.

In Review:
Hitler …..PWN’d
Napoleon…PWN’D
Gandhi ….. PWN’d
Selena……PWN’D
Britain…….PWN’d
Brittney Spears< Kevin Federline…… PWN’d

Remember: Don’t be a n00b – brought to u by Al3x F0ns3ca

admin @ March 10, 2008