A small area of grass, enclosed in an invisible wall, with a square of slightly elevated concrete jutting out above the ground in the center.

Somewhere beyond sight, birds chirp.

For a moment, this seems to be all, but just a few steps taken toward the concrete square reveals more depth.

Literally.

A pit, cylindrical, and so deep and dark that no bottom is visible. Dropping something, like a gun or a crowbar, for instances, results only in empty, gaping silence.

Such is the nature of a game file called "Flatgrass Pit V2," a map made for a game called Gary's Mod.

As to what's in that pit, well, there's nothing. But that can change. Someone who knows what they're doing create a parkour course, from the top all the way down to the bottom, welding couches or other things to the walls, providing a platform for the player to stand on, evaluated his position, and hop down another few feet.

Or, if they so desired, someone could add an army of zombies at the bottom, give himself a grenade launcher, and have some simple fun trying to send a shot all the way down to the bottom without hitting the sides.

Someone who really knows what they're doing—with the permission of the map's original creator—can remove the bottom of the pit and build an entire city, darkened in the abyss, and give himself or anyone playing with him only a Zippo lighter, and wish them good luck.

Then maybe populate it with pigs or something.

And this is only one map with only one feature.

Garry's Mod, I feel, would be more accurately thought of as a tool rather than a game. Certainly, there are gameplay elements, and many people play Garry's Mod solely for those elements, but if they were feeling a little creative, all they'd have to do is press and hold 'Q', and have at it.

But even if the vast menu of metals, robotics, electronics, props—from couches and lights to entire bridges and buildings—doesn't satisfy one's creative tendencies, there's a vast online community dedicated entirely to addons: more props, tools, weapons, player skins, NPCs (Non-Playable Characters), entire game modes, and more.

If you're a little more knowledgeable in the realm of game design and general computer-speak, you can download frameworks and packages that can help with creating cinematic scenes, built around the player's progess, perhaps, or miniature game modes within game modes.

But gameplay and construction isn't all that Gary's Mod has to offer: the game has garnered a sort of reputation as a tool to make comedic videos, the vast majority of which are on YouTube.

With a couple of add-ons and a screen recorder, as well as a video editor, Garry's Mod will allow you to animate.

Most of these videos are incredibly nonsensical and random, full of overblown expressions and screeching sound effects—oft accompanied by distorted retro video game music—but if one wished to, he could easily make a more serious or melancholy scene, or an action-packed one, or any other type.

If one wanted to put in a little effort, he could download external software, and build his own map from scratch, and if he wanted to put in a lot of effort, he could learn to program in Lua, and make his own game modes.

Garry's Mod, to me, is the definitive sandbox, the ultimate virtual playground, where the only limit is the processing power of your computer.

Granted, someone armed with programming knowledge could do anything that Garry's Mod can, but Garry's Mod is unique in that is makes is easy to create and to explore. It's really less of a tool and more of an entire toolbox, where someone with little to no game development know-how can still create what is effectively its own game, but also where the savviest of computer people can take advantage of the vast community, and create still greater things.

Fun, creativity, programming and more, Garry's Mod is what you want.