Deleted member 67076
Ive been wondering, in a timeline where rhe Soviers are around to the present day, how would their video gaming industry be like? Would it have a similar level of state support to Soviet film or animation?
Maybe Tertis would be bigger. To be around now, they would need to liberalize so most of their gaming would be US and Japanese. Nevertheless, being that even Finland came up with Angry Birds, the USSR would come up with their own stuff. Probably WW2 games, military strategy games, RPGs in medieval Russia...that sort of stuff with very little export potential other than an ATL Angry Birds or something.
This, you need a market for videogames, that is a market to appreciated leisure and entretaiment, maybe dunno, some space or radio engineer work those pararell or inspired by western accounts and high ranking intelligesia support, as mentioned, there the example of tetris, military games would be pushed as game merging russian/slav folkore with soviet esque ideas(ie RPG with the antagonist being the most communist inspired nation vs despots and evil churches(tm))
A Civilization-esque game, but based on a dialectic materialist understanding of history. Technological and social development is clearly portrayed as arising from the working classes, and the goal is to build up the conditions necessary to overthrow the old order and procede through the stages of history until you reach communism.
I was a kid back when Romania was communist in the 80s. I had a computer game (Spectrum 48k) starting with 1986. My dad built it by gathering pieces over 3 years.
And I played a lot of games (pirated obviously), including some which would have been considered anti-communist or anti-USSR.
Like Raid Moscow. I can still remember that one, playing as americans who are hiting USSR with nukes...
Same with Rambo and Green Berets.
Total isolation is impossible. Games back then came from people who went in delegations in foreign countries. One of the most false myths about the Iron Curtain is that there was no contact between Communist countries and the west. In fact is quite the opposite, there were joint ventures between companies in the France or Germany (Federal Germany) and state companies from communist countries. Through that road, videotapes and videogames entered our world.
And I played a lot of games (pirated obviously), including some which would have been considered anti-communist or anti-USSR.
Like Raid Moscow. I can still remember that one, playing as americans who are hiting USSR with nukes...
Same with Rambo and Green Berets.
Total isolation is impossible. Games back then came from people who went in delegations in foreign countries. One of the most false myths about the Iron Curtain is that there was no contact between Communist countries and the west. In fact is quite the opposite, there were joint ventures between companies in the France or Germany (Federal Germany) and state companies from communist countries. Through that road, videotapes and videogames entered our world.
I wonder if there would be a rivalry between Soviet and East German video game developers in this world. Not sure about the Soviet Union but there was a thriving software scene in East Germany in the mid to late 80's. The Commodore 64 had made its way there somehow and became the platform of choice for aspiring Communist techies in computer clubs. Some games were even displayed and used arcade style at government sponsored fairs and festivals. Maybe the Soviet Union models there own video game industry after these practices.
WhiteDragon25
Banned
Whatever the case, I'm sure the Command & Conquer Red Alert series would be incredibly popular among Soviet citizens. Red Alert 2 alone would be a smash hit with its hilariously over-the-top but strangely-endearing-and-badass portrayal of the Soviet Union.
Well I remember 80ties in Czechoslovakia there were privately owned commercial gaming arcades placed in... trailers. They often traveled with circuses or fair raids from town to town. But tomgo there and play was not cheap. Somewhere I read 2 Czechoslovak kron but I remember 5. For 5 you could have loaf of bread, 5 scoops of ice cream, over a 1 l of gas, 2 drafted beers or pack of cigarettes.
However in Czechoslovakia official places were not looking favorably at computer gaming. Programming and learning of computer skills in clubs was promoted but gaming, if mentioned in magazines for youngsters was looked down uppon as “lost time”.
As @REDrake mentioned, computers were brought from abroad or in case of Czechoslovakia some locally made were available and games were copied among gaming fans.
Theoretically if regimes in Eastern Europe stayed in place it is possible some “aparatchik” would realize gaming is there and it will be hard to get rid off and decide to push use it for propaganda purposes. As mentioned we may see “shooting” games where soviet hero is shooting Nazi invaders etc.
However any local game development in Czechoslovakia in 80-ties was done by enthusiasts on their own time.
However in Czechoslovakia official places were not looking favorably at computer gaming. Programming and learning of computer skills in clubs was promoted but gaming, if mentioned in magazines for youngsters was looked down uppon as “lost time”.
As @REDrake mentioned, computers were brought from abroad or in case of Czechoslovakia some locally made were available and games were copied among gaming fans.
Theoretically if regimes in Eastern Europe stayed in place it is possible some “aparatchik” would realize gaming is there and it will be hard to get rid off and decide to push use it for propaganda purposes. As mentioned we may see “shooting” games where soviet hero is shooting Nazi invaders etc.
However any local game development in Czechoslovakia in 80-ties was done by enthusiasts on their own time.
Well, I had the golden opportunity that my dad was working in an Institute of Railway Research and they had computers, for that time which was amazing in an 80s communist country. A lot of times I used to go to his office and his colleagues had video games, all of them.
