Begin deze maand besteede wij van Eigenwereld.nl al aandacht aan de zombie survival mod DayZ die nog steeds in Alpha status bestaat. Deze draait op de engine van ArmA II, een game die altijd veel support van ons heeft gehad omdat het zo verdomd realistisch is. De website Kotaku heeft nu contact gehad met Dean Hall, de man achter de mod en hij blijkt dus bij in dienst te zijn bij Bohemia Interactive de developer achter de ArmA games. Leuk detail is sinds begin deze maand de mod in het nieuws kwam is de verkoop van ArmA II vijf keer zo hoog geworden als normaal. Het hele stuk dat je hier kan lezen is zeer interessant te noemen, en hopelijk gaat deze mod nog een heel groot succes krijgen of een hele eigen game. Want zo begon het ooit ook met Counter Strike.

When I spoke with ArmA II devs Bohemia Interactive last week, they told me that sales of the game had shot up fivefold since DayZ's release, with the ageing shooter even occasionally topping Steam's sales charts ahead of brand new, AAA blockbusters.

Looking at DayZ's success, even given the mod's early development stage and rough code, it's clear that Hall has struck a nerve, giving PC gamers an experience they weren't getting elsewhere, but which they were clearly hanging out for. Which begs the question: rather than simply exist as a mod, could DayZ, or something similar, work as a standalone, dedicated product?

"I think that DayZ has proven that such a concept would not only be a critical success, but a financial one as well. I think it's really just a question of who, on what, and when before this kind of gameplay mode becomes an actual game. I think that's great news for gamers, they have hit directly into the bottom line - and that is what will make studios take notice."

Before we wind up, I have to ask: given the mod can be very difficult for newcomers, what advice does Hall have for those taking their first steps in DayZ?

"Probably the same advice for any natural disaster: Have a plan and don't do anything stupid."