Gamer Disables Digital Signage Screen At PDX Airport, Plugs In Playstation

January 21, 2020 by Dave Haynes

The argument can be made compellingly that a digital signage network operator can’t be expected to anticipate every crazy thing that might happen out at the displays, and I will therefore cut some slack for the IT people at Portland, Oregon’s airport – where a traveler turned a wayfinding sign at the terminal into a gaming monitor.

The guy was traveling with his Playstation 4 and, looking to kill some time before a flight, noticed the inputs for a terminal map display along the concourse were exposed. So he found a chair that wasn’t bolted down, plugged in, and either monkeyed with input button or it just rolled over to HDMI for him.

The Oregonian newspaper picked up the story from a local radio station, which interviewed Port of Portland spokesperson Kama Simonds.

“That is obviously something that we don’t want to have happened,” Simonds told the radio station, “because travelers need the information that we are putting on the screens for them.”

Operations supervisors approached the gamer, Simonds said, “and very kindly asked this person to unplug and cease using the monitors at the airport.”

According to Simonds, the man asked “very politely” if he could finish his game. Sadly for him, the answer was no.

“Apparently it was a very polite and cordial interaction,” Simonds said, calling it “a good reminder of what not to do at the airport.”

Noting again that it is reasonable to have not come up with this in a list of What If scenarios during planning, there are a few things that could have been done:

The guy might also be getting power for his game box off the display, or is that USB? Not a gamer, so don’t know.

Lock down your screens, folks.

Hat tip to Sharp’s Mike Murphy for posting about this …

  1. Marty Durksen says:

    Yep. Lock down the IR and buttons, cover the buttons and inputs. I don’t understand why manufacturers don’t supply a metal cover with security screws. McGuyver would fill the ports with chewing gum and cover with a band aid. Red Green would use duct tape. I’d ram toothpics into the ports.
    “If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.”

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