You might not think of it as one, but Wikipedia is a game. It has untold numbers of characters and stories, each page an interactive slate with your mouse and hand acting as the choice maker for what you learn next, thus impacting your following choices. This is, admittedly, a bit of a wanky, thinkpiecey way of talking about Wikipedia, so instead of that let’s talk about Neurocracy, a game that could quite easily fool you into thinking it is another version of Wikipedia.
It first launched a couple of years ago now, in 2023, and started its third season earlier this year. In fact, its final episode for season three is coming next week on September 17th, so now seems like a pretty good time to get started with diving into it.
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There is is no main character in Neurocracy so to speak, other than you, and you are browsing Omnipedia, a very real but still fictitious website you can head to right now to view everything, though the full version of the game has a virtual conspiracy pin board you can use to unravel the mystery with – we’ll come back to that.
Omnipedia, according to its in-world description, is an “English-language online encyclopedia founded by internet entrepreneur Tony Hsiung in June 2049. Intended as “a general reference work and trusted source of information,” Hsiung initially conceived of Omnipedia as a successor to Wikipedia, which was discontinued in 2048.”
We’ve already learned a few things here – that we’re a good couple of decades into the future, and Wikipedia is dead. Gathering bits of information like that is the name of the game, though you’re after juicier pieces than that, as there’s a murder mystery to be solved. As you find actually useful pieces of information, within the full version of the game you can add particular links and bits of text to build this conspiracy for yourself.
I’ve only dipped my toe into Neurocracy’s world, it’s impressively expansive, though it does feel like the kind of thing you should add to slowly, with only the occasional day of falling through the rabbit hole here and there.
As mentioned, Neurocracy’s third and final season wraps up next week, September 17th, but you can pick it up on Itch.io now to start getting yourself ready for it.
