Digital Operations Research Kollective, 1987
"Synergizing Tomorrow's Solutions Today"
You are a computer engineer in Cubicle 7B. It is Monday. The mainframe has crashed. The Big Client Demo is at 5:00 PM. Your lunch has been stolen by Gary from Accounting. The dot matrix printer may have achieved sentience. And you work at a company whose acronym spells exactly what you think it does.
Welcome to D.O.R.K.
In your browser (no install): Open dork.html or play at geox.blog/dork
On your computer:
git clone https://github.com/GeoxT/DORK.git
cd DORK
python3 dork.pyNo dependencies. Python 3.6+ required. Make your terminal full screen.
| File | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
dork.html |
Browser version. Click and play. | Everyone. Share this link. |
dork.py |
Full terminal UI with curses sidebar. | Developers. Best experience. |
Both versions include the complete game with all rooms, puzzles, NPCs, endings, and easter eggs. Both support offline play and optional AI narrator.
| Mode | What It Does | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Play Free / Offline | Classic text parser. No internet needed. | Nothing. Just play. |
| Claude AI | Dynamic AI narrator. Type anything. | Anthropic API key |
| OpenAI GPT-4o | Dynamic AI narrator. Type anything. | OpenAI API key |
Switch modes anytime mid-game. Type APIKEY to connect. Type CLEARKEY to remove.
Your API key is protected at every step:
- Never stored to disk — keys live in memory only, gone when you close the game
- Input is always masked — password fields (browser) and getpass (terminal)
- Masked in all displays — shown as
sk-a...Pme3, never the full key - CLEARKEY command — instantly removes key from memory and wipes conversation history
- Error messages sanitized — API keys are redacted from any error output
- No localStorage, cookies, or persistent storage — zero trace after closing
- Browser protections — LastPass/1Password ignore attributes, autocomplete disabled
- Full CRT terminal UI with live sidebar (bytes, suspicion, PTO, clock, inventory)
- Five game mechanics: Byte Counter (pun scoring), Corporate Suspicion meter, PTO hours, ticking clock, 8-slot floppy disk inventory
- 11 explorable locations across the D.O.R.K. office building
- 6 endings based on your choices, score, and how much management trusts you
- Easter eggs referencing Zork, the Commodore 64, Y2K, and the company's ridiculous name
- Zero dependencies — Python standard library only / single HTML file
You wake up face-down on your desk at the Digital Operations Research Kollective. Yes, everyone knows the acronym is ridiculous. The founder, Klaus Dorkmann, allegedly chose the name before learning English. Every new hire goes through five stages: confusion, denial, laughter, acceptance, and the thousand-yard stare.
The company's mainframe, a VAX 11/780 nicknamed Big Bertha, has crashed overnight. The Big Client Demo is at 5:00 PM. To fix Bertha, you need to:
- Find the root password (carved somewhere private by a former employee)
- Locate the diagnostic floppy disk (buried in the supply closet)
- Retrieve the maintenance manual (hidden among the boss's management books)
- Trade Gary's IBM Model M keyboard for the server room keycard
- Solve a memory allocation logic puzzle to bring Bertha back online
All while managing your Corporate Suspicion level, hoarding your precious PTO hours, and earning Bytes through tech puns.
- You — Computer engineer, Cubicle 7B. Cold coffee. Dead terminal. Monday.
- Gary from Accounting — Your nemesis. Eats your lunch. Hoards peripherals. Will trade the server keycard for his beloved IBM Model M keyboard.
- Dotty — A semi-sentient dot matrix printer who communicates through cryptic, poetic printouts.
- Mr. Henderson — The boss. Speaks exclusively in buzzwords. Proud of the D.O.R.K. name.
- Janet from HR — Hallway gossip source. Knows where the password is hidden.
| Ending | Condition |
|---|---|
| The Hero | 500+ bytes, mainframe fixed, suspicion under 50% |
| The Survivor | Mainframe fixed, 200-499 bytes |
| The Dork | 500+ bytes, mainframe NOT fixed |
| The Fired | Suspicion hits 100% |
| The Escape | Drive away before 5 PM |
| The Hacker | Find and run the mysterious floppy labeled "DO NOT RUN" |
XYZZY— Classic Zork referenceCOMMODORE 64— Nostalgic asideY2K— Prophetic warningTHERAC-25— Dark QA jokePING— Dotty responds from across the buildingDORK— The full history of Klaus Dorkmann and the company name
LOOK Examine your surroundings INVENTORY Check your 8-slot floppy inventory
GO [place] Move between rooms STATUS View bytes, suspicion, PTO, time
TALK Talk to NPCs PTO Use a PTO hour (SKIP/BREAK/HINT)
SEARCH Search the room LOOK BUSY Reduce suspicion
TAKE [item] Pick up an item BUZZWORD Deploy corporate jargon
DROP [item] Drop an item FIX Fix the mainframe (server room)
USE [item] Use an item BOOT Boot your terminal (cubicle)
DONATE Support the developer APIKEY Connect an AI narrator
CLEARKEY Remove API key from memory HELP / QUIT
| Platform | How to Run |
|---|---|
| Any browser | Open dork.html — works on desktop, tablet, phone |
| macOS / Linux | python3 dork.py in Terminal (full screen recommended) |
| Windows | python dork.py in Windows Terminal or PowerShell |
| iPad | Open dork.html in Safari. Or use Pythonista / a-Shell for dork.py |
curl -sO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GeoxT/DORK/main/dork.py && python3 dork.pyEnjoyed D.O.R.K.? Buy the developer a floppy disk:
BTC: 13P6c6t4Y2ZFpb7tTYB9J1y4YEABXqPme3
Or type DONATE anytime in-game.
Geoffrey Taber
- GitHub: github.com/GeoxT
- Blog: geox.blog
Join the community → discord.gg/d46kJsU3aG
Join //signal on Discord for discussion, beta testing, and collaboration → discord.gg/d46kJsU3aG
MIT License. See LICENSE for details.
D.O.R.K. — Digital Operations Research Kollective. Where the Future is Mandatory.