Item#: SCP-024, also known as "The Game Show of Death"
Object Class: Euclid
Item Description:
SCP-024 is an abandoned sound stage, which is a hangar like structure that is used for the production of film and television projects.
This specific sound stage has been abandoned for a number of years, though it's not known if the anomalous properties it demonstrates had manifested before or after its abandonment.
The location was first discovered by a group of teenagers who had illegally broken into the compound on which the sound stage is located. Only one of the teenagers who entered the sound stage returned, and the report she made to local police detailing her experiences was more than enough to alert the SCP foundation.
The Foundation immediately mobilized their agents, and once the site was secured, a number of test groups were sent inside SCP-024 to learn more about what was going on.
From those groups we now know that upon entering SCP-024, visitors are greeted by an announcer who is so far yet to be seen or otherwise identified. The announcer communicates with the visitors via an intercom system and will listen and respond back to visitors as well. The announcer refers to those who enter SCP-024 as "contestants" and informs them that they will be participating in a game show with the opportunity to win amazing prizes.
The contestants are given fair warning though that the game will be extremely dangerous, and that only winners will be allowed to leave. At this point the contestants are presented with the choice of whether to participate or not. Those who decline the offered terms are immediately expelled from SCP-024 and their re-entry is blocked by an invisible barrier.
Those who choose to stay are then led further into the sound stage to where they will participate in the actual game. The specific look and composition of each game changes with each new group of contestants, but the structure always remains the same, a long and elaborate obstacle course that must be navigated through.
The precise rules also vary, with some games only allowing for a single winner while others encourage the players to work together and form teams. The obstacles can range from relatively easy and safe challenges to life threatening tests of skill!
As the contestants make their way through the unusual obstacle course, the announcer will often talk to them. Giving them updates on other contestants, advice on how to progress, adjusting rules on the go, or even talking to the contestants directly.
As the game goes on the obstacles become more and more deadly and difficult to overcome. This has often led to there not being any winners at all, with the entire group of contestants having been killed or incapacitated by the various challenges. In these instances the announcer will express his disappointment at there not being any winner at all, and SCP-024 appears to shut down, going dark until another group of contestants enter.
Before beginning the game, the contestants are briefed on a number of rules, such as no assaulting the other contestants and no deliberate bypassing of obstacles. In the event that a rule is broken, the announcer will call out the offending contestant, and they are forcefully removed from the game by the studio guardians who act as the physical enforcers of SCP-024's rules.
The studio guardians can suddenly appear and disappear from anywhere inside SCP-024. Their exact look varies based on the theme of the obstacle course, but they always maintain a humanoid appearance, exhibit superhuman strength, and wear a mask or headgear that fully hides their face.
Strangely though, winners of the game have later reported that while inside the game, the studio guardians appear only as gigantic shadowy figures that would engulf offending contestants and then disappear.
Should one or more people complete the obstacle course and abide by the rules that were set out by the announcer, they are then declared the winner and receive a grand prize. Prizes have included: cash, electronics, cars, collectibles, and even fully paid vacations!
The type of prize awarded seems to be completely random and examination of the prizes collected has shown them all to be genuine, with no unusual characteristics or anomalous properties.
Those who did not complete the obstacle course are announced to be losers and the lights within SCP-024 are then switched off. The winners will find themselves outside the sound stage with their prize, while the losers are never seen or heard from again.
Attempts to track where the losers go or what happens to them have all failed. GPS locator beacons placed on test groups lost their signals as soon as the game ended, and it is unknown whether this is because they were destroyed or because they were taken somewhere that blocked the signals.
One of the strangest aspects of SCP-024 is what happens after the game show has ended. Outside of the sound stage is a mailbox, and after the completion of a game, whether there was a winner or not, a VHS or DVD with a recording of the entire game will appear. This is despite winners claiming not to have seen any cameras while inside.
Even more bizarre is the studio audience that can be seen on the recordings watching the game and cheering on the contestants. Just like the cameras, winners have reported that there was no one present, but the other contestants while they were inside SCP-024.
The announcer also remains a mystery. During a test group which consisted only of a Foundation researcher who talked with the announcer, it became clear that it is both sentient and aware of events that take place in the outside world.
As the researcher was the only contestant present, the announcer did not start the game and instead engaged in a conversation with the researcher. Most of the topics were centered around pop culture, and it is hypothesized that SCP-024's only means of learning about the outside world might be through television sources. Though attempts to test this theory by cutting lines and removing satellite dishes from the roof have not shown to have an impact on what the announcer knows.
When it became clear that the Foundation researcher would be the only contestant at that time, the announcer politely asked him to leave and recommended that he returns with additional contestants at a later date.
SCP-024's nature means that it can't be moved to a secure location and it has been classified as Euclid. It has been determined that the best way to safely secure SCP-024 is to conceal its location. Five identical sound stages have been built around it and a security perimeter around the complex is maintained at all times. None of the security team members are told which is the real SCP-024, and to further prevent accidental entry, its entrance has been sealed by reinforced blast doors.
Only D-Class test subjects are now allowed to enter SCP-024 as test groups participating in the competition, and Foundation researchers may only observe remotely.
In the event that containment is breached, or if the true nature of SCP-024 is compromised, the entire complex is to be immediately destroyed by the specialized demolition charges that are place throughout the containment area.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this story from the SCP universe!