Amazing Soviet-era arcade game posters

I avoided an “In Soviet Russia …” joke title, because this fascinating find by Eric at GameSetWatch deserves better than an old meme. These posters advertise arcade games that were once widely available in Soviet Russia, and include Shooting Gallery (above), Paddle Boat (below), and Well, Just You Wait! (bottom).

If you want to see these in the flesh paper, they’re on display now at The Museum of Soviet Arcade Games. If you can’t afford the flight, a few more can be viewed in this Flickr set.

Apparently, these games were originally built in military factories from the 1970s onwards, and have now been restored for display at the museum, where they still operate with the old Soviet 15 kopek coins, themselves adorned with the iconic hammer-and-sickle emblem. Nice to hear about some Russian gaming history that doesn’t involve Tetris!

Also, I need all of these on a t-shirt.

[Flickr, via GameSetWatch]