Polybius: The most dangerous arcade game ever made? - BBC REEL

[@lundsweden]

Polybius was an ancient Roman philosopher, who was born in Arcadia!

[@canislupus125]

Polybius (/pəˈlɪbiəs/; Greek: Πολύβιος, Polýbios; c. 200 - c. 118 BC[2]) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period.

[@Gideon0297]

😂😂😂

[@driftergrey]

That dink.. 😅

[@Hikikomori_Gaming]

I have the REAL polybius game.

[@Flacksh0t]

You don't, you use bots to upvote your comment, there is no content about polybius on you profile.

[@markusTegelane]

Stop making up fake stories

[@TheCrazyStudent]

No, BBC has the reel game.

[@ghostlydolph]

morbius

[@ProbablyCrispyBacon]

ok really?? real

[@shanemathews4177]

In the 90s, I went to a city council meeting where they were debating legalizing VLT video Lottery terminals. They had an expert from the University who was testifying how they were designed to put you in a robotic state. At university, I then ran into a guy who got a job, after they legalized the vlts at one of the local casinos. He set up hidden cameras to test the robotic state theory... and I used to go sit with him and watch people come in, in a very normal and gregarious state. They would then sit down at the terminal and within a short amount of time, their features would droop and they would become disassociated, until they were out of money.

[@lj7169]

Doesn't that apply to all arcade games and fruit machines though? Lol

[@shanemathews4177]

@@lj7169 you're a fruit machine

[@hectorazurdia9870]

My Mom

[@Dubya3030]

I have worked nearly 5 years at a handful of casinos and this is without a doubt true. One thing that always fascinates me is how much they put into the animations and the creativity of machine play and bonus games. It is absolutely entrancing and it’s absolutely intentional. There is a study they did where they found the brain activity associated with doing cocaine is nearly identical to the brain activity of gambling. I can’t count how many times I’ve watched a customer spend their entire paycheck(I cashed it) and I always told them straight up “I don’t feel bad for you because I warned you and told you to leave before you spend this”. I’m an empathetic person so I’d go against what my employer would want and encourage people to not gamble.

[@mitina2191]

Five nights at Freddy's

[@加藤道三]

Such stories have existed since ancient times. A clay tablet in ancient Egypt stated that "if people use paper, human abilities will decline."

[@kimblecheat]

The game was based on research into flicker rate of tv to control mood by the Japanese Govt - it is possible to induce all sorts of behaviour through that. As ever, yes, you're right - those in power and the aged are always worried by new things, esp those that turn into a movement.

[@lj7169]

We used to be able to make stones fly with our brains until we started reading magazines

[@renatopinto3186]

Makes you wonder how ancient Egyptians fared in the toilet. Not very well, I presume.

[@zinjanthropus322]

Using paper probably diminished our abilities to memorize things. Same with calculators and search engines.

[@hectorazurdia9870]

Your Mom

[@Mecha120]

Yalls need to watch Ahoy's video on Polybius. He straight up found the guy who fabricated the myth and his motive was pretty much just to drive traffic to his arcade database website.

[@HoistusMaximus]

Looking for this comment

[@itsjust_nova1]

There are many people who recall playing the game in arcades

[@Gideon0297]

Could Ahoy be controlled opposition???

[@MegaZeta]

@@Gideon0297 to an arcade game?

[@Gideon0297]

@@MegaZeta you know exactly what i mean ...

[@jojoanggono3229]

Bourne must have been really good at this arcade game. Btw "Bius" in certain language means "anesthesia". So Polybius might means "many forms of anestesia". How bizzare.

[@agke_kar]

Βίος in greek (like in the name of the Greek historian Πολύβιος) means life

[@Hydro_9293]

I love how that dudes name is drinkwater

[@ineedabetterusername7424]

For an academic who specializes in conspiracies -- That's highly suspicious. As if it's a code word to demonstrate he's the only one "drinking water," while everyone else is "drinking the kool-aid." Coincidence?

[@Hydro_9293]

@@ineedabetterusername7424 Illuminati confirmed

[@hectorazurdia9870]

My Mom

[@justamicrowave5297]

I like to imagine that drink water is an old version of touch grass

[@727Phoenix]

I'd like to see urban legends about the long-term effects on middle-aged people whose brains got sucked into Polybius, like how it made them dangerous criminals or something.

