Episode 156: Polybius, Recorded Live at Helium Comedy Club - Portland

 At the height of the video game craze in the early 80s, this arcade machine was said to take from its players a lot more than quarters. Kids who spent time in front of its screen allegedly suffered headaches, nightmares, amnesia, or worse. Soon men in black suits whisked the cabinets away, leaving behind nothing but a legend. Was this a case of the government using mass media to control the minds of the youth, or can this story be rated M for myth? This week’s episode is Polybius.

SOURCES

Polybius on CoinOp (origin): https://www.coinop.org/Game/103223/Polybius

REINVESTIGATING POLYBIUS: WITH 2015 UPDATE, RetroBitch: https://retrobitch.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/reinvestigating-polybius-with-2015-update/

POLYBIUS - The Video Game That Doesn't Exist, Ahoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7X6Yeydgyg

The Crazy Urban Legend of the Killer Arcade Machine, Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/the-crazy-urban-legend-of-the-killer-arcade-machine-5865357

'Polybius' is real, Input Magazine: https://www.inputmag.com/gaming/polybius-is-real-video-game-urban-legend

Can Video Games Really Trigger a Seizure?, Dell Childrens: https://www.dellchildrens.net/services-and-programs/neuroscience-epilepsy/latest-news/can-video-games-really-trigger-a-seizure/

Stimulus Overload: ‘Video game epilepsy’ causes seizures in young and old, Journal of Emergency Medical Services:

Malibu Raceway gets back on track, Beaverton Valley Times: https://pamplinmedia.com/bvt/15-news/151518-malibu-raceway-gets-back-on-track

2 Arrested, One Sought In Video Arcade Killings, New York Times: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1983/07/03/012731.html?pageNumber=14

MESQUITE, TEX., VS. 'EVIL EMPIRE', New York Times: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1982/01/23/183842.html?pageNumber=7

Executive Order 12333--United States intelligence activities, National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12333.html

Malibu Raceway on FourSquare (Now Closed): https://foursquare.com/v/malibu-raceway/4bad7633f964a52051533be3

The Polybius Conspiracy’s Story of an Arcade Urban Legend Is Twisty Fun. It’s Also Fake, Slate: https://slate.com/culture/2017/11/the-polybius-conspiracy-investigates-an-urban-legend-and-creates-one.html

The Simpsons: https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Polybius

What We Know About the CIA’s Midcentury Mind-Control Project, Smithsonian Magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-we-know-about-cias-midcentury-mind-control-project-180962836/

CIA v. Sims, 471 US 159 (1985): https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?q=471+U.S.+159&hl=en&as_sdt=2,33&case=16297847318525168348&scilh=0#[2]

Full text of "Final report of the Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, United States Senate, Internet Archive: https://archive.org/stream/finalreportofsel01unit/finalreportofsel01unit_djvu.txt

Polybius, BitParade: http://web.archive.org/web/20080507174244/http://bitparade.co.uk/modules/articles/article.php?id=21

The Urban Legend of the Government’s Mind-Controlling Arcade Game, Atlas Obscura: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-urban-legend-of-the-governments-mindcontrolling-arcade-game

POLYBIUS AND THE ORIGINS OF THE SEPARATION OF POWERS, Libertarianism: https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/polybius-origins-separation-powers

Polybius Square, Crypto Corner: https://crypto.interactive-maths.com/polybius-square.html

Loki, Disney Plus: https://www.disneyplus.com/series/loki/6pARMvILBGzF 

The Legend of Polybius, the Arcade Game That Never Existed, The Oregonian: https://thatoregonlife.com/2018/11/urban-legend-polybius/

U.S. Military Recruitment On Twitch May Be Controversial But Isn’t Likely To Stop Anytime Soon, Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/masonsands/2020/07/20/military-recruitment-on-twitch/

HOW THE F.B.I. MADE 'WINNERS DON'T USE DRUGS' THE ARCADE MOTTO OF THE '90S, Inverse: https://www.inverse.com/article/5193-how-the-f-b-i-made-winners-don-t-use-drugs-the-arcade-motto-of-the-90s

Twitch Forces U.S. Army To Stop Tricking Viewers With Fake Giveaways, Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/twitch-forces-u-s-army-to-stop-tricking-viewers-with-f-1844405124

U.S. Army’s Twitch Chat Is Banning People For Asking About War Crimes, Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/u-s-army-s-twitch-chat-banning-people-for-asking-about-1844337978

Polybius: The Story Behind the World's Most Mysterious Arcade Cabinet, EuroGamer: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-05-22-polybius-the-story-behind-the-worlds-most-mysterious-arcade-cabinet

Bradley Trainer: Atari’s Top Secret Military Project, The Arcade Blogger: https://arcadeblogger.com/2016/10/28/bradley-trainer-ataris-top-secret-military-project/