The Bizarre Story of the Mythical Polybius Arcade Game
Was this a government-created video game — or just an urban legend?
We all love an urban legend, but the legend of the Polybius arcade game may have some facts behind it to back it up.
The Polybius arcade game supposedly came out in 1981 in Portland, Oregon. The urban legend revolves around it being used by the government for mind control, and to recruit kids to be soldiers. It supposedly made people sick, and men in black were often seen around the arcades.
This is a classic urban legend and tailor-made for kids growing up in the 1980s. There were no social networks, Reddit threads, or anything like that — so it was all word of mouth.
It's like the one about the kid who died from drinking too much Jolt Cola.
The legend really didn’t take off until the early days of the internet, but it’s also considered one of the first true internet urban legends. The difference with the Polybius legend is that there may be some kernels of truth to it.
We just need to look a bit deeper into these “truths.”
What Was the Polybius Arcade Game?
In 1981, in Portland, Oregon, a mysterious black arcade cabinet showed up. The mysterious game only showed up in Portland, a few…
