A term coined by Jared A. Sorensen in September 2001 for the idea that GNS Simulationism doesn't really exist as its own agenda, but rather is a neutral state in-between Gamism and Narrativism (and originally that this state represented a retreat from the other two modes). i.e. G and N were the ends of the horseshoe, while S is the middle. This was adapted later to the idea of a plane which was G vs N on one axis, while the other is low to high Fidelity. i.e.

What was seen as GNS Simulationism is in this model high-Fidelity forms of Gamism and Narrativism.

References:

• All-out dissection (LONG AND BRUTAL) (The Forge, Apr 2001)
• The Beeg Horseshoe Theory (The Forge, Sep 2001)
• Beeg Horseshoe Theory Revisited (The Forge, May 2003)
• The Roots of Sim II (The Forge, Feb 2004)