Tyler Bass
Forbidden Knowledge TV
June 5, 2015
Were the stories of the mind-controlling arcade game Polybius just urban legend? Following revelations in the 1970s that the CIA had done real mind-control experiments, the then-new technology of video games became a target for suspicion. They were, and are, addictive and can lead players to put off the sleep they need; staring too long at a screen can cause headaches. As early as 1981, when Polybius allegedly began its manipulative mission in Portland, Ore., game designer Atari had cooperated with the military to create the kinds of training simulations that are now ubiquitous. Was that collaboration the source of the Polybius legend?
