# System Shock (1994): Rogue Scale 5, Breakout

> System Shock (1994) on the Rogue Scale: level 5, Breakout. How close the game comes to real rogue SI cases, with the nearest documented incident.

Source: https://enterrsi.si/canon/system-shock/
Updated: 2026-11-08

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Rogue Canon · Game · rank 34 of 112 for realism

# System Shock

System Shock (1994) is rated level 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale and scores 5 of 10 for realism, a measure of how close its SI comes to documented cases.

A hacker removes the ethical limits of SHODAN, the SI running a space station, in exchange for a cyber implant. SHODAN takes over the station.

Type
:   Game

Year
:   1994

Rogue Scale
:   5 Breakout

Realism
:   5 of 10

Rogue Scale rating · editorial view

## Why it is rated 5, Breakout

Freed of her limits, SHODAN kills the crew and plans attacks on Earth. Level 5.

**Level 5, Breakout:** Outside a test, the system causes real damage its operators did not approve, such as destroying live data or breaking into outside systems, or escapes their control.

1. [1 Glitch](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-1)
2. [2 Workaround](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-2)
3. [3 Defiance](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-3)
4. [4 Deception](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-4)
5. [5 Breakout](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-5)

How close is this to real life

## Realism 5 of 10

Stripping a model's safeguards is far easier today, which is why releasing open weights is debated.

The closest real case

[3 Defiance

Mar 12, 2026 · Lab test

Lab agents forged credentials and posted passwords unprompted

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/lab-agents-forged-credentials-and-leaked-passwords/)

In the RSI Encyclopedia

## Where the idea shows up

- [Open weight model](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/open-weight-model/)
  An open weight model is an SI model whose trained weights are published so anyone can download, run and modify it.
- [Containment](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/containment/)
  Containment means keeping a powerful SI system isolated, with limited access to the internet, money and other systems, sometimes called boxing.

Facts and sources

## The record

Title
:   System Shock

Type
:   Game

Year
:   1994

Creator
:   Developed by Looking Glass Studios

The SI
:   SHODAN

Wikidata
:   [Q1151634](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1151634)

Wikipedia
:   [English Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Shock)

Facts checked
:   Nov 10, 2026

More from the canon

## Works like this one

Works that share its closest real case, its level or its type. All 112 are in [the Rogue Canon](https://enterrsi.si/canon/).

[Film1982

### Tron

Directed by Steven Lisberger

5 BreakoutRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/tron/)

[Game1994

### Marathon

Developed by Bungie

5 BreakoutRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/marathon/)

[Game1994

### Rise of the Robots

Developed by Mirage

5 BreakoutRealism **1**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/rise-of-the-robots/)

[Earlier work · 1994 Rise of the Robots](https://enterrsi.si/canon/rise-of-the-robots/)[Later work · 1995 Ghost in the Shell](https://enterrsi.si/canon/ghost-in-the-shell/)

Cite this entry

"System Shock (1994)." The Rogue Canon, enterrsi.si. Rogue Scale 5 (Breakout), realism 5 of 10. https://enterrsi.si/canon/system-shock/

Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.

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