[@deanfirnatine7814]

Maybe Polybius warped so thousands of minds and that is why Portland is the way it is

[@727Phoenix]

@@deanfirnatine7814 Now I really want to visit Portland!

[@ineedabetterusername7424]

@@727Phoenix Be careful what you wish for...

[@ineedabetterusername7424]

@@deanfirnatine7814 Someone tried to sacrifice me in downtown once while I was visiting. Started screaming stuff about "the gods demand appeasement" or whatever. I turned the corner only to find some rando taking a dump in the middle of the sidewalk, who then looked at me with contempt and said, "What're you lookin at, jackass?" In the same afternoon, I went to a run-down public toilet stall near one of the camps -- and a man was filling up his water-bottle from the horrifically abused sink. The way he spoke about the "sweet waters of Mt Tabor" and the "freshest tap in Portland," you'd think he'd discovered the Fountain of Youth. Then some rando -- different from the pooping rando -- started following me, rambling on and on about demons and the apocalypse and "God's hatred of mankind" and a bunch of fancy-sounding names I'd never heard before and he only stopped when I started sing opera at him, and finally made it to the bookstore. He didn't like that. I tell you -- Portland is the most kafkaesque place I've ever been...

[@727Phoenix]

@@ineedabetterusername7424 Okay, maybe I no longer wish be to visit Portland. Not that it was ever on my wish list to begin with but hey, thanks for the heads up.

[@Metatron141]

In my local arcade back in the 80s arcades were dangerous. Lots of gangs, drug deals and violence took place in my local arcade. I don't recall Polybius though.

[@rippalmer6296]

I've seen games that I sometimes wonder were real, but they were not polybius

[@srpdesigns]

I remember it the exact same way....crazy times and I loved it

[@Metatron141]

@@srpdesigns I grew up in Vancouver Canada and it was poorer back in early 80s. Life was simple and you're right it was crazy but everyone figured it out and moved on. Good times.

[@srpdesigns]

@@Metatron141 Same here It amazes me how the same things were happening in other small towns 1000s of Miles away... Im from CT and it was just as dark here...We had two arcades and one of those two was a complete blood bath... It really was an unattended building at end of town with no streetlights, it always looked like a fight had just gone down and there was something about the place I just liked being there.. Im sure it had to do with the older sluttier girls in town lololl

[@Metatron141]

@@srpdesigns nice lol, I used to catch the bus to go to a pool hall/ arcade in a place called North Burnaby and the second was on 3rd and Lonsdale. Everytime I went there I saw first nations gangs, Chinese gangs and local tough guys looking for trouble. I seen so many fights and brawls in these arcades but it was definitely exciting. I saw drug deals, guys selling knives in the bathrooms, the carpet was always damp with booze and the girls definitely were slutty lol. Back in the day kids just loved to scrap and didn't care about the police. Very different times.

[@EpicJasonX9000]

It’s my favorite urban legend and severely underused as a plot for a horror movie which is just begging to be made (especially if it’s by John Carpenter), but I’m convinced that the myth is a hoax. I honestly would recommend watching Ahoy’s video on it since he goes in depth about it.

[@brandoncollins952]

I'm actually surprised a horror / thriller named Polybius: (insert unnecessary secondary title here) isn't already a limited series on Netflix.

[@EpicJasonX9000]

@@brandoncollins952 the closest we ever got to a Polybius film was an independent film from recent years starring Tom Atkins from Halloween III: Season Of The Witch. Which is funny because that’s the kind of film that I see as a Polybius based horror film in terms of style, tone, and slowly built tension & dread.

[@Rgoid]

Bishop of Battle: Hold my beer . . .

[@jasongall7634]

@@EpicJasonX9000 I believe the old animated teenage mutant ninja turtles had an episode about this... game was called temptress.

[@frddyboi2496]

There's a show on Hulu and KZbin called Dimension 404 that has an episode based off of the Polybius myth

[@EJAVAM07]

"I would definitely be that kind of writer." - Kevin. Not a lie, but it sure looked like he didn't want to make eye contact about it.

[@patricksanders858]

Law enforcement was there to assess the amount of money the arcades we're making in order to take down money laundering and gambling. Oh...and drugs....lots and lots of drugs. How else can a kid play a game for 60 hours? Sniff sniff snort!

[@greyson3421]

2 weeks later: The CIA has admitted to have also used arcade based video games as part of a similar program to the now infamous MK Ultra project. Me: 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@eyeseer1]

Videodrome is real. Randonautica is subjective.

