NOVOGRAD1992
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Novograd1992 is the browser-based social game world I'm currently building, set in a fictional Eastern European city that has chosen to stay in the year 1992.
Why you ask? Why not. 1992 was a perfectly good and stable year so the government doesn't see a reason to change it just because everyone else does.
It's a place where you make a character, settle into an apartment and get to know the people around you. The website itself is the game, from its municipal paperwork to the computer sitting in your home. A lot of the inspiration for the game comes from my city Motherland in Second Life.
LIFE IN NOVOGRAD
Meet people in the pub, invite someone over to your nicely decorated apartment, write on the local BBS board or get penpals. There is no single goal everyone has to work towards, and spending your time chatting is a perfectly good way to "play".
Around that, I'm building systems for work, study, collecting, exploring and decorating. Your character, home and belongings persist over time. The idea is to give people a platform to come back to, click a few times, hang out, and then leave again.
For people who likes competitive gaming there is a multiplayer strategy game where you work for the state. Help the state economy to blossom by and shuffling around resources between various industries, and compete for various honours.
A CITY THAT STAYED IN 1992
Bought technology has a practical role in the world. A computer and modem in your apartment opens up "Novonet", the city's internal network of message boards, mail and personal pages. And yes, you can be anonymous online too. A radio lets you tune into "Radio Novograd". Shops, public rooms and municipal services are places within the city, reached through its map.
I'm drawing on old online communities, BBS culture and everyday Eastern European surroundings: apartment blocks, battered equipment, local radio and slightly excessive bureaucracy. I want the city to feel lived in, but safe. It will always be 1992. The government watches over you, comrade. Good or bad? Your opinion.
STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Novograd1992 is in development and isn't open to players yet. I'm still building and testing the city, its social spaces and the systems around them. This page will follow its progress towards opening the doors in/around September 2026.