Original artwork, not a still
FBI arcade attract screen
Winners don't use drugs.
— Winners Don't Use Drugs • 1989
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A government public-service announcement that accidentally became part of arcade nostalgia. Kids saw it on every cabinet, so it turned into the unofficial sign-off of 1990s attract screens, remembered as much for the stern FBI seal as for the message. Fans quote it with a grin, and it is a favourite ironic caption for anything done in the name of winning.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Winners Don't Use DrugsShow the scene
"Winners Don't Use Drugs" was an anti-drug slogan shown in the attract mode of arcade games imported into North America from 1989 to 2000. FBI Director William S. Sessions announced the programme at a press event on January 10, 1989, in cooperation with the American Amusement Machine Association, which agreed to require the message in its machines; the screen carried the FBI seal and Sessions' name. After Sessions was dismissed in July 1993 the credit became a plain "FBI Director". By 1995 the slogan appeared in fewer new machines, and it was phased out in 2000. Double Dragon was among the first games named as carrying it.
Sources (1)
- Wikipedia: Winners Don't Use DrugsIntro and HistoryReference checked
Context reviewed