This is an archived revision of this article, edited by Max at 09·09·24, 2 April 2008. It may differ significantly from the current version.

Revision summary: Added links to Employee Lounge and fixed one date

Gorman Disenza virus

The Gorman Disenza virus is a disease referred to only once, by Paul O’Connor in his final Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee Designer Diary entry. Whilst giving an example of a game flow diagram, Paul casually described the virus rendering Munch unconscious:

Thus, if Munch has succumbed to the Gorman Disenza virus in the movie preceding a region, we know that the region needs to open with Munch unconscious and the player in control of Abe.1

The question has arisen over whether the Gorman Disenza virus was ever intended as a genuine, if minor, plot element in Munch’s Oddysee, or just a spontaneous example used by Paul to illustrate the function of a game flow diagram.2, 3 However, it has been made known that Munch would indeed have suffered a condition in Munch’s Oddysee, had Oddworld Inhabitants had the time to implement it into the gameplay, in which, as a result of being experimented upon with adrenal steroids, Munch would transform into a hulking monster when angered.4, 5

Since the start of 2007,6 the Gorman Disenza Virus has been available as a failsafe for moderators of the Oddworld Forums to deal with phoney members such as a person or bot posting advertising spam.7 It is a fifteen‐point infraction with no set expiry. Consequently, the term ‘Gorman Disenza’ has been used as a verb, mostly in the passive past tense (‘has been Gorman Disenza’ed’ or ‘has been Gorman Disenzaed’).8

References

  1. O’Connor, Paul (18/01/2001). ‘Designing a Region’. Entry №15 in Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee Designer Diary. Videogames.com.
  2. Nate (09–11/05/2004). Posts №11, 25, and 29 in ‘Oddworld Questions & Answers III’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.
  3. Nate; Bunce‐Edwards, William (11/11/2006). Posts №12, 16, and 17 in ‘What about Squeek???’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.
  4. Sinclair, Brendon (01/03/2004). ‘Uncommon Threads’. Polygon (9): 38. Knoxville, Tennessee: Deviation.
  5. Johnson, Cathy & Wade, Daniel (eds) (15/09/2004). ‘Munch’, p. 170. The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants: The First Ten Years 1994–2004. Mylor: Ballistic Publishing.
  6. Nate (15/01/2007). Post №409 in ‘Warning Reports’. Employee Lounge. Oddworld Forums.
  7. Alcar (18/02/2007). Post №30 in ‘New Infractions System’. Employee Lounge. Oddworld Forums.
  8. Nate. Posts №533 (17/08/2007), 571 (11/09/2007), 588 (20/09/2007), 618 (28/10/2007), 620 (29/10/2007), 685 (15/02/2008), 691 (24/02/2008), and 695 (25/03/2008) in ‘Warning Reports’. Employee Lounge. Oddworld Forums.