The Moment of Silence
Encyclopedia
The Moment of Silence is an investigative thriller adventure game
developed in 2004
by German
video game developer
House of Tales.
, in a future with many Orwellian
influences. The player plays an advertising agency worker named Peter Wright, who is depressed and drinking heavily after the death of his wife and child in a terrorist attack. One night, as he is drinking, he hears a commotion in the hall. Looking out through the peephole in his apartment door, he sees a SWAT
team storm the apartment of his next door neighbour and carry out a middle-aged man, much to the pain and anguish of his wife. Peter learns that the man was a journalist named Graham Oswald, and his wife asks Peter to try and find out what happened to him. Peter accepts and, after many encounters, discovers that Oswald was part of a Rebel organization dedicated to revealing a massive government conspiracy
to keep the truth from the people. Peter discovers Oswald, who is on his last legs after a harrowing escape from a prison on Liberty Island
. Before dying, Oswald tells Peter that he must go to Alaska and complete the mission that Oswald failed. After Peter arrives in Alaska, he discovers that the government is being run by a dystopia
n central computer, whose only concern is keeping the world tidy and in order. Peter successfully shuts down the computer, and frees the world.
voice cast, which included the German voice actors for Bruce Willis
and Julia Roberts
. In the United Kingdom, Digital Jesters
published the game until their demise in early 2006. It is unclear if the game is still in print in Britain. In North America, The Adventure Company
won the rights to publish the game, which it did starting in 2005.
A major controversy in the European versions of the game involved the use of StarForce
copy protection software, which covertly installed itself on the computers of users who installed the game. The software sometimes caused a user's system to crash, or become unresponsive, even if there was no copying software on that computer. The North American version of the game does not use Starforce.
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
developed in 2004
2004 in video gaming
-Events:*January 20 — Wireds Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.*March 4 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame*March 22-26 — Game...
by German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
House of Tales.
Story
The game is set in the year 2044 in downtown New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in a future with many Orwellian
Orwellian
"Orwellian" describes the situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free society...
influences. The player plays an advertising agency worker named Peter Wright, who is depressed and drinking heavily after the death of his wife and child in a terrorist attack. One night, as he is drinking, he hears a commotion in the hall. Looking out through the peephole in his apartment door, he sees a SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
team storm the apartment of his next door neighbour and carry out a middle-aged man, much to the pain and anguish of his wife. Peter learns that the man was a journalist named Graham Oswald, and his wife asks Peter to try and find out what happened to him. Peter accepts and, after many encounters, discovers that Oswald was part of a Rebel organization dedicated to revealing a massive government conspiracy
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
to keep the truth from the people. Peter discovers Oswald, who is on his last legs after a harrowing escape from a prison on Liberty Island
Liberty Island
Liberty Island is a small uninhabited island in New York Harbor in the United States, best known as the location of the Statue of Liberty. Though so called since the turn of the century, the name did not become official until 1956. In 1937, by proclamation 2250, President Franklin D...
. Before dying, Oswald tells Peter that he must go to Alaska and complete the mission that Oswald failed. After Peter arrives in Alaska, he discovers that the government is being run by a dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n central computer, whose only concern is keeping the world tidy and in order. Peter successfully shuts down the computer, and frees the world.
Publishing
The game was published by several different publishers around the world. In Germany the game was published by dtp in November 2004 and featured an extensive GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
voice cast, which included the German voice actors for Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
and Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
. In the United Kingdom, Digital Jesters
Digital Jesters
Digital Jesters was a British video game publisher, based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. The company was founded in 2003 by veterans from CDV UK , and their first UK-releases were TrackMania and Virtual Skipper 3, both by Nadeo.In the beginning, they concentrated on the UK market only, but...
published the game until their demise in early 2006. It is unclear if the game is still in print in Britain. In North America, The Adventure Company
The Adventure Company
The Adventure Company, is a publishing label of Nordic Games. It is formally a division of DreamCatcher Interactive but was sold to Nordic Games in 2011 following DreamCatcher's parent JoWooD Entertainment being sold after entering administration.-History:...
won the rights to publish the game, which it did starting in 2005.
A major controversy in the European versions of the game involved the use of StarForce
StarForce
StarForce is a software copy protection mechanism developed by Protection Technology, which claims that products protected with StarForce are difficult to reverse engineer.- Product families :Currently known official versions of StarForce include:...
copy protection software, which covertly installed itself on the computers of users who installed the game. The software sometimes caused a user's system to crash, or become unresponsive, even if there was no copying software on that computer. The North American version of the game does not use Starforce.