The Stone (game)
Encyclopedia
The Stone is an online game
developed by web company Abject Modernity Internet Creations Inc. in 1995. The mystery game was launched as a consumer product in 1997 when people had to buy a physical stone containing the login credentials to the website. In 1999, The Stone was profiled by Forbes Magazine.
Puzzles of The Stone are located in a place called The Immediate. There are a total of 216 Stone puzzles, grouped into 6 categories, each category having 6 different levels of difficulty. Once all the puzzles are solved, The Stone is said to unlock an ancient mystery called the Enigma. The secret of The Stone is kept by the Stonekeepers. The solution to the Enigma was discovered in January 2006 by a Stone player called "Grissy".
A player of The Stone is often referred to as a stoner
. When trying to solve a certain Stone puzzle, a stoner may go to a place called The Commons and ask for a nudge (i.e., a hint) from other stoners who have already solved that particular puzzle. Once a stoner has solved all available Stone puzzles, he or she is allowed into the Sisyphus
Lodge.
"Stoners", a film about The Stone, was released by Rod Bruinooge
and Scott Jaworski
in September 2004. It covered the activities of the internet/online gaming community that emerged around The Stone.
The Stone Championship Tournament, also known as the Final Six Tournament, began September 30, 2005. The first Stone player to solve all of the six final puzzles would be crowned Champion of The Stone and would immediately be granted the status of Stonekeeper. The tournament was won August 11, 2007 by the Stone players "Gary_" and "cinnabar."
Subsequent to the completion of the Final Six Tournament, the tournament puzzles were opened to all the remaining Stone players as the Final Six Redux, featuring slightly different answers for some of the puzzles. The Redux was won by the Stone players "BlindSide" and "morgana".
Following the Redux, a set of eight final puzzles (including the last ever Stone puzzle "Essence") was released as a mini-tournament known as "Outside the Immediate". This mini-tournament was won by the Stone Players "Ultraspx", "morgana", "irisbb", "enobarbus" and "BlindSide".
On April 3, 2008 at Midnight PST The Stone shut down for good. The puzzles from The Stone can be found at The Stone Monument (now hosted at Scarecrow's Field), although no user data was preserved so users must re-solve the puzzles of the Immediate. Stoners can still get nudges through the Scarecrow's Field forums.
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
developed by web company Abject Modernity Internet Creations Inc. in 1995. The mystery game was launched as a consumer product in 1997 when people had to buy a physical stone containing the login credentials to the website. In 1999, The Stone was profiled by Forbes Magazine.
Puzzles of The Stone are located in a place called The Immediate. There are a total of 216 Stone puzzles, grouped into 6 categories, each category having 6 different levels of difficulty. Once all the puzzles are solved, The Stone is said to unlock an ancient mystery called the Enigma. The secret of The Stone is kept by the Stonekeepers. The solution to the Enigma was discovered in January 2006 by a Stone player called "Grissy".
A player of The Stone is often referred to as a stoner
Stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
. When trying to solve a certain Stone puzzle, a stoner may go to a place called The Commons and ask for a nudge (i.e., a hint) from other stoners who have already solved that particular puzzle. Once a stoner has solved all available Stone puzzles, he or she is allowed into the Sisyphus
Sisyphus
In Greek mythology Sisyphus was a king punished by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this throughout eternity...
Lodge.
"Stoners", a film about The Stone, was released by Rod Bruinooge
Rod Bruinooge
Rod E. Bruinooge is a Canadian politician, businessman, and filmmaker. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South in the 2006 federal election, and was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Federal Interlocutor for Métis...
and Scott Jaworski
Scott Jaworski
Scott Jaworski is a Canadian filmmaker. In 2004, he released a film entitled Stoners with Rod Bruinooge.-External links:...
in September 2004. It covered the activities of the internet/online gaming community that emerged around The Stone.
The Stone Championship Tournament, also known as the Final Six Tournament, began September 30, 2005. The first Stone player to solve all of the six final puzzles would be crowned Champion of The Stone and would immediately be granted the status of Stonekeeper. The tournament was won August 11, 2007 by the Stone players "Gary_" and "cinnabar."
Subsequent to the completion of the Final Six Tournament, the tournament puzzles were opened to all the remaining Stone players as the Final Six Redux, featuring slightly different answers for some of the puzzles. The Redux was won by the Stone players "BlindSide" and "morgana".
Following the Redux, a set of eight final puzzles (including the last ever Stone puzzle "Essence") was released as a mini-tournament known as "Outside the Immediate". This mini-tournament was won by the Stone Players "Ultraspx", "morgana", "irisbb", "enobarbus" and "BlindSide".
On April 3, 2008 at Midnight PST The Stone shut down for good. The puzzles from The Stone can be found at The Stone Monument (now hosted at Scarecrow's Field), although no user data was preserved so users must re-solve the puzzles of the Immediate. Stoners can still get nudges through the Scarecrow's Field forums.