Virus: The Game

Virus: The Game is a strategy/action video game developed by Israeli studio Kidum Multimedia and published by Sir-Tech. The game levels take place in the user's hard drive, with files and directories being represented by 3D rooms through which the player navigates. It was developed on the HAYWIRE game engine.

This article is about the 1997 PC game. For the port of the 1987 computer game Zarch, see Virus (video game). For other uses, see Virus (disambiguation).
Virus: The Game
Cover art
Developer(s)Kidum Multimedia Ltd.
Publisher(s)Sir-Tech Software Inc.
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)Action/Strategy, Shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Summary

The objective is to battle against 'viruses' that invade the user's directory structure and files. The game and its advertisement included warnings reminding the player that "it's just a game," and that the game is not actually causing harm to the computer's files. The user's graphic files are used as the wall texture and sound files are used as the background music.[2]

Reception

The critical reception was generally negative. GameSpot claimed that "Virus has all the appearances of a game that underwent numerous design changes but never really came together."[3] GameSpot also named it as the runner-up to the 1997 "Worst Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Conquest Earth.[4]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "it's almost unplayable. Add another star if you find the patch."[5]

A quasi-viral advertisement campaign for the game was started. The advertisement, named Russ, was viewed in the form of a downloaded .exe file. When the file was run, a full screen representation of the desktop appeared. The software then began simulating deletion of the Windows folder.[6] When this process was complete, a message was slowly typed on screen saying "Thank god this is only a game..." A screen with the purchase information appeared on screen and then returned to the desktop. No damage is done to the computer during the advertisement. This advertisement was not well received, most likely due to the scareware tactic involved.

References
  1. Staff (October 13, 1997). "Sirtech Release Dates". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on February 18, 1998. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  2. danooct1 Playing on Youtube
  3. Virus: The Game Review at GameSpot
  4. "GameSpot's Awards for 1997". ZDNet. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  5. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 40. Imagine Media. April 1998. p. 108-109.
  6. Russ Advertisement test by ChillingPichu123
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