Soviet and Post-Soviet old Arcades

[Sinyavin]

The old arcades from Soviet Union and Post-Soviet countries. Let's start this thread.

 

"S.O.S." game.

 

 

"Gorodki" game

 

 

Edited December 26, 2020 by Sinyavin

[Sinyavin]

There is an automatic tarnslation in second video. The program tries to recognize the sound. It is some sort of pell-mell in result. I will translate her words here at another day.

Edited December 26, 2020 by Sinyavin

[BDW]

The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines has a very impressive collection of Soviet-era electromechanichal games. I'd love to visit someday if I ever find myself in St Petersburg.

 

 

[Cebus Capucinis]

1 hour ago, BDW said:

The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines has a very impressive collection of Soviet-era electromechanichal games. I'd love to visit someday if I ever find myself in St Petersburg.

 

 

I think they're the ones that have that turnip pulling game for kids based on a folk tale. I've always wanted to play/see these games in action first hand!

[Sinyavin]

http://gorodki.15kop.ru/game/
 

(Flash version of Gorodki arcade game).

 

In Russia, Ukraine and Belarus is also live action sports game Gorodki presented. The player throws gorodki bat at the target, the target is one of the wooden figures: the wooden figure is composed from shorter wooden sticks.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Sinyavin

[Sinyavin]

Late 1980's was a Perestroika age in Soviet Union. Perestroika added some elements of democracy and freedom to the Soviet ideology. Games, that viewed here, were appeared in 1989 or later. But there were earlier arcades too.

[Sinyavin]

On 12/27/2020 at 2:53 AM, BDW said:

The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines has a very impressive collection of Soviet-era electromechanichal games. I'd love to visit someday if I ever find myself in St Petersburg.

 

 

Another one Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines is presented in Moscow, Russia - not only in Saint Petersburg.

[Sinyavin]

On 12/27/2020 at 4:07 AM, Cebus Capucinis said:

I think they're the ones that have that turnip pulling game for kids based on a folk tale. I've always wanted to play/see these games in action first hand!

Yes, that "turnip pulling" game ("Repka" or "Turnip". Or "Репка" - in Cyrillic Russian alphabet) is a power meter, very hard thing and very similar to Deadlift. I saw that game in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2017. To tell you the truth - it is not good thing for kids. It is mostly intended for adults and strong teenagers and requires compliance with some simple safety rules.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Sinyavin

[Sinyavin]

 

"The Little Humpbacked Horse" game or "Konek-Gorbunok" or "Konyok-Gorbunok" game ("Конёк-Горбунок" in Cyrillic Russian alphabet). Based on fairy-tale poem written by Russian author Pyotr Pavlovich Yershov in 1830's and first published in 1856.

 

 

 

 

"Snow Queen" game or "Snezhnaya Koroleva" game ("Снежная королева" in Cyrillic Russian alphabet). Based on fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen in 1844.

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Sinyavin

[zzip]

7 hours ago, Sinyavin said:

Late 1980's was a Perestroika age in Soviet Union. Perestroika added some elements of democracy and freedom to the Soviet ideology. Games, that viewed here, were appeared in 1989 or later. But there were earlier arcades too.

What were the pre-Perestroika games like?

[Sinyavin]

1 hour ago, zzip said:

What were the pre-Perestroika games like?

In 1971, the Soviet government decided to improve the leisure of Soviet citizens. Almost all early Soviet arcade machines were bootleg clones of American, Japanese or Western European arcades: electro-mechanical or electronic. There was no copyright law in the USSR.

[Sinyavin]

There was no arcades before 1970's. Before that time was shooting galleries, cinema and amusement rides only.

[Cebus Capucinis]

On 1/2/2021 at 1:27 PM, Sinyavin said:

In 1971, the Soviet government decided to improve the leisure of Soviet citizens. Almost all early Soviet arcade machines were bootleg clones of American, Japanese or Western European arcades: electro-mechanical or electronic. There was no copyright law in the USSR.

That's really interesting! You always hear about other areas where Perestroika allowed creativity to blossom, typically written prose. I'd never thought of Perestroika allowing creators to make unique arcade games!

 

The later ones you posted (Snow Queen and Humpbacked Horse) really have a Bally/Sente feel to them in their art style!

[Sinyavin]

11 hours ago, Cebus Capucinis said:

That's really interesting! You always hear about other areas where Perestroika allowed creativity to blossom, typically written prose. I'd never thought of Perestroika allowing creators to make unique arcade games!

Yes, before Perestroika, there were restrictions on the performance of Jazz, Rock and other modern western music in the Soviet Union. Karate, Wushu and other traditional martial arts were banned by law. Things started to change since 1985 (the start of Perestroika). In 1991 the USSR collapsed. Some parts of the ex-USSR now is the beautiful independent countries with good level of democracy: Georgia (not the American state with the same name, the other Georgia in Transcaucasia region), Ukraine, Lithuania, Armenia, Estonia, Moldova and Latvia. Some other ex-Soviet countries are facing difficulties in democratic process for now.

