Weird Wednesday: The Strange History of Polybius
Today’s Weird Wednesday post involves a supposed “real” 1981 arcade game known as Polybius. The legend states that a multitude of Polybius machines were quietly sent to select arcades in Portland, Oregon. It was reportedly described as having an unassuming appearance, with a simplistic black cabinet and the Polybius logo in bold green letters.
The gameplay was claimed to be simple but strangely addictive. Players controlled a ship that collected geometric shapes to continually “feed” a growing “core” while orbiting it. If the player failed to collect enough shapes, the game would then end. “Players” claim that Polybius’ gameplay loop was highly addictive, which was only worsened by flashing messages on the screen telling players to “feed the core”. In fact, many report having suffered from amnesia, hallucinations, and seizures.
The most interesting part of this legend is what “happened” to the machines. After a few weeks, they were reportedly visited by men in black, who would harvest unknown data from the machines. The cabinets would then completely disappear, being removed from all the arcades in Oregon. Some theories suggest that Polybius was a test by the CIA to experiment with mind control. However, there is a much more reasonable answer to the Polybius legend.
Interestingly, some real events from 1981 may have directly contributed to the Polybius legend. Two gamers from the Portland area reportedly fell ill at the same arcade on the same day. One of these gamers, a then 12-year-old, had to end a 28-hour session of Asteroids due to severe stomach pains. Around the same time, the FBI raided multiple arcades in the area for suspected illegal gambling through tampered cabinets. While these events are unrelated to Polybius, their timing and circumstances may have led to the legend growing as fast as it did.
The rumors about the “men in black” may have also been based on Atari’s testing procedures for new games. The company would commonly place a few new cabinets in arcades to record consumer responses. Atari would remain secretive about this practice to avoid competitors copying their ideas.
The final nail in the coffin for Polybius is when the story actually gained traction: around the year 2000, nearly two decades after the time of the events. Even to this day, there has been no physical/tangible evidence of the game’s existence. Still, you can “play” the game online here. Also, for a more in-depth explanation of the legend, check out this video:
Post Comment