It’s a beautiful spring day and you’re probably stuck inside at your job, when you wish you could be stuck inside playing video games. Or maybe that’s just us. Anyway, take a three minute musical break and travel through the history of iconic video game music courtesy of The KlingDing.
All posts by Beth Anne Boyle
Turnip Strength, Tarragon Soda and Submarines: Soviet Arcade Games Live On
In 1984, Tetris emerged from behind the Iron Curtain and remains one of the most popular games ever. But Tetris isn’t the only game that was developed in the USSR. When the arcade craze went global in the 80’s, the Soviet military saw the propaganda potential in state-produced games and got to work. Military facilities produced around 70 of these hilariously practical games that focused primarily on strength, military prowess and Russian tradition.
If you ever make your way to St. Petersburg, you must spend an evening at the Museum of Soviet Arcade Games, where three true geek heroes have rounded up a basement full of mostly-functional restored Soviet video games. Begun in 2012 as a way to preserve Russian and gaming history, the curators have rounded up about 60 cabinets, many of which represent the last example of that game in the world.
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Build Your Own Moog Synth with the WerkStatt Analog Kit
Every musician dreams of owning a Moog synth. Since its development by Dr. Bob Moog and its premier at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the Moog has become integral to modern music. It was made commercially popular by Wendy Carlos’ breakout album Switched-On Bach and now you can find the Moog sound in nearly every genre: from Sun Ra to Dr. Dre, from David Bowie to Brian Eno and of course, Keith Emerson’s legendary Moog set up.
But here’s the thing: Moog ain’t cheap. Your average Moog synth will run you about $600, up to $5000, and you can buy an emulation of Emerson’s rig if you’ve got $150,000 to spare. So for years musicians have clamored for an affordable, customizable option. The company eventually premiered the Werkstatt Analog Synth Kit at Moogfest 2014 but the at-home version has only become available this month.
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Computer Purple: Check Out Prince’s 1994 Video Game
Prince did an unbelievable amount of ground breaking work in his life, from his electric live shows, legendary eccentricities and record-breaking album sales to the cult classic Purple Rain and the only funny episode of The New Girl.
But did you know he also had a video game? It’s called Prince Interactive, it came out in 1994 and it is straight up magical. Mashable writer Adam Rosenberg decided to mourn our fallen hero by digging up this old-Internet relic and he’s released video clips of his journey into Prince’s digital lair.
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