Some were definitely not something you'd expect to find in a communist country. Of course back then all of them where on cassette tapes or magneto-phones tapes, which is something people nowadays cannot even imagine. Some of them like @KACKO said, were even made by enthusiasts and even more translated. If we were talking about Soviet Union, I strongly suspect that the translators would be something well looked for (their Cyrillic alphabet is not very useful when it comes to reading English). Translating a game like Lords of Midnight would've been a huge undertaking though...
Some were definitely not something you'd expect to find in a communist country. Of course back then all of them where on cassette tapes or magneto-phones tapes, which is something people nowadays cannot even imagine. Some of them like @KACKO said, were even made by enthusiasts and even more translated. If we were talking about Soviet Union, I strongly suspect that the translators would be something well looked for (their Cyrillic alphabet is not very useful when it comes to reading English). Translating a game like Lords of Midnight would've been a huge undertaking though...
Dune (1992) was pretty popular in the early post-USSR, so a strategy type game like it could be a staple.
Assuming the Eastern Bloc remains but liberalises, I am certain video games could appear. After all, China has it's own industry, why couldn't the Soviets?
Assuming the Eastern Bloc remains but liberalises, I am certain video games could appear. After all, China has it's own industry, why couldn't the Soviets?
I am sorry, but that is a very naive statement. For one, China did not had the same centralized economy as Soviets or Eastern European countries had. Private companies did not exist in Soviet Union and in several other countries. Only state owned companies.
And games that would require internet? That would definitely not happen.
China of today is a communist country only as far as political system goes, economically is a free market economy country with a few government leashes, in other words not a laissez faire economy.
For one thing, I highly doubt that game-oriented machines would exist in USSR. Sure, there were arcade machines, but they were just that. No Soviet citizen in their right mind would purchased a computer just for playing. (At least the higher-ups would think so.)
As mentioned earlier, post-Soviet Russia was crazy about strategy games, as well as quest adventure type games, so if there would be games designed not specifically for children, these genres would be prominent.
As mentioned earlier, post-Soviet Russia was crazy about strategy games, as well as quest adventure type games, so if there would be games designed not specifically for children, these genres would be prominent.
And people, please remember one thing. Getting computers from the west was an almost no deal procedure. During the '80s Ronald Reagan administration began what amounts like a boycott on any sales of electronics and especially computers to the communist countries.
Piracy can go only a little far on short legs when it comes to copying games. But when it comes to copying equipment like computers, things are tougher. I have no doubt that several older computers would have found their way in the communist countries, perhaps by way of embassies, but it would have stayed seriously under wraps and it would have been thoroughly searched for possible flaws.
I have personal knowledge of a plan of Romanian communist external espionage agency who attempted in the late '80s to let a renowned engineer who created a very good power source for computers "escape" to USA and then he would be used to build up a company in California and from there use that company as a front for obtaining blueprints of computers from USA. It failed as the communist regime was toppled soon after the engineer escaped and in the '90s the computers were released for public use and the ban was lifted as well.
Piracy can go only a little far on short legs when it comes to copying games. But when it comes to copying equipment like computers, things are tougher. I have no doubt that several older computers would have found their way in the communist countries, perhaps by way of embassies, but it would have stayed seriously under wraps and it would have been thoroughly searched for possible flaws.
I have personal knowledge of a plan of Romanian communist external espionage agency who attempted in the late '80s to let a renowned engineer who created a very good power source for computers "escape" to USA and then he would be used to build up a company in California and from there use that company as a front for obtaining blueprints of computers from USA. It failed as the communist regime was toppled soon after the engineer escaped and in the '90s the computers were released for public use and the ban was lifted as well.
Note that I mentioned "if the Eastern Bloc liberalised". Obviously if USSR remains a hardline communist state the video game industry would be non existant, that's not up for debate, but if USSR reformed in a similar manner to China then it could definitely work.
Why not? Eastern Black countries had their own television, literature, and cinema under hardline communism? Why would video games be any different? The games would probably only be allowed to be released if they were party approved, but that isn't the hardest task on the planet. Video games would be very restrictive, and limited in scope, but not impossible under hardline communism.
The Falloutverse could actually be interpreted as somewhat Soviet-friendly, in that it portrays pre-war America as militaristic and in the grip of corrupt politicians and capitalist business leaders, while the U.S. and China seem to be the ones who actually started the war. (Or is China supposed to have taken over Russia in the Fallout timeline?)
Any chance Yugoslav home computer models could've proven popular in the Soviet block?
Russia has always had a games industry - dating back to Tetris to games like Metro 2033 today.
The issue is, the decade that may havw cemented Russia alongside gaming power houses like the USA, Japan, France and Sweden, the 1990s?
Russia kind of had bigger things to deal with in the 90s.
Best thing you can do is stabalize Russia... which will have a much bigger impact than just gaming, but there it is.
The issue is, the decade that may havw cemented Russia alongside gaming power houses like the USA, Japan, France and Sweden, the 1990s?
Russia kind of had bigger things to deal with in the 90s.
Best thing you can do is stabalize Russia... which will have a much bigger impact than just gaming, but there it is.