This Classic Soviet Arcade Game Used a Real Submarine Periscope

Courtesy of The Museum of Soviet Arcade Games.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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We don't normally think of Soviet-era Russia as a hub of technological creativity, at least outside of military development. But then, we weren't there, were we?

In the basement an engineering school in Moscow, The Museum of Soviet Arcade Games does battle with our preconceived notions even as players do battle with enemy ships in Sea Battle, one of the exhibit's most popular attractions. Because the game was manufactured in a submarine factory, it uses an actual Soviet-era submarine periscope, according to pop culture blog Dangerous Minds.

It's also reportedly a brazen copy of a same-era American game, though we won't hold that against our Russian friends. It is definitely interesting to picture American and Russian kids playing the same game worlds apart, both imagining the other country's troops at the receiving end of their torpedoes.

There's a video below showing the arcade game Sea Battle in action, and you can even play a Flash-based mock-up online here.

The Museum of Soviet Arcade Games reportedly has 20 working machines and 20 non-working, under repair cabinets, and it's open to the public seven days a week.

RELATED: The 30 Best Arcade Games From 1990s

[via Dangerous Minds]

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