Soviet Arcade Machines / Ігрові автомати

Vladimir Nevzorov

This book dedicated to the history of gaming in the Soviet Union introduces readers to the most iconic Soviet electromechanical and electronic arcade machines — from the beloved Sea Battle and Sniper of the 1970s to the gaming platforms TIA-MC-1 and Photon of the late 1980s.
It is no secret that most Soviet arcade machines were copied from foreign models — and exactly which ones is shown in this book through scans of promotional materials from Sega, Atari, and other companies. However, there were also a few original domestic developments, such as the Gorodki machine and the aforementioned TIA-MC-1, which therefore receive special attention in the book.
Technical descriptions of the machines, features of their gameplay and design are accompanied by stories of everyday life in the USSR. To provide a deeper understanding of the context, the work of the enterprise Soyuzattraktsion is described, including its shadow side.
And at the end of the book, there is an overview of the Golden Age of Video Games in the West. As a gift to every reader, the game Soviet Game Machines: Retro Simulator, created under the author’s supervision 15 years ago, is included.