In a bit of weird news, The Tehran Times is reporting that Iran, of all places, has joined the Entertainment Software Rating Board. You read that right -- Iran is mucking in with the ESRB.
Behruz Minaii, managing director of the National Foundation for Computer Games made the announcement, sharing his view that this will only improve the Iranian industry. "This plan will help families get better ideas about selecting games for their children and can set a good example for cinematic and television productions," he said. "It also helps support our domestic producers and gives better assistance to the distributors."
Iran's always had a bit of a reputation for being arseholes, and I'm sure the violent homophobia has nothing to do with it, but I'm noticing several attempts to reach out to the West. In the UK, the traditional Christmas speech from the Queen was replaced on one channel by a speech from the Iranian president. He said that the reason there are so many problems in the world is because world leaders turned away from religion ... now that's an ironic statement if ever I heard one. Or should I say, Iranic?
No seriously, I think the ESRB and Iran deserve each other.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
8:00 AM on 12.26.2008
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Freedom Fighters
Monopoloy
har, Civilisation
. . .
Damn you, Michael Atkinson.
Considering that Iranian filmmakers make Hollywood look like YoutTube, I wouldn't be surprised if Iran started making games, and they were about 50x more artistic and intelligent than anything the major American and Japanese companies could even imagine.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Iran
As for this classic, meaningless, cheap shot: "He said that the reason there are so many problems in the world is because world leaders turned away from religion ... now that's an ironic statement if ever I heard one."
We've had... what, 5 or 6 major international wars over the past 100 years or so? Exactly how many of those were wars of religion? It's so clearly a red herring in these questions and yet people still love to feel all superior about themselves and throw around statements like yours. You're as bad as the bible thumpers: Look at me! Look at me! My value system is clearly better because, well, because I say so!
please don't get involved in politics outside of video games ...
I am really trying hard to still give a shit about this website and it keeps getting harder every day. it doesn't help that most gamers couldn't know less about foreign politics, they are too busy in their own little worlds on the screen... followed up with the more you know about video games usually the less you know about shit that matters...
*sigh*
I feel bad but I agree with Monocle man on this one.
Wait, you're not surprised that Iran has joined North America's ratings board? I'd be surprised if ANY country had joined the ESRB.
I know, Iranic was a bad pun.
2) Some valid and not so valid points have already been raised in this discussion, but seriously, relax. Jim is not the devil because he made an amusing post on Iran accepting the ESRB system.
3) The guy who pointed out the amazing-ness of Iran's film makers. That was the most enlightening thing I've read all day. Call me ignorant, but I had no idea that Iran's films were held in such high regard in the civilized world.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/882419.html
hmm... more artistic than anything the american and japanese could produce, really now?
and InB4 "Haaretz is a Jewish newspaper and is owned by the same zionists who did WTC for the the OIL"
whats going to interesting is what they do when the ESRB rating isn't enough. What about games with sex in? What about games with female characters (gasp) wear trousers and drive cars? Metroid will be alright since she keeps her head covered and never speaks (is Samus a Muslim?!!?) but Alyx in HL2? Shes surely screwed, I sense a fatwah coming...
Oh yeah and cjpkiller if you don't "give a shit about this website" why don't you fuck off and read something else? Tosser.
I don't understand why ANY country would want to join the ESRB. Flawed piece of shit. Also, Iranic? ..............................................................................................................................................
Why are loosing time with games?
przn2przn <3 fadakar lulz
YAAAAAY TROLLINZ AMIDOINRITE?!
"Atheist dictators killed millions of people over the past century and murdered hundreds of thousands in an effort to eradicate religion itself, because, you know, mass murder is the inevitable result when a community becomes too intolerant of outlandish dogmas and too fond of critical thinking."
I was in the middle of typing out a rather long response until I realized you were being sarcastic. At least I hope you were, because you are wrong in so many ways it makes me squirm in my chair.
@Fadakar:
We (America) created the problematic Iran of today when we sent in the CIA in 1954 to overthrow the democratically elected president. We then installed the Shah so BP could secure oil rights in the country. We just haven't learned (not sure why) that meddling gets us nowhere. It's always "just one more intervention will make it all better". Look how great that's been working out so far.
"
shiiit... is that you reza jr. ? that has to be the single most wrong headed account of modern Iranian history I have ever read. Well done son. Well done.
If you knew anything about Iran's nuclear program, you'd see that it's not really about blowing up Americans but rather for deterrence from being blown up by America's JV team, Israel. Also, pointing out one game used ideologically in that country is a bad argument considering that this game exists: http://www.americasarmy.com/
Secondly, I have opened my eyes. I run the International Film Series at my university and have seen films from all over the world. Iranian cinema is among the best and most respected. Check out Mohsen Makmalbaf and Abbas Kiarostami.
Also, Americas Army is about troop recruitment, not about excusing the pursuit of a nuclear weapon, something they shouldn't be doing in the first place. And since (A) Iran's president is a holocaust denier, and has called for the complete destruction of Israel (ie, more genocide) and (B) America hasn't used a nuclear device on anyone since WW2 - and would harldy need to if they wanted to take Iran - saying the bomb is just self defence is a pretty thin arguement.
I'm going to chalk that one up to too much holiday cheer.
Also coming soon: Wanna find out why there REALLY aren't any homosexuals in Iran? Then play Homo Basher, a 3D Beat-em-up where you--surprise!--beat homosexuals to DEATH!
Also Also Coming Soon: The Second Holocaust Even Though The First One Didn't Happen! In TSHETTFODH, you will use Iran's nuclear arsenal to wipe the nation of Israel off the map! Radioactive fun for the whole family!
...but seriously, it looks like some folks here hate the US so much that they're willing to overlook the kind of person Ahmadinejad really is, and the kind of government he runs. Too bad, really. Some people have to find out the hard way, I guess.
@RWarrior1CO: I haven't heard anyone say they were overlooking Ahmadinejad's insanity. Not admitting that the US created the Iran of today is ignoring a large part of the problem. If we don't try to understand why other countries hate us and want to destroy us, then surely we have no hope of ever resolving our differences peacefully. The current US attitude of "we are never wrong, and you will live your lives the way we want you to because we know what's good for you" is a sure way to keep the Al Queda training camps full of new recruits.
The ONLY way to win the war on terror is to keep people from wanting to become terrorists. There will never be a body count large enough to deter them because they *want* to die. They will keep coming. They will never give up. This is a not a war that will ever be won by dropping enough bombs and shooting enough people.
The terrorists know they can never beat us militarily. They know their only hope of winning is to keep us bogged down on their turf for so long that we will go bankrupt (which has essentially already happened) and be forced to withdraw because we can't afford to keep going (as happened with the soviets in Afghanistan). And by that time our economy will have slid down the hill so fast and so far, that our era of influence in the world will be over. And, we will not have the money or influence to meddle in their affairs anymore.
Anyway, that ended up being a longer rant than I anticipated.
Instead, those governments muscled in, claiming public ownership based on nothing but their sovereignty over the geographical areas where oil deposits happened to reside. First through royalties, then by extorted royalty increases, and finally by outright nationalization, the descendants of nomads whose meager possessions fit on a camel’s back could now build palaces, buy airplanes and fund terrorism from the seemingly endless profits generated by Western technology and ingenuity."
An image that claims that Ahmainejad would like something based on Ayn Rand is laughable - I'm unsure whether you intended it that way.
/sarcasm