[@DANIELRONCA716]

Polybius doesn't exist. The true story is about Tempest and why vector screens are so dim. Companies always test out new cabinets in rural arcades to see if they will profit and work correctly. The thing is the screen on tempest was too bright and a kid had a seizure because of it. So the executives (men in suits) came down to inspect the system and then called the engineers to pick it up over night, because the trip was like 6-8 hours long. The cabinet was worked on for a few more weeks to fix the screen and make new artwork so the machine stood out. Well some asshole decided to tell the fucked up version of the story in the mid 90s and renamed it Polybius to make it more interesting. Polybius Is Tempest. Plain and simple. I know, I used to run an arcade on the Las Vegas strip in the 2000s and was in contact with insiders.

[@UFOCurrents]

I loved Tempest!! I'm 51 now but that game was insanely awesome. 😎👍

[@あおりんご-b6t]

Was interested on seeing the video of this article with other channels; if it is true, can understand very much

[@joshfactor1]

that makes sense to me; i mean if it were real, why does no one seem to know what the gameplay is?

[@TheCerealHobbyist]

Interesting that she says it was at Lloyd Center, but every other story of it is that it was at Malibu Grand Prix in Beaverton, a Portland suburb. I grew up 40 miles north of Portland and spent a LOT of time at both places. Malibu was a go-kart place with a pretty great but small arcade. It was, unlike a lot of arcades, really bright. It wasn't the dark black light reactive arcade of the 80s that we all think of. The main business at Malibu was the go-karts and the arcade was really just a place to wait for your turn on the track. I have very vivid memories of it. Were one to want a "trance inducing" environment, Malibu would be the last place to use. I've been in technology my whole life and was very active in newsgroups, especially about arcades and arcade games. I had never heard this rumor until 1999 when I read it in a retro gaming newsgroup. I did name my retro multicade cabinet Polybius though....I mean, I kinda had to.

[@sciencetablet2634]

Nice testimony ☺️

[@hectorazurdia9870]

My Mom

[@pakde8002]

Mom, I told you, I am doing an interview with BBC, just pay the pizza delivery guy and close the basement door, please!

[@vtrbx-robloxandmore9183]

Dude a creepypasta went so far that even bbc covered it, bet you sonic.exe is next

[@karlashdown5228]

interactive storytellers were once called bullshit artists.

[@Pr0fess0rT]

"Planting a seed and having them create their own monsters" is an awe-full truth. What a disgusting thing to admit to doing... ... .. Now imaging a future society where the seeds we plant promotes positive vibes..

[@faceduro6719]

I'm surprised there's no one in Hollywood not even Disney has used this storyline and made a movie out of it... could be an interesting movie to see a out the myth of Polybius

[@donovandelaney3171]

The game’s flashing lights and colors would also give people seizures.

[@thesmirkingwolf]

**winces at tv** "This isnt 'Ahoy.'"

[@ThePhillydog1971]

Polybius text is only traceable in net archives.. Back until Feb 2000..

[@muzkat101]

I kind of have this type of experience too; while living in a small town in Northern California back in 1974/5, we had a small convenient store with a few arcade games. However, one of them was Space Invaders. Well, as most of you know Space Invaders didn't come out until later; I think 1978. But the fact remains; while we just moved to this small town, we had one already up and playable, and I spent time during the summer months playing it. Is it at all possible that this game was already in early production, possibly a test model, long before its original release date?

[@mcdonaldpuddin]

or a false memory? Most logical explanation.

[@broccolinyu911]

Everyone's talkin about Polybius but nobody's gonna comment on the fact that the guy's name is "Drinkwater"

[@Julian_80cc]

The clip where you showed the game made me get shock waves through my bones almost a heart atack

[@into_the_void]

This would make a great SCP character

[@eyeseer1]

It would be an intrigue of Randonautica study or quantum computer study.

[@131kimber]

Never stopped. Everyone "wonders" why people seem glued to their cell phones, lap tops and computers. Now the code has been incorporated into Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo and Android apps.

[@Matthew-uy6lc]

I was in Portland in the 80's and played the game, all I remember was it gave you a headache and I didn't like it. Rumor was tho that when the cab was removed that there were federal agents there, multiple people(kids) said this. My best guess is that it was like the song Louie Louie and whatever federal agency didn't 'get it' so they investigated but it was just a game. Not a very good game either.

[@mjmz147]

Dr. Ken Drinkwater.. my man.. such a name..

