D (2:29)

Get on it, Jake.

A (2:29)

On it.

C (2:30)

In the previous episode, we examined how this legend might have come to be, how moral panics erupted around video games at that time. Older generations were worried about the addictive nature of the games and their economic impact on the young players. Likewise, there were actual reports of physical harm coming to those who played certain games, most commonly, migraines. To top it all off, the FBI really was examining arcade cabinets in that area at that time. And military recruiters were hounding particularly skilled players to enlist. If all of this were true, was Polybius real? Stuart Brown established that prior to 2003, all mentions of Polybius on Usenet were in reference to the philosopher rather than the arcade game. Likewise, the memories of intense Discussion of Polybius were likely people misremembering Pink Floyd's Publius Enigma. When then did Polybius first show up? Most people first learned about Polybius through GamePro magazine.

A (3:30)

Wow.

C (3:31)

Blast from the past, right?

A (3:32)

Yeah, but I mean, that was like, mainstream at the time. I mean, there were only a handful. GamePro EGM.

C (3:38)

Yeah. Before the Internet was widespread, the best place to get information about upcoming games, and more importantly, cheat codes and walkthroughs, was a gaming magazine. GamePro was one of the best selling at the turn of the century, with a monthly circulation of around 500,000 issues.

A (3:54)

Wow.

C (3:55)

I can still remember how exciting it was to flip through one at a friend's house or in the supermarket.

A (4:00)

Oh, yeah, I loved these magazines. This was to see the pictures of what an upcoming game was going to look like. Oh, there was nothing better.

D (4:12)

Extremely exciting.

C (4:14)

Going through some of these old magazines. I think I might have actually had this issue at one point.

A (4:20)

That's awesome.

C (4:21)

I remember some of the ads in particular that were in it. And it's all available on the Internet Archive for anybody curious to actually flip through a magazine. But in issue number 180, published in September 2003, there was a supplemental article by Dan Electronic, real surname Amrich, that raised a few eyebrows. Enticingly titled Secrets and Lies, the article addressed six video game urban legends, deeming them either true, false, or inconclusive. To the dismay of readers everywhere, Electro slapped a false on the idea that topless Lara Croft was programmed into Tomb Raider.

A (5:01)

Wait, I think I might have had this issue as well. I remember reading the debunking of that,

D (5:07)

being very, very disappointed. Yeah, there was a naked Chun Li rumor too. There were. It was basically like any hot girl in game. It was like, what if you could see her naked? And then it became a legend.

A (5:19)

Yes, that was like a very. I remember that being a very popular rumor that you could get Lara Croft to. There was some way that you could derobe her.

C (5:29)

There was a specific code that supposedly did it. And the rumor was that in the second Tomb Raider game, if you entered that code in it, crashed your game without saving it.

D (5:40)

Oh, yeah, to punish you. To punish you for wanting to see those big, big natural polygons.

C (5:45)

Yeah, exactly.

A (5:45)

I remember there were other, like, secrets that I discovered. Like being able to do the handstand when you're climbing up on a cliff. Like, I remember discovering that for the first time. Oh, those old games. A different time, simpler times.

D (6:01)

He's drifting again.

C (6:03)

So when it came to Polybius, however, Electro's label was inconclusive. Jake, would you like to be electronic?

A (6:10)

Yes, of course. The government made an arcade game that erased kids memories and gave them horrific nightmares. Using games for military training is one thing. Using games for mind control, well, that's something else. But there is a cryptic tale of an arcade game called Polybius that appeared in only a handful of locations in Portland, Oregon in the early 1980s. Credited to a company called Sinislocian, Polybius, named for a Greek historian who also dabbled in cryptography, was an abstract puzzle game that reportedly caused nightmares and memory loss in those who played it. Sinislauschen is German for sense deleting, and some supposedly swore off games for good. And to seal the deal, one arcade owner claimed that black coated gentlemen would periodically come to collect data, but not coins from the machines.

D (7:01)

It would be way funnier to have the FBI jangling around like their pockets full of quarters like, we did it boys, we found the money for the next Iran Contra.

A (7:13)

Unfortunately, the main thing that's missing is proof. While Iran reportedly exists, it hasn't actually been located. A title screen is all anyone seems to be able to produce, and these are easy to create in Photoshop. The company name's font is the same one Williams used on several of its games, making cut and paste easy for an aspiring prankster. Also, nobody seems to be willing to name names or authenticate any of the tales floating around the intern. Nothing can be verified by a reliable source. But still, what if it's true?

D (7:45)

Yes, the Jake approach to journalism.

A (7:47)

But still. Yeah, the but. Yeah, it's the. It's the but still.

D (7:51)

Yeah, I wonder if Travis is almost here. I feel like if we work on him a little more, he'll be like directionally correct.

A (7:57)

It's like all conspiracy theories. It's like the army doesn't need to disguise it. They just release like three pretty decent shooters, honestly called America's Army 1, 2 and 3 and make it free to download and then like hit you up and be like, hey, you've sniped 150 domes. Like we think you might be good at doing this for real.

D (8:16)

Yeah, this is like how 60s and 70s paranoia, I think seems, I don't know, esoteric and interesting and cool. Whereas releasing like soldiertrainer.com and having everybody go there on purpose knowing exactly what it is is way closer to reality.

C (8:34)

500 kills and you get a job offer.

D (8:38)

There we go, baby.

A (8:39)

You've been listening to a sample of a premium episode of the QAA podcast for access to the full episode as well as all past premium episodes and all of our podcast miniseries go to patreon.com QAA Travis, why is that such a good deal?

B (8:54)

Well, Jake, you get hundreds of additional episodes of the QAA podcast for just $5 per month. For that very low price, you get access to over 200 premium episodes, plus all of our miniseries. That includes 10 episodes of Man Plan with Julian the Nanny, 10 episodes of Perverts with Julian and Liv, 10 episodes of the Spectral Voyager with Jake and Brad, plus 20 episodes of Trickle down with Me Travis View. It's a bounty of content and the best deal in podcasting.

D (9:23)

Travis, for once I agree with you. And I also agree that people could subscribe by going to patreon.comqaa well, that's

A (9:31)

not an opinion, it's a fact.

D (9:33)

You're so right, Jake.

A (9:34)

We love and appreciate all of our listeners.

D (9:36)

Yes, we do. And Travis is actually crying right now, I think out of gratitude.

B (9:40)

Maybe that's not true. The part about me crying, not me being grateful. I'm very grateful.