The Mod Squad’s Wacky Sensibilities

Amid the national debate over violence in the media, a very simple fact is often overlooked: Game players have a wicked sense of humor.

Need proof? Simply go on the Internet, where fans of such shoot-’em-up games as the Quake series have tweaked the software and changed the rules. Thousands of these customized “mods” or modified games, can be found on the Web. (Gamespy Industries in Costa Mesa, for example, hosts a good starting point, https://www.planetquake.com/modcentral.)

Some of the mods are a serious homage to the original title, but many are wacky take-offs. There are “South Park”-inspired mods, in which fans can become different animated characters and flatulence is their key weapon.

KROQ-FM, the alternative radio station (https://www.kroq.com/home.html), has a mod on its site in which players chase one another around a futuristic station and try to save supermodel Tyra Banks.

And then there’s a mod dedicated to the rap group Public Enemy, which has been a strong proponent of MP3 technology and a loud critic of the recording industry’s efforts to quash electronic distribution. In this mod, players shoot guns that fire CDs, and the enemy is a series of anonymous, faceless record company executives.