110 - The Bethesda Softworks Conspiracy
The world is abound with controversies and conspiracies.
Some would say they provide spice to a somewhat mundane and ordinary life, while others would vehemently disagree for the very fact that they produce unnecessary drama.
Whatever be the reason, the fact such conspiracies exist is proof that human mind is fascinated with subjects that are a cause for speculation.
The field of cryptocurrency isn’t devoid of conspiracies. While cryptos have taken the world by storm in the past decade or so, making inroads into the economic and geopolitical spheres of our lives, the one name that stands tall as the flag-bearer of all things crypto is ‘Bitcoin’ which has its own share of puzzling events that keeps the general public intrigued.
As we’ve witnessed in the The Satoshi Nakamoto Conspiracy, no one is aware of the identify of the mysterious entity who revolutionized the digital currency landscape by introducing Bitcoin.
Is she/he a single person?
Is it the US government colluding with Goldman Sachs, in order to unite the world under a single currency?
Is it some alien technology with malicious intent?
We may never find out.
But what we know is that the endless debate surrounding the identity of this renowned figure will never die down.
One surprisingly thought-provoking discussion that was instigated by the user of a talk forum gives rise to a very interesting (possibly ludicrous) conspiracy - that the founder of Bitcoins is in fact a popular gaming company based in the United States.
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks is a US based video game publisher.
Founded by Christopher Weaver in the year 1986, the company is famous for its work on iconic games such as The Elder Scrolls and the Fallout series.
The Conspiracy
Stirring up a discussion is not a difficult task. But giving rise to an elaborate conspiracy theory with solid facts to back it up is a appreciable feat.
Satoshi Nakamoto invented the Bitcoin in 2008, and he announced his invention the world through a research paper tiled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System" which was launched on 31 October 2008.
Now here are the tantalizing bits of this conspiracy theory that took shape in the imaginative and speculative mind of a user on the Bitcointalk forum:
- The creator of the post first goes on the link the similarity of the 'B' which is found in the logos of both 'Bitcoin' and 'Bethesda'.
Fair enough! But this could be simple coincidence as well.
- Next up, the proximity between the launch date of Bitcoin (31 October 2008) and the US launch date of Fallout 3 (28 October 2008) are compared to establish the dexterity of the Bethesda team to pull of this covert feat.
"The US launch date of Fallout 3 was 28 October 2008 and the European launch was 30 October 2008. If techies were too busy playing Fallout 3 of course they wouldn't notice the publication of the Bitcoin paper. Sleight of hand?"
Okay, things seem to make some sort of sense.
But who is the mastermind behind this elaborate setup?
- The poster goes on to point a strong finger towards Christopher Weaver, who is the owner of Zenimax/Bethesda organisation.
"Christopher Weaver founded Bethesda in 1986 - and his education reads as this - "After his baccalaureate degree, Weaver earned dual graduate and post-graduate degrees in Computer Science and Japanese Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University. After returning from Japan on a student exchange program and Princeton-in-Asia Scholarship, he was elected a University Scholar at Wesleyan and went on to complete an advanced dual degree (CAS) with speciality in Japanese and Physics. He also earned a graduate degree in Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."
The fact that Christopher Weaver is academically brilliant, and has his links with Japan, convinces the poster that Mr. Christopher Weaver is in fact Satoshi Nakamoto.
- Now, let’s get to the final and best part of this conspiracy:
Bethesda Softworks A Zenimax Media Company
If you look at the full name of the Gaming Company, it contains all the letters of 'Satoshi Nakamoto' as well as letters of the word 'Bitcoin'.
Mind-boggling stuff, right?
The author does digress from the topic and goes on to talk about the possible influence of Satanism and even elaborates on an interesting theory about 9/11. The original post in question seems to have now been removed (another conspiracy?), but the thread is filled with responses ranging from semi-convinced to non-convinced to flat out name calling, and the conversation as well as the conspiracy helps us grasp the situation from different perspectives.
Bethesda Softworks = Satoshi Nakamoto
The originator of this conspiracy has in fact raised the right questions, the very nature of a conspiracy being that it is unexplained to some extent. With the identity of the founder of Bitcoins still a mystery, this is one urban tale that will keep you guessing.
Please drop your comments below and share your views on this new series of conspiracy articles and also any particular conspiracy you would want us to fish out and write about.
Until next time...
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