The early 2000s was an interesting era for storytelling. The newness of the internet allowed people to present stories and legends as fact and many stories were born from the internet. The internet’s lack of structure made information difficult to find and verify, making legends feel real and for a time that was encouraged. The stories here helped pave the way for modern internet horror and created formative memories for many who were way too young to be on the internet.
In 1981 a strange arcade game appeared in some small-town arcades, the game was called Polybius. Not much is known about the content of the game as allegedly those who played the game suffered from amnesia. It is said that players suffered from migraines, amnesia, seizures, and a complete change in personality. As a result, the games were quickly removed from arcades and only exist in the memories of those who claim to have played the game. Aside from testimonies on online forums there is no solid evidence that the game existed. Polybius nonetheless has made its way into popular culture appearing in an episode of the Simpsons and Loki. Polybius is far from the only cursed/haunted game as it was soon followed by the story of a cursed copy of Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and the Lavender town theme from Pokémon.
In 2001 an online diary was posted on an Angelfire site called “Ted the Caver”, it follows the author, Ted, and his friend “B” as they explore a new cave passage. As they continue their investigation of the cave, more and more bizarre things occur, such as the sound of rocks scraping against one another and wind flow being cut off. It all culminates in Ted and B realizing that there is something in the cave with them and they barely escape the grasp of what is in the cave. In the final entry, Ted states that B and him will return one last time to the cave this time with guns and that he’ll provide update once he returns. “Ted the Caver” is supposedly one of the first Creepypastas to be put online. The was presented as a real account of events that happened and was supposedly intended to prank the author’s family members.
Growing up with older cousins and unregulated internet access I was exposed to a lot of media and content I should not have watched and read. That being said I don’t think I would have as strong of an appreciation for storytelling and media than if I never learned about these stories at all. It fascinated me to look at old internet horror and seeing its influence on modern works like the Mandela Catalogue and The Man in the Suit.
Humans have always been and always will be storytellers, it is our nature, we cannot escape it.
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