<s>
Year	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
is	O
an	O
alternate	O
reality	O
game	O
(	O
ARG	O
)	O
by	O
American	O
studio	O
42	O
Entertainment	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Nine	O
Inch	O
Nails	O
concept	O
album	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
42	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
group	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
Halo	B-Application
2	I-Application
promotional	O
alternative	O
reality	O
game	O
I	O
Love	O
Bees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reznor	O
said	O
that	O
Year	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
is	O
a	O
concept	O
album	O
,	O
"	O
could	O
be	O
about	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
marked	O
a	O
"	O
shift	O
in	O
direction	O
"	O
in	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
does	O
n't	O
sound	O
like	O
With	O
Teeth.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
Gigwise.com,	O
Reznor	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
concept	O
behind	O
Year	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
was	O
partially	O
inspired	O
by	O
his	O
feelings	O
toward	O
the	O
Bush	O
administration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
this	O
end	O
,	O
the	O
storyline	O
of	O
Year	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
borrows	O
heavily	O
from	O
such	O
well-known	O
dystopian	O
fiction	O
as	O
George	O
Orwell	O
's	O
Nineteen	O
Eighty-Four	O
(	O
government	O
surveillance	O
)	O
,	O
Aldous	O
Huxley	O
's	O
Brave	O
New	O
World	O
(	O
use	O
of	O
drugs	O
to	O
subdue	O
the	O
populace	O
)	O
,	O
Ray	O
Bradbury	O
's	O
Fahrenheit	B-Device
451	I-Device
(	O
large-scale	O
censorship	O
and	O
uniformism	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Yevgeny	O
Zamyatin	O
's	O
We	O
(	O
synthesis	O
of	O
church	O
and	O
state	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
keeping	O
with	O
the	O
dystopian	O
theme	O
,	O
Year	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
as	O
the	O
1973	O
film	O
Soylent	O
Green	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
U.S.	O
government	O
is	O
now	O
a	O
Christian	O
fundamentalist	O
theocracy	B-Application
,	O
maintaining	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
populace	O
through	O
institutions	O
like	O
the	O
Bureau	O
of	O
Morality	O
and	O
the	O
First	O
Evangelical	O
Church	O
of	O
Plano	O
,	O
and	O
locked	O
into	O
near	O
constant	O
war	O
abroad	O
against	O
their	O
aggressors	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
implied	O
ulterior	O
motive	O
to	O
expand	O
their	O
spheres	O
of	O
influence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
government	O
corporation	O
Cedocore	B-Application
distributes	O
the	O
drug	O
Parepin	O
through	O
the	O
water	O
supply	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
guise	O
of	O
it	O
being	O
an	O
"	O
immune	O
booster	O
"	O
to	O
prevent	O
future	O
bioterrorism	O
attacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
most	O
Americans	O
who	O
drink	O
the	O
water	O
become	O
apathetic	O
and	O
carefree	O
;	O
in	O
addition	O
,	O
side	O
effects	O
such	O
as	O
schizophrenia-like	O
behavior	O
,	O
muscle	O
twitches	O
,	O
anorgasmia	O
are	O
implied	O
to	O
have	O
effective	O
treatment	O
only	O
in	O
urban	O
and	O
developed	O
areas	O
,	O
discouraging	O
people	O
moving	O
to	O
rural	O
and	O
remote	O
areas	O
with	O
untreated	O
water	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
websites	O
and	O
music	O
of	O
the	O
Year	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
alternate	I-Application
reality	I-Application
game	I-Application
are	O
implied	O
to	O
be	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
information	O
packets	O
sent	O
back	O
through	O
the	O
wormholes	O
,	O
activated	O
only	O
moments	O
after	O
Doug	O
's	O
message	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concept	O
behind	O
the	O
Year	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
alternate	I-Application
reality	I-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
avid	O
fan	O
participation	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
has	O
caught	O
the	O
attention	O
of	O
the	O
media	O
numerous	O
times	O
;	O
USA	O
Today	O
and	O
Rolling	O
Stone	O
have	O
cited	O
fan	O
site	O
The	O
NIN	O
Hotline	O
,	O
forum	O
Echoing	O
the	O
Sound	O
,	O
fan	O
club	O
The	O
Spiral	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
sources	O
for	O
new	O
discoveries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
had	O
earlier	O
noted	O
Year	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
as	O
"	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
bigger	O
picture	O
of	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
things	O
I	O
'm	O
working	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
reviewers	O
of	O
the	O
Year	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
album	O
also	O
commented	O
on	O
the	O
accompanying	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
42	O
Entertainment	O
won	O
two	O
Webby	O
Awards	O
for	O
their	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
Year	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
game	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
categories	O
of	O
"	O
Integrated	O
Campaigns	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Other	O
Advertising	O
:	O
Branded	O
Content	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