[@9tophat]

Liked your video very much. I was in high school from 1984-1988, so the arcades were a big part of life then. Incidentally, the narrator of this video sounds exactly like Christopher Eccleston. (Dr. Who) Cheers!🙂

[@JennyTikI_San]

So they said the song cabinet man from lemon demon was based of from this right?

[@yaelmurillo1863]

Me: Doctor, I have the worst headache and I don’t know what to do. My doctor: 2:50

[@natecw4164]

6:15 I mean... That's a nice way to refer to someone who essentially profited off of saying his dad works at Nintendo.

[@ERJLifer]

if anyone in interested in a deeper dive into this, there is a youtube by the name AHOY that did an hour long dig into Polybius and the quality is TOP NOTCH

[@itsyertagain]

I could have remembered i had played it.

[@saulreyes2976]

Remember the last starfighter??

[@oneshotme]

Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@datfunnyboss]

Anyone know the music that would play when you would complete the original game?

[@KingFriday274]

Polybius wasn't at lloyd center, it was at Malibu Grand Prix in Beaverton.

[@derekdahamm468]

The sand shuffling, in attempt to bury this.

[@alaingraham]

Stuart ashens made a movie on the polybius called the polybius heist.

[@automatticcomics]

Kind of the brown couch

[@krtlkid]

avgn brought me here.

[@automatticcomics]

HOW did the researcher on this story not contact. And include ASHENS. Total fail

[@turtleman2370]

No offence to Ken but I was dying of laughter after hearing the name Drinkwater

[@chemistcontrol]

I go to the nostalgia arcade here by me and I'm addicted because the beer is cheep, then I come home and get sick sometimes. Yup must be the games I doubt the beer $85 beer drinking tab does it🤣

[@harambetidepod1451]

Steve Jobs did not allow his children to use iPads.

[@noodle9670]

Every time I search your name I get something waaaay different

[@micaholson7293]

The closest game I can think of that's influenced by this would be pony island, though I think a future game could do better.

[@Sweatyfriends]

Holy smokes it’s cabinet man

[@emansfvera]

Shiieett I've felt what he describes playing polibius while playing street fighter in tournament setting lol.

[@MemphiStig]

Lord, what fools these mortals be!

[@ericB3444]

Sun you were being mean to them soon stop here

[@chantellejohnson7055]

They have this game on steam. But it's called Polybius Invaders. Says it is from 1979.

[@dragondude9637]

No AVGN reference!? His vid on Polybius was awesome!

[@nikkisundori]

the moment she said "allegedly" I stopped watching

[@earth_is_beautiful98]

3:03 I just now realised it was September 11

[@Amy-m9s]

Are we having fun yet

[@DanielChin-v3g]

when backlit screens were new and the indoor preferring population began using screens with lights started getting connected to digital displays over real sunlight.... look at them settings yall iPhones got for daytime shift and blue light adjustments. pray blessings over my usernames stay safe

[@neilbeni7744]

What's the difference between gaming and social media ? You can get more stats with social media..

[@gotophotoarchive9131]

Never heard of this game :(.

[@SlickRick4EVER]

I have. This game is quite fun.

[@bengrogan1992]

Hay if you ever tryed mouse trap arcade has a kid back in the 80s very addictive you kind of get zoned in that zoned in effect after 24 hours of playing you can get very sick it causes you to hallucinate .

[@CoMa_84]

How many steps to the Lighthouse?

[@andikhendrawan]

is true _Polybius_ was the dangerous game?... but I don't find any ROM of this game at internet

[@the_legit_tsm]

It never existed and games you find are Polybius in name alone. Check out the documentary by Ahoy, he covered this in great detail and it's fascinating

[@sublimeade]

"and thats really happened" "and thats true" No factual evidence, linked stories. - BBC

[@soumyabratachakraborty5239]

Wow urban legend around arcade games!! This is unique stuff

[@amandaisbananas420]

Here after Shane's podcast lol

[@coreycalebhancock5600]

who paid a boomer to talk about polybuis

[@dcuoSyMBOLiC]

It's not a hoax it's just that game didn't exist but others did the experiments were real just not the game Polybius itself

[@nofriendsforever6145]

Just ask Kurt Koller

[@Mecha120]

The fact that people are still taking about his myth to this day, the little troll probably won't ever admit it because he still has their intrigue.

