Gather round the online camp-fire one and all as we take a journey into the creepy world of urban legends that really will scare you out of your proverbial pants! Whys that you ask? Well because these skin-crawlingly, gut-wrenchingly disturbing urban legends take place where we usually spend our time…in front of our favourite video games.
#5 Fallout 3 predicting the future?
Fallout 3 is a vast open world game with many things that people have to discover. However it is claimed that something in the game has been discovered something that predicts the future.
Legend has it that the post-apocalyptic world can predict the future, using Morse code and hidden messages within the radio stations in the game. People claim to hear the DJ on the radio rambling and bursting out with phrases such as “The Queen has died today. The world mourns, as on days like these we are all Brits”. These phrases are then followed by a series of numbers rattled off in Morse code.
Bethesda, the company that designed the game has denied that these radio stations exist but others claim that these cryptic stations have predicted the death of Gary Coleman and the BP oil spill. So while this is seen as a video hoax it is an interesting one to say the least and I guess only time will tell.
#4 Earthbound’s Abortion sequence
This really is what it says on the tin unfortunately and I really hope I don’t offend anyone! When these cute characters encounter the final boss they essentially have to perform an abortion in order to kill the final boss, an alien bent on destroying the world.
The game’s heroes are sent in a time machine to defeat the evil alien Glygas when it is weakest. The team is now represented by robots that are now facing a pink organic looking level. Glygas is now a blur that resembles a flashing, red ultrasound.
While it hasn’t been confirmed if the final boss battle is in fact an abortion, the creator has admitted to influences on a movie that traumatised him as a child. Glad he could share in the traumatizing!
#3 Lavender Town Syndrome
Back in 1996 the Pokémon Red and Green video games were delighting Gameboy owners all over the world! Unfortunately not everyone was delighted.
The release of the game in Japan correlated with a rise in sudden illnesses and suicides in children aged between 7 and 12. The children didn’t fall ill until reaching the Lavender Town in the popular game. The game’s haunted town included high-pitched noises and sounds that only affected the children’s ears causing headaches, nausea and eventually suicide tendencies in young children.
#2 Herobrine
Brilliant in its simplicity, Minecraft has provided hours of entertainment and dozens of urban legends. None are as popular as that of the character “Herobrine”, the creepy version of Minecraft’s protagonist. With pupil-less eyes it’s unclear where he came from but there are many different theories. Herobrine is defined as a virus, a glitch or a materialisation of the game creator’s deceased brother.
#1 Polybius
Created by a mysterious company called Sinneslöschen (German for “Sense Deletion”) the legend of Polybius is likely the oldest gaming urban legend out there. Polybius appeared in selected arcades in Portland, Oregan in the early 1980s and was supposedly very popular with combined elements of classic shooters, mazes and spatial puzzles.
When played, the game caused all sorts of health problems including amnesia, blackouts, nausea among other things. On top of this players reported hearing women crying and seeing grotesque faces out of the corner of their eyes.
The legend has it that this game was some sort of governmental experiment using subliminal messages. With all the games cabinets supposedly disappearing it’s not sure whether or not this game exists and nobody has ever found the original ROM.
