{"id":2610,"date":"2009-03-19T12:00:34","date_gmt":"2009-03-19T16:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=2610"},"modified":"2009-03-19T10:28:39","modified_gmt":"2009-03-19T14:28:39","slug":"the-nameless-mod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=2610","title":{"rendered":"The Nameless Mod"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes I feel like games are in a rut. Computer games can bring us into worlds of limitless possibility, yet all too often we end up in, “This world, except…” Why can’t we have something really<\/em> crazy and unconventional? I don’t know, maybe something like:<\/p>\n

In Forum City, the Internet is serious business. The city itself is the physical embodiment of Internet forums and bulletin boards. The lust for power seems to come easily to those who call the city their home; everywhere there are factions scheming to increase their reach, or even wrest control of the city itself. Were it not for a peacekeeping triumvirate of invulnerable Moderators the city would have long ago plunged into chaos.<\/p>\n

But now, the balance of power has been upset. Unthinkably, a Moderator has disappeared, and panic is gripping the city. With the remaining Moderators spread far too thin, the lawless have found themselves with the freedom to prey upon others, and formerly suppressed rivalries threaten to explode into open conflict.<\/p>\n

You are called upon to silence the discord.<\/p><\/div>\n

Actually, this is a real game<\/a>. It exists and you can play it right now if that is something you feel like doing. Better yet, it’s not a commercial game, but a free mod for the original Deus Ex. Paradoxically, the name of the mod is The Nameless Mod. <\/p>\n