Why this Chernobyl game\'s graphics baffle players

Isotopium: Chernobyl's graphics are about as realistic as video games come….

That's because these aren't graphics at all.

(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) CO-FOUNDER OF 'ISOTOPIUM: CHERNOBYL', SERGEY BESKRESTNOV, SAYING: "Many players, who play our game - some for the first five minutes, some for 10 minutes - don't understand that it is not fictional.

They message us saying: 'You have cool textures, you have good graphics, your designer is good, well-done.

You have a cool game operating system.'

We reply to them: 'It is not an operating system, it is real', and the player can't believe it.'' What players see on their screen is a real-life, 180 square-meter model of the ghost town of Prypyat near Chernobyl - the scene of that catastrophic nuclear accident 33 years ago.

With the help of Google Maps and hundreds of pictures from the area, the two co-founders recreated the main landmarks... ... and placed real robots, equipped with cameras and computers, on the city's abandoned streets - to be remotely controlled by players around the world, becoming their avatars.

It's all very creepy.

(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) CO-FOUNDER OF 'ISOTOPIUM: CHERNOBYL', SERGEY BESKRESTNOV, SAYING: "Sometimes, players ask: 'Let your huge, giant Chernobyl monster come out'.

Then our administrator puts on the costume, puts on gas mask, goggles, gloves and walks out.

And all players cheer: 'Here he is.

He came!'

.... And it is such a hilarious scene." It costs $9 to immerse in the atmosphere of this post-apocalyptic town for an hour but only 20 people at a time can play simultaneously.

Since its launch in October 2018, the game has attracted 60,000 people globally.

The robots cost about $500 a pop.