Mystery Monday: Polybius

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073786111 1 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's Monday, which means it's time for another...</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9X5lT_BsQR..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9X5lT_BsQR..." width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyone who grew up in the 80s knows how exciting it was to go to an arcade and play video games. Even if you had a gaming console in your home, it was nothing like the experience you had here:</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36hllhqXJg..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36hllhqXJg..." width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But in 1981, a new video game arrived in arcades. Or did it? Some say the story is an urban legend, while others insist it was real. There is supposedly a picture of the game, though, which was called Polybius:</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UxwuEkv8vI..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UxwuEkv8vI..." width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Polybius allegedly made its first appearance in Portland, Oregon. As the legend tells it, soon after arriving, interest in this particular video game soared, with children lining up to play. Men in suits occasionally stopped by to gather gameplay records from the game.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7V-vru3G9g..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7V-vru3G9g..." /></a></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This led to the theory that the video game was a project of the government, designed specifically to brainwash the youth of America. That version of the story even landed the game a brief appearance on the <a href="http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Polybius" target="_blank">popular TV show The Simpsons</a>:</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRxwKfcnOu..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRxwKfcnOu..." width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What happened to Polybius? Soon after being placed, some children supposedly began having seizures while playing. The game was removed soon after.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TSOF98zrlA..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TSOF98zrlA..." /></a></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Three children did get sick after visiting an arcade within the same week in the Portland area, although it wasn't connected to this game. <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/201..." target="_blank">Some believe</a> that is what kicked off the legend.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iOpdhqP7c4..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iOpdhqP7c4..." width="318" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Interestingly, the legend has led to a series of imitation video games. Today <a href="http://www.minotaurproject.co.uk/Virt..." target="_blank">you can play Polybius</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.minotaurproject.co.uk/Virt..." target="_blank"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-badGkFyfed..." width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A group tried to earn enough money <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/..." target="_blank">on Kickstarter</a> to make a film about the legend, but they never reached their goal. Chances are, someday we'll see a documentary on the subject.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do you think Polybius was a real game?</span>