Cyber-Slang in Space Gamer Magazine
The classic cyberpunk genre very likely reached its peak in the late eighties/early nineties. Sure there has been some fantastic cyberpunk fiction in recent years — The Windup Girl* and Deus Ex: Icarus Effect* are just two recent examples of fantastic cyberpunk fiction from the last decade — but the whole “mirrorshades, cyberlimbs, and attitude” version of the genre was so very eighties that it’s tough to ever forget that era.
Fortunately, the past is still out there and waiting to be rediscovered. For example, consider Space Gamer #87 and this brief article on “cyber-slang.” Written by Mike Straus, this two-page spread offers up suggested slang to enrich any cyberpunk genre game. These could also be used by fiction authors, but it was definitely roleplaying game fans the article was targeting when it was first written.
So pop on your favorite synthrock, click on the image, and jump headfirst into a futuristic world that no longer aligns with our present thoughts on the future. Technology and the world have changed dramatically since the late eighties, and that makes snippets like this a glimpse at a future world that will never be.
Related articles
- 1989 “Hardwired” Ad for the Cyberpunk Roleplaying Game (battlegrip.com)
- Cyberpunk Roleplaying Game “Near Orbit” in 1989 (battlegrip.com)