Calm Stalin down or face nuclear Armageddon - gamers given a choice

An online company has released a preview of the first-ever game that lets you become the “hands” of Joseph Stalin. The task is to complete loads of state business while trying to keep Stalin stress-free, so the ex-Soviet leader does not push the Red Button.

The game is simply called “Calm Down, Stalin,” and its first gameplay videos were released by Steam, an online service.

The game lets everyone willing to step into the shoes of the ex-Soviet leader to do so, essentially taking on a whole load of power.

“Calm Down, Stalin is a game where you directly control your hands to threaten your enemies with nuclear weapons by moving your finger closer to the button,” the description on Steam’s website reads.

In order to avoid plunging the world into nuclear Armageddon, the player should keep Stalin rather busy with tasks including “signing important state papers, answering the phone,” and dealing with his subordinates.

While working, Stalin will become rather stressed, so the trick is to keep the late-leader as calm as possible. Giving him the opportunity to have a glass of vodka or smoke his famous pipe should be enough to avoid the worst –according to the game, that is.

Should the gamer fail to provide a distraction in time, Stalin will hit the button, unleashing nuclear war.

Joseph Stalin was the First Secretary of the Soviet Communist party from 1922 until his death in March of 1953. While it is unlikely that the real-life Stalin had any sort of a “red button,” it was under his rule that the Soviet Union developed and, in August 1949, tested its first nuclear weapon.