Sponge

The Sponge

The Sponge is a GMod ARG created sometime in 2011. A mod uploaded to the workshop had been taken down for corrupting other source games and messing with the user's screenshots. The mod contained a map, which when run, put the player into a completely empty map containing only a skybox and an info_player_start entity.

If you have a copy of the mod, please upload a screenshot!

The creator of the mod, Isstarry, used this image as their profile picture. It was also on their steam artworks page. Isstarry got banned in 2012. Isstarry commonly referred to themself as Rae.

Other source games would have their menu screen backgrounds replaced with maps of playground equipment or, in rare cases, a pitch black room. Using cheats, players found that the room was filled with Gmen and interloper decals. When playing other source games, the player would start with one health point. If the user's computer went to screen saver, their computer would get a clock_watchdog_timeout blue screen.

The creator of the mod uploaded a SFM animation to youtube containing this image with a disembodied raspy voice saying "The Sponge" throughout the video.

Contained in one of Isstarry's SFM animations.