Pwn Fail FTW

Does your library pwn? Would that be a good thing if it did? Though you might be worried about being labeled with a fail sticker, should you be equally concerned if a student says “Librarian FTW”?

Part of embracing gaming in libraries is learning the lingo that accompanies online gaming and the less academic side of the Internet in general. Like LOLCats, pictures of cats with funny or snide annotations, the title to this post can be used as a measurement of your online credibility. So let us delve deeper…

• Pwn: This intentional misspelling of the word “own” probably grew from accidental typos in online games when players tried to tell others that they had been “owned” or beaten rather soundly. Now to pwn has come to be an insider way of claiming victory. Though one must be careful in verbalizing this too much (just like trying to say ROFL makes you look a bit daft), it can be pronounced as either “pone” so it rhymes with own, or sometimes as “pawn”. It is most often used as a verb – I pwned you – but can also refer to general actions as in “I brought the pwnage.” Getting pwned is not a good thing as it tends to make you look like a total noob.
• Fail: Not necessarily a gaming term, but rather the LOLCat derivation de’ jour on the Internets (see how I added an “s” to make this a sarcastic reference?). To fail is pretty self-descriptive, it is used as a rather obvious label to a picture or situation that represents a total breakdown of expectations. An example fail was identified here a few months back – note that not only does the sign presuppose that libraries must be quiet (FAIL!) it then proceeds to misspell quiet as quite (EPIC FAIL!). Please also note that fails are much funnier when not explained.
• FTW: FTW – For The Win – represents the opposite of fail. A win is a success, and often one realized in the face of hardship or overwhelming odds. Identifying that something is “for the win” is tantamount to saying that it is a good thing or a desirable outcome. At the conclusion of an especially successful reference interview, a student might proclaim “Librarians FTW” to acknowledge the high level of expertise that you brought to the search process. One must be careful int he use of the abbreviation for this in certain company, however, as it is also the accepted short form of f&%k the world for some subcultures.

You can learn more about the complex love-hate triangle that is pwn-fail-ftw by watching this very helpful documentary from Rocketboom. Until you are fully versed in the proper usage of these complex words, please be cautious in your attempts to represent. Nothing would be a bigger fail than to fail in using the word fail – talk about a self referential loop that would skyrocket to epic faildom almost instantly.

Once you are pwning fail for the win, however, you might consider showing off your newly discovered cred by labeling book displays with these terms. What books embody pwnage for instance? A great opportunity to highlight some books where the underdog comes out on top and wins in the end. Or, you could label Twilight as a SCARY VAMPIRE FAIL and offering a selection of more traditional horror books instead (though feel free to include a footnote on Twilight as Romance WIN). Have a bit of fun, acknowledge current Internet memes, and hopefully encourage a bit of reading as well. Just make sure that the usage is authentic!

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