Sod

About

Sod is an extreme modification or "hack" of id Software’s action game Wolfenstein 3D, in which the goal was to escape from a Nazi dungeon. In Sod, Wolfenstein 3D’s representational renderings (considered state-of-the art at the time of the game’s release in 1992) have been replaced by pure geometrical forms in a limited palette of black, white and gray. The result is a game space that is loosely architectural and extremely disorienting; it is easy to get lost, and it can be difficult to distinguish the walls from the targets one is supposed to shoot. Paesmans and Heemskerk complement the game-play difficulties with a cryptic interface (setting game preferences is no easy task!) and tongue-in-cheek game instructions along the lines of "If you are tough, press N. If not, press Y daintily." With its stark elegance, Sod offers a compelling alternative to the computer game industry’s mindless pursuit of representational realism.