Moscow students unearth lost arcade titles from Russia's past
by Jared Rea 
{ Jun 7th 2007 at 3:35PM }
Seeing as how we're about to re-enter the Cold War, let's try and take our minds off of shooting monkeys into space for a moment and focus on something less cryptic: Soviet-era arcade games!
In a fit of nostalgia, four students from Moscow State Technical University managed to locate 32 machines from Russia's past. Originally built and designed in military factories, Soviet arcade titles were created to provide -- in your best robot voice -- "entertainment and active leisure, as well as the development of visual-estimation abilities."
As of last month, the students opened the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in a bomb shelter under their dormitory. Wired has the story, as well as a gallery of these beautiful relics. Take a peek at some of our favorites after the break.
In a fit of nostalgia, four students from Moscow State Technical University managed to locate 32 machines from Russia's past. Originally built and designed in military factories, Soviet arcade titles were created to provide -- in your best robot voice -- "entertainment and active leisure, as well as the development of visual-estimation abilities."
As of last month, the students opened the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in a bomb shelter under their dormitory. Wired has the story, as well as a gallery of these beautiful relics. Take a peek at some of our favorites after the break.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TheGuy @ Jun 7th 2007 3:42PM
In Soviet Russia, games play you.
(sorry, but I couldn't resist)
Jonah Falcon @ Jun 7th 2007 3:46PM
Comrade, you owe me many quarters for laundry.
Mr Khan @ Jun 7th 2007 3:47PM
I always wondered how the Soviet Union justified having Arcade machines
but the nation's still a dead zone for console gaming...
Paviel @ Jun 7th 2007 4:03PM
How old are these machines? If they date back to the mid to late '80s, when the Soviet Union was starting to fall apart (and the Tetris was all the rage in Russia), I can see why they would be popular.
incrediblebulk92 @ Jun 7th 2007 4:20PM
"the students opened the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in a bomb shelter under their dormitory"
Is that true? they have a bomb shelter under their dorm? Who the hell is going to bomb them? Zee Germanz?
Robert @ Jun 7th 2007 4:30PM
#5 Russians are frequently attacked by Serbs I believe. There's an HBO Documentary based on a specific incident where people at a theatre were held hostage by Serbs with bombs strapped on themselves.
Also, an entire elementary school was held hostage (some kids were killed).
Pretty rough out there.
Robert @ Jun 7th 2007 4:32PM
Take that back, Chechen's did the attacks, not Serbs.
Wubbytoes @ Jun 7th 2007 4:39PM
The bomb shelter is probably a cold war relic. We had a fallout shelter at my church when I was a kid back in those days.
Mr Khan @ Jun 7th 2007 4:39PM
The bomb shelters are probably cold war vintage, the Soviets probably continued building them until their collapse, as opposed to America, where they died out alongside Janis Joplin
jovin6 @ Jun 7th 2007 5:00PM
#5 We would. Cold War and such.
#6 This is true, but it's not the reason why a dorm built decades ago has a bomb shelter. Bomb shelters don't protect against suicide bombers anyway.
Maxathon @ Jun 7th 2007 5:12PM
This is cheap and easy, and others have already made essentially the same joke, but...
Smirnoff would more likely have said "Drugs Don't Use Winners."
Neebs @ Jun 7th 2007 5:38PM
Awesome.
quazi @ Jun 7th 2007 5:46PM
@6
those were not serbs they were chechnians.
Game Artist @ Jun 7th 2007 7:05PM
@13
It would be much funnier to say to the Russians "You got Serb'ed" though.
tyetheczar @ Jun 7th 2007 9:26PM
Hohoho, well stated, oy. It just wouldn't be clever saying that they got Cheche'd, oy.
Arcade machines: "Must. Crush. Capitalism." oy.
JC Fletcher @ Jun 8th 2007 12:01AM
I approve of the image for this post. I approve so hard.
Poisoned Al @ Jun 8th 2007 4:14AM
If anyone had bothered the read the wired artical then you would know the bunker was Stalin era. I just love the fact they don't have any high scores. "That kind of competition wasn't encouraged." Instead you got a free game if you got enough points. Yep, they are communist all right.