Since the earliest days, the video game community has loved to discuss weird and strange things. With no Internet, people spread rumors by word-of-mouth. People told each other the most outrageous things. Many rumors were part reality and fiction. This made it difficult to understand which were true or false.

Some myths still keep the attention of gamers around the world. Others were proven to be honest mistakes or elaborate hoaxes. But their effect on the gaming community never went away. Thanks to these myths, people still try to find hidden content and Easter eggs in new titles. There are several urban myths people still talk about after many years.

Polybius

The 1980s were a simpler time. Kids spent their free time outdoors and in arcades. They learned from textbooks that things like “do my online homework for me” were in the science fiction section. The myth tells of a strange arcade cabinet that was introduced to several Portland arcades back in 1981.

It became an instant classic among kids. Some of them spent hours and hundreds of quarters in these machines. But long exposure to Polybius reportedly caused:

• a sense of time slowing down or speeding up;

• headaches;

• nausea;

• seizures.

Rumors had it that men in black suits showed up every day to download data from these machines. The myth was a popular topic for several months but soon died out. Most of the existing evidence seemed anecdotal. But some researchers claim that there are reports of two men having seizures on the same day in Portland.

Others claim that the US military approached Atari to develop a game for combat training. This happened in the middle of 1981. Over the years, there have been many mentions of a game existing. One person even took credit for its development. But no solid proof of these claims was ever produced.

Luigi’s Mansion Had a Darker Version

Nintendo created one of the brightest and light-hearted games with Mario. Yet, things took a darker tone when it came to Luigi’s Mansion. This game focused on Mario’s brother Luigi. Players controlled the Italian plumber as he made his way through a haunted mansion. While the game still had a cheerful aesthetic, it was a surprising premise for a Nintendo game.

There was a rumor circulating that Luigi’s Mansion was initially going to be much darker. Some of its aspects were changed at the last minute. One of the most discussed speculations was that Luigi was dead in the initial version. In the original Luigi’s Mansion, there’s a short lightning flash that reveals the character hovering over the floor.

Some researchers believe this to be a glitch. But a story about ghosts suggests that the game originally had a darker tone. Perhaps, one of the developers left it to mess with gamers and have them guessing. It’s unconfirmed to this day.

Source: https://www.pexels.com/uk-ua/photo/1716861/ 

Pokemon Are a Mutant Result of a Global War

The Pokemon franchise took the world by storm. Almost everybody heard about the franchise at least once in their life. With an audience that big, people started to ask some difficult questions, such as:

• Why do some Pokemon look like monstrous things while resembling real-life animals?

• How come the child characters can travel around freely?

• Where are all the adult men?

The popular theory is that the world of Pokemon suffered a global chemical war. That’s what turned regular animals into beings with supernatural abilities. This theory has some basis behind it. The character of Lt. Surge mentions a war in which an electric pokemon saved him. It could also explain why most characters are fatherless.

Living adult males are often very old, a part of the military, or in organized crime. This can also explain why Ash mostly encounters children on his journeys. This could logically explain a lot of things about the world of Pokemon. But Nintendo never confirmed these rumors.

The Cursed Madden Cover

The Madden football series has some of the greatest talents on its box covers. It seems like an honor, but many players and fans fear the unveiling of the next game in the series. This is due to the myth of the “Madden Curse.” Over the last 20 years, many athletes who appeared on the cover of EA’s series performed poorly or got injured.

This urban myth has the most tangible effect on the real world. That makes it dreadful for both players and fans alike. Some football players indeed managed to avoid the curse. Yet, many were less lucky, which made the legend more real. For example, Daunte Culpepper of the Minnesota Vikings appeared on the cover of Madden 2002.

Soon afterward, he seriously injured his knee and missed the 2001 season. Likewise, Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals and Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers experienced the curse after their likeness appeared on Madden 2010. Polamalu suffered two injuries and missed several games as a result. It may well be a pure coincidence, but many sincerely believe in the curse.

Bigfoot of San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas revolutionized the open-world games after its 2004 release. Gamers spent thousands of hours trying to explore every nook and cranny of its map. They rode across deserts, forests, and coasts. Some players started reporting strange sights on their journeys. They claimed to come across cars with no drivers or haunted houses.

But no urban myth came close to Bigfoot that could be found in the game. Many claimed that he resided in the densest areas of San Andreas. The game had a wide variety of secrets, easter eggs, and references to real-life locations. It makes sense that some of these secrets are hidden better than others.

Gamers still try to locate Bigfoot in the woods of Flint County. The rumor started when one of the gamers noticed the creature’s name in the game manual’s Special Thanks section. That made many believe that the Sasquatch was somewhere in the game. Many posted videos and pictures of the creature, but these weren’t considered evidence.

Conclusion

Video games have always been about exploration and imagination. Stories like these make sure that generations of gamers talk about them for years to come. They make people believe that there are bigger things out there and not everything in life has a straight answer.