Cyber Persia

Iran invests in PC game market

Oct 31, 2009 07:18

Iranian game developers are trying to create games without a high level of controversy in order to enter the European PC game market. The Iran national foundation for computer games is supporting Iranian game studios in developing games for both the local and international markets.

Most of you would already be familiar with the stories of Aladdin, Alibaba and the 40 thieves , Sindbad the Sailor, One thousand and one nights, and other stories with Oriental roots. The tales can be traced back to the ancient oral culture of Persia, India-adopted Arabic in the 9th century, or tales recorded in Baghdad (Iraq) between the 10th and 12th centuries.

Most of them have been a source of imagination for many game developers, movie makers and animators in the Western countries for many years.

In a similar way, Iranian game developers are using Persian legends steeped in the rich Iranian culture and history for their titles and stories.

The games that are going to be played by the West are based on Persian mythology. Most revolve around the epics of the kings or Shahnameh. But the very best games from the Iranian companies have not yet gotten enough attention outside of the Middle East Asia. They are starving for investors to distribute their products in the international market, and Europe is their best target.

The political situation between Iran and the US makes it impossible to have support and investment from US game studios and major entertainment companies such as Ubisoft, the creator of the successful game Prince of Persia.

The second Dubai World Game Expo, DWGE (October 27-29, 2009), was a great opportunity for Iranian game studios to showcase their talents and creativity, and to attract many European game studios and distributers. Let's wish success for these talented guys who are doing their best to make playable games that can be exported to the West.

The other part of the story is that some of the most "playable" games in the West are not playable in Iran. Iran Computer Games foundation (IRCG.ir) has developed a rating system that has ranked games in a very restrictive way and this has actually closed the door on many kinds of international games and business partners entering our market.

It's hard to believe that Call of Duty: The Modern Warfare, which is one of my most favorite games, is rated a restricted game in Iran by IRCG, with not even a +25 rating. It's the same story for Halo 3, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, as well as many other well-known international games.

Best
Reza

By the way, don't mistake IRCG for IRGC. IRCG stands for Iran Computer Games, while IRGC is the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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