It may not have taken place within a game world, but what's arguably the first ever myth surrounding a video game deserves a mention. Back in the days when computers and arcade cabinets were still somewhat alien to the masses, rumours emerged about a malignant arcade cabinet called Polybius that caused people to have nightmares, amnesia, insomnia and other grim psychological ailments. One rumour suggests Polybius was designed by the American government to test peoples' mental resilience and find out if they were fit for the army. Others say it was a CIA brainwashing machine to, like, keep us all trapped in our little boxes and unable to fight the system that just wants us to, like, conform and dance to its tune and turn us into its drones. We probably shouldn't be surprised that Polybius apparently existed in Portland - a city that back in the 80s, before hipsters appeared (wildly, I'd imagine), was a pretty dreary place where the populace was in desperate need of stimulation. The fact is that at the time there were kids getting sick from playing too many arcade games, and there were FBI agents hanging around the Portland area - albeit to take down drug and gambling rings rather than take readings from the arcade cabinet as the locals believed. Polybius apparently disappeared in 1981, but rumours surrounding it continue to this day. There's currently a Kickstarter documentary in the works about it, and the machine is even rumoured to have been found as recently as 2011, though no pictures of it exist... of course.
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
