GamerNews

Russians Named the Most Recognizable Symbols of the USSR

content auto translated from {from}

Since nostalgia is currently trending in Russia, along with the promotion of the domestic “cultural code,” many game developers reference the USSR and the past in general in their projects. I think they may be interested in the results of a survey conducted by Astrum Entertainment among its users about the things and symbols they most strongly associate with the USSR.

Among Soviet performers, Vladimir Vysotsky is the most recognizable: 89% of participants are familiar with his name or individual songs. The Top 10 overall looks like this:

Vladimir Vysotsky 89%
Lev Leshchenko 88%
Iosif Kobzon 86%
Muslim Magomayev 82%
Edita Piekha 81%
Lyudmila Zykina 80%
Valentina Tolkunova 77%
Anna German 77%
Leonid Utyosov 68%
Mark Bernes 61%

Respondents were also quite familiar with Soviet household items—which is not surprising, by the way; see the statistics at the end. Crystal dishes in a display cabinet were recognized by 92% of respondents, a carpet on the wall by 90%, a faceted glass by 88%, and a wall unit by 85%. By comparison, 85.2% of respondents recognized the hammer and sickle. The Mosfilm studio logo was recognized by 84% of participants—almost as many as recognized the hammer and sickle.

They were just as familiar with dishes from the Soviet (and 1990s Russian) era. Aspic was identified by 93% of respondents, Olivier salad by 93%, vinaigrette by 92%, the Druzhba processed cheese snack by 87%, and a dessert made from bread with butter and sugar by 85%. The Gift Cake was considerably less recognizable—only 29% knew it.

Naturally, the question arises: where does the modern generation learn about the USSR and the culture of that era? 44% named history lessons at school or university as one of their main sources of knowledge. For 42% of respondents, it was stories from their parents, grandparents, and other relatives, while 41% cited Soviet feature films. Thus, cinema was practically on a par with school curricula and family memories. Social media was also named as a source of knowledge about the USSR, but by only 2% of participants.

94% of participants said they most often encounter images and aesthetics of the USSR in old films and television programs. More than half (52%) mentioned museums and exhibitions, 32% family life and home environments, and 21% modern films and TV series. Another 22% encounter Soviet imagery on social media and in memes. Games, however, were mentioned by only 5% of participants as places where images of the USSR can be found.

However, simply noticing Soviet attributes is one thing; how interesting are works that turn to the Soviet era? According to the survey, films set in the Soviet period interest 75% of the audience, while music projects interest 67%. Computer and mobile games with a similar setting interest 47% of respondents.

When asked what they value most in works about past eras, participants most often chose the atmosphere: 62% of respondents selected it. Real historical events were chosen by 38%, music by 37%, and people’s everyday lives by 31%.

More than 1,400 users of the game “World of Domovyata” took part in the promotion.

post more button

post actions

Comments

"Maybe that's too carnal,
But for songs about prisons
(Let the artist Vysotsky sing them)
We pay twice as much." (c)
By the way, we have a "museum" called "Little House of the USSR" in our city; it has existed for many years and is probably quite popular. When I walk past, I hear hits from Soviet and foreign pop music of the 1970s and 1980s.
>>"bread with butter and sugar for dessert"
It seems to me that this "dessert" dates back to the 1990s, with honey used instead of sugar as well—in our area, sunflower honey is relatively cheap, so people would buy one or two three-liter jars for the winter.
At least desserts in my childhood (the 1980s) were quite ordinary: pastries, homemade cakes, cookies, wafers, candies (most often caramel or toffee), ice cream, and sweet pies.
But marshmallows, despite being produced by the local confectionery factory, as well as chocolate and chocolate candies from the same factory, were in very short supply!

>>The “Gift” cake turned out to be considerably less recognizable—only 29% know it.
Which isn’t surprising, considering that it’s a significantly less well-known cake than “Prague,” “Bird’s Milk,” or “Napoleon.”

But overall, the statistics are interesting. It would be great to compare them with similar data for audiences of other games, such as Aion or Warface—games that aren’t tied to Russian cultural flavor.