[@ivaxnog6157]

Let me try it again

[@mikicerise6250]

40 years later... League of Legends: 'Hold my 🍺', MK-ULTRA. 🤣

[@teslaandhumanity7383]

MK Ultra , stranger things , Montauk project .

[@Deltium5683]

This is very poor journalism. You base an ENTIRE piece on pure speculation and hearsay with absolutely ZERO evidence?? This is NOT the standard that I expected for the BBC. Shame on the producers of this content!

[@followtheboat]

You should write to Points of View. The BBC needs to hear your grievance.

[@zhrob1]

@@followtheboat you can write but they keep their own slant of view. Objective journalist are a rare and an endangered species.

[@followtheboat]

@@zhrob1 I was being sarcastic. No one cares how you feel about BBC journalism. I don't care about Fox News journalism either but I don't waste my life posting pointless comments about it on youtube. Don't like? Don't watch.

[@zhrob1]

@@followtheboat gotcha. Although there was a time where BBC like CBC in canada was once set up with the mission to give balanced and unbias views. Being selective as you say is okay but oftentimes it is like going to a library back in the day and going to a certain section wasting a lot of time looking for something worth reading.

[@followtheboat]

@@zhrob1 that's still the case with many aspects of the BBC, the World Service being one of them, but unless you're British license payer no one can criticise its content any more than any other free content on the Internet. These people also forget that the BBC isn't just a news channel, yet the majority of people complaining like the OP are those whose political views are not propped up by BBC news. Either way, it's getting to be a very boring trope.

[@Mellllllllllina]

Uhm, they could’ve had hallucinations. Playing too long us technechnically resulting with hallucinations. Focusing in one thing, and looking you’re having a blank stare seizure, you’re suffering. Polybius is a game, with special technical additions that when you play that long, you could have hallucinations. Might be the reason - Kobra

[@Mellllllllllina]

An Illuminati, that does give you the reason too! - Kobra

[@B0b_law_blahblah]

Tetris is all of these.

[@jameslaiola4976]

I think pac man was made to test military escape artistry

[@f0cai_395]

this was obviously inspired by ahoys video

[@kleveronefourthreetwo]

The only video game that rots your brain.

[@Therealgeoffchilds]

Is there any arcade owners who can vouge for having the game?

[@nevadaxelizabeth]

I like how this reel from the BBC completely disregards the hour and so video from Ahoy which is also British. How ironic

[@mrdripling4192]

Came here to say this. That's a proper video!

[@sederquest]

What about the arcade game derren brown set up in a pub

[@mattpavey3062]

I was the mattrix prodigy

[@hansmaulwurf9051]

Ahoy!

[@dubsar]

Bring me the addictive games, please!

[@mattbugr4283]

Tempest

[@ericB3444]

This was so boring. My team had to come in and tell me to ENJOY A CHEESE TREAT.

[@sammytimgaming2947]

Its just a myth/legend, that my or could of been physically possibly to have happened or existed in that time or place.

[@sammytimgaming2947]

Conspiracy theories are fun ways, we can take our world into a fun story.

[@sammytimgaming2947]

Most myths in he years forwarded, would have to take it as fake but known as truth. And only take the events and information as truth.

[@sammytimgaming2947]

Just like stories, told back then. We have it take as a grain of salt. But take the story as truth.

[@snottytot808]

Kinda wild they did an ep on a hoax

[@conservativedragon]

I believe in this 100%

[@silverish6581]

Polybius == Matrix

[@eyeseer1]

Randonautica? Matrix?

[@svenschindler5649]

Cet Olybrius parlait comme un Patagon! (Haddock)

[@alho9231]

Ouais mec!

[@troydhansen4990]

Mind Kontrol Ultra was perfected by MI5 from the Nazis.

[@shanemathews4177]

Bunch of Portland hippies lol

[@nikken8]

Ken Drink water? 😂😂😭😭

[@Sharkbyte1000]

i thought this was a fictional game made up for dimension 404! didnt know it was real!

[@estefaniagarciaequihualapa8927]

LONG LIVE POLYBIUS!!!!! LONG LIVE MK ULTRA (WITHOUT THE OCEANÍA TOTEMS' DISTURBING PART)!!!!!!!! LONG LIVEEEEEEEEE

[@dadejay2306]

I know what happened to this game you can chalk it all up to the mandela effect

[@mohamadsowaid6275]

I played polybius.

[@coastcreature25]

Lemon demon reference???

[@jijzer3284]

That al because of kurt