Nomenclature-wise, we use the term "Smurfberries" for any type of secondary currency. That's where the first truly massive unauthorized purchases were reported, and there's also a kind of insult nestled in the language. An imaginary currency named after an imaginary fruit eaten by imaginary creatures is, ironically, a pretty robust metaphorical statement.

Over the break, Gabe has been streaming family game nights in Fortnite with a squad made up of his whole family. There are many opportunities to marvel at how the culture has developed, but if you had told a young Tycho or even a Tycho at the founding of Penny Arcade that entire families would be globally broadcasting gameplay, there'd several sophisticated conceptual cuts to parse there and I wouldn't fucking believe you.

I want to assure you, though, that young Noah absolutely bought a hundred and fifty dollars worth of credits on there - first the hundred dollar one, and a twenty-five dollar one, and then a second twenty-five dollar one a short time later. I'd love to interrogate him about his praxis, here, because I expect that it's not completely random and there's a diffuse kind of child logic running through it. The best part about it, really - and I'm using the term best in a novel way - is that the tokenized, game specific currency is far more valuable to him than actual money might be.

Oh! We have a Limited Edition (!!!) New Year's Pin coming for you at 12pm PT New year's Eve. There are only five hundred being made, and our joy in its manufacture was doubled, because we had a chance to work with our friend Enfu again - we have his hamster hawk plush, and his Cute & Wild pin set up on the shop. Here's a pic of the New Year's sample:

I'll give you a heads up when it hits the store.

(CW)TB out.