 

There was also an earlier partial liberalization period in the USSR - the Khrushchev Thaw, late 1950s - early 1960s - after death of Stalin. There were a new forms of poetry and self-expression, etc, but Khrushchev suppressed freedoms in other countries of the Eastern Bloc outside the USSR (Hungary, Czechoslovakia, etc).

Edited January 6, 2021 by Sinyavin

[zzip]

33 minutes ago, Sinyavin said:

Yes, before Perestroika, there were restrictions on the performance of Jazz, Rock and other modern western music in the Soviet Union.

I've always wondered about this.  On one hand they seemed to want to block western influences.  On the other I watched a concert/documentary of Paul McCartney in Russia,  and seemed like even older military officers from the Soviet era were huge Beatles fans

[Sinyavin]

4 minutes ago, zzip said:

I've always wondered about this.  On one hand they seemed to want to block western influences.  On the other I watched a concert/documentary of Paul McCartney in Russia,  and seemed like even older military officers from the Soviet era were huge Beatles fans

The attempts to minimize the influence or block and deny something - adds additional value to the denied thing.

[Sinyavin]

12 hours ago, Cebus Capucinis said:

The later ones you posted (Snow Queen and Humpbacked Horse) really have a Bally/Sente feel to them in their art style!

 

Please write the links to the videos of the games, you are meaning, if the videos of the games are presented. It is interesting.

[zzip]

16 minutes ago, Sinyavin said:

The attempts to minimize the influence or block and deny something - adds additional value to the denied thing.

Of course,  but back in those days there wasn't the internet so smuggling in the records would be much harder, no?  Or were the Beatles authorized?

[Sinyavin]

42 minutes ago, zzip said:

Of course,  but back in those days there wasn't the internet so smuggling in the records would be much harder, no?  Or were the Beatles authorized?

If a Soviet person could be imprisoned for practicing Karate, this does not mean that the Soviet person did not practice Karate in the forest or in the basement.

 

Soviet era of 60's, 70's, 80's was not an unambiguous and consistent time. Jazz was allowed then banned, then allowed then banned and so on and again: sometimes allowed - sometimes banned. Sometimes officials thinked Jazz is the music of poor western people, then allowed; sometimes they thinked Jazz is the music of rich western people, then banned.

 

Rock was almost always banned. Often person was imprisoned for performance of Rock, especially Punk or Metal. Very rarely did individual bands seek the right to play Rock.

 

Zemlyane band

 

Only Perestroika legalized Rock music.

 

Before Perestroika, there were almost no authorized recordings of Western rock bands in the USSR. Very rarely one or two Western Rock songs could be released as part of a authorized collection. All albums were illegal and sold on the black market, there was criminal responsibility for that.

 

 

[Sinyavin]

If you were a karateka and/or a rock musician in 1970's and early 1980's in USSR you were under permanent risk to be arrested and imprisioned.

 

There is a link to the Zemlyane band's video clip above.

The chorus of the song is:

 

Stuntmen, stuntmen!

Let's romance lives in our hearts.

Stuntmen, stuntmen!

We are the guests in the house of the wonderful fortune,

Stuntmen, stuntmen!

Because the danger is a trifle in it's nature.

That is our fate - 

We are not able to live our lifes in another style.

 

In USSR rock musician was a "guest in the house of the wonderful fortune" and he had despised the trifle-like danger.

Edited January 6, 2021 by Sinyavin

[zzip]

3 hours ago, Sinyavin said:

Before Perestroika, there were almost no authorized recordings of Western rock bands in the USSR. Very rarely one or two Western Rock songs could be released as part of a authorized collection. All albums were illegal and sold on the black market, there was criminal responsibility for that.

 

50 minutes ago, Sinyavin said:

If you were a karateka and/or a rock musician in 1970's and early 1980's in USSR you were under permanent risk to be arrested and imprisioned.

Was rock music popular despite being banned?    It's curious to me that why so many Russians would turn out to see McCartney, or why a Russian band like Leonid and Friends exists that does covers of 1970s Chicago and Earth Wind and Fire if it's not music they grew up with.   Or did all that music gain popularity after Glastnost/Perestroika?

[+frankodragon]

 

 

Another country, Poland, under Soviet control had flexi-records imprinted onto postcards.

 

 

[Sinyavin]

38 minutes ago, zzip said:

 

Was rock music popular despite being banned?

Yes it was.

My English is not so good to explain better than above

[Sinyavin]

Good video above about Polish sound postcards.

 

Also try this texts, I can't explain better (music on bones):

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribs_(recordings)

 

In addition, there were illegal vinyls from Bulgaria and Yugoslavia (also communist countries at that time, but slightly more free). Some Soviet people had heard the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Nazareth, Slade, Rolling Stones, etc.

[Sinyavin]

Soviet musicians had to avoid the word "rock" in order to be able to play music officially. You may play something similar to Rock, but don't tell that your music IS Rock. Read this please for details:

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIA_(music)