Polybius: The Arcade Game That Never Was?

By Minimalist

Have you ever heard of Polybius, the arcade game that supposedly drove people insane, brainwashed them, or even killed them? According to an urban legend, this mysterious game appeared in some arcades in the 1970s or 1980s, and was part of a secret CIA mind control experiment. But is there any truth to this story, or is it just a hoax?

The Legend of Polybius

The legend of Polybius has many variations, but the basic plot is as follows: In the early 1980s, a new arcade game called Polybius was released in a few locations in Portland, Oregon. The game was said to be very addictive, and attracted long lines of eager players. However, the game also had some disturbing effects on those who played it. Some reported experiencing headaches, nausea, seizures, nightmares, amnesia, or hallucinations after playing the game. Others became depressed, suicidal, or violent. Some even claimed that they were contacted by mysterious men in black suits who asked them questions about the game.

The legend also claims that the game machines were frequently visited by men in black who collected data from them, presumably for some sinister purpose. Some speculate that the game was part of a CIA mind control project called MKUltra, which involved experimenting with drugs, hypnosis, and other methods to manipulate human behavior. The game was allegedly designed to induce psychological stress, brainwash the players, or test their susceptibility to mind control.

According to the legend, the game disappeared as suddenly as it appeared, after only a few weeks or months of being available. No one knows what happened to the machines, or who was behind them. Some believe that the game never existed at all, and was just a hoax or a prank. Others think that the game was real, but was covered up by the government or some other powerful organization.

The Evidence for Polybius

By DocAtRS

Is there any evidence that Polybius actually existed? The answer is not very clear. There is no official record of such a game being produced or distributed by any known company. There is also no physical evidence of any Polybius machines or ROMs being found or preserved. The only sources that mention Polybius are anecdotal accounts from people who claim to have seen or played the game, or websites and articles that repeat the legend.

One of the earliest references to Polybius is a website called coinop.org, which was created in 1998 and contains information about various arcade games. The website has an entry for Polybius, which claims that the game was copyrighted in 1981 by a company called Sinneslöschen (German for "sense deletion"). The entry also claims that the website owner has a ROM image of the game, but has not released it to the public. However, there is no evidence that such a company or ROM image exists.

Another source that popularized the legend is a magazine article published in 2003 by GamePro, which featured a section called "Secrets and Lies" that discussed various video game myths and hoaxes. The article mentioned Polybius as an example of an urban legend that may have some truth to it. The article also cited an anonymous person who claimed to have worked on the game as a programmer, and said that it was part of a government experiment that went wrong.

Since then, the legend of Polybius has spread widely on the internet, especially on websites and forums dedicated to video games, urban legends, conspiracy theories, and creepypastas (short horror stories). Many people have created their own versions of the story, adding more details or changing some aspects. Some people have also tried to recreate the game based on their imagination or descriptions from others. For example, in 2006, a group called Rogue Synapse 5 made a mock-up of a Polybius cabinet and released a free downloadable game that simulates what they think the original game was like.

The Truth Behind Polybius

by Evan-Amos

So what is the truth behind Polybius? Is it possible that such a game existed and was part of a secret mind control experiment? Or is it just a fabrication based on rumors and imagination?

There is no definitive answer to this question, but there are some possible explanations that could account for some aspects of the legend. One possibility is that Polybius was inspired by some real arcade games that existed in the 1980s and had some unusual features or effects on players.

For example, one game that has been suggested as a possible influence for Polybius is Tempest, a vector graphics game released by Atari in 1981. Tempest was one of the first games to use a color vector monitor, which created bright and colorful geometric shapes on a black background. The game also had a fast and frantic gameplay, with the player controlling a claw-shaped spaceship that moved around the edge of a 3D tunnel, shooting at enemies that emerged from the center. The game had several levels, each with a different shape and color scheme for the tunnel.

Tempest was a popular and innovative game, but it also had some problems and glitches that may have contributed to the Polybius legend. For instance, some versions of the game had a hidden level select feature that could be accessed by pressing a certain combination of buttons on the control panel. However, this feature was not intended for public use, and could cause the game to malfunction or crash. Some players who accidentally activated this feature reported seeing strange symbols or messages on the screen, or experiencing seizures or headaches.

Another problem with Tempest was that some of the machines had faulty wiring or grounding, which could cause electric shocks to the players who touched the metal parts of the cabinet. This could explain why some people associated Polybius with electroshock therapy or mind control.

Another game that may have influenced the Polybius legend is Berzerk, a maze-shooter game released by Stern Electronics in 1980. Berzerk was one of the first games to feature speech synthesis, which allowed the game to produce voice messages such as "Intruder alert!" or "The humanoid must not escape!". The game also had a menacing antagonist called Evil Otto, a smiling bouncing ball that chased the player and could not be killed.

Berzerk was a challenging and addictive game, but it also had some tragic incidents associated with it. In 1981, an 18-year-old named Jeff Dailey died of a heart attack shortly after playing Berzerk and scoring 16,660 points. In 1982, another 18-year-old named Peter Burkowski died of a heart attack after playing Berzerk for 15 minutes and scoring two high scores. These deaths were widely reported in the media and raised concerns about the health effects of video games. Some people speculated that Berzerk had some hidden subliminal messages or frequencies that could affect the players’ hearts or brains.

These incidents may have inspired some elements of the Polybius legend, such as the reports of deaths, suicides, or brainwashing related to the game.

Conclusion

Polybius is one of the most enduring and intriguing urban legends in video game history. It is a story that combines elements of mystery, horror, science fiction, and conspiracy theory. It is also a story that reflects some of the fears and anxieties of the Cold War era, when people were worried about nuclear war, espionage, mind control, and government secrets.

However, there is no conclusive evidence that Polybius ever existed as a real arcade game or as part of a CIA experiment. The legend is most likely based on a combination of rumors, hoaxes, misunderstandings, and exaggerations. It is also possible that some aspects of the legend were influenced by some real arcade games that had some unusual features or effects on players.

Polybius may not be real, but it is still a fascinating and entertaining story that captures the imagination of many people who are interested in video games, urban legends, or both.