Payback...?

by: Sean Colleli - posted: 7/27/2006 12:56:00 AM

Kuma is pushing the boundaries of the Middle Eastern acceptance with Assault on Iran: Payback in Iraq.  I definitely applaud the patriotic courage of these developers, but considering the high tensions I wonder how long this can last.  Not everyone believes in free speech, but at least this ideaological battle is being fought in the digital realm. 

As conflict between the United States and Iran continues to escalate, Kuma Episodic Games is creating an unlikely forum for citizens of these countries to speak directly to one another – through video games.

Last September, Kuma garnered international attention with its release of “Assault on Iran,” a video game simulating a U.S. attack on a key Iranian nuclear installation.  In response to the Kuma episode, Iran’s video game development community announced a virtual counter attack with a game of its own, borrowing story elements from Kuma’s original.  With reports indicating that the Union of Islamic Student Societies’ game “Commander Bahman” will not be available until March 2007, Kuma has proceeded with the launch of its response mission - “Assault on Iran, Pt. 3: Payback in Iraq” - and hopes to maintain an open discussion by soliciting input on the mission’s script at www.kumagames.com from gamers around the world.  Available now, “Assault on Iran, Pt. 3: Payback in Iraq,” currently has no dialogue but will reflect community suggestions in its final version, which will be released in English, Farsi and Arabic.

“When we created the original “Assault on Iran” episode, we had no idea it would ignite such passionate response from gamers around the world,” commented Keith Halper, CEO of Kuma Reality Games.  “Nevertheless, now that we have this vehicle for international discourse, we intend to use it to bring individuals with real differences of opinion together.  While it may seem odd that games about military conflict could serve to bring people together, it is perhaps the only forum that can address the issues head on.”  

For more than two years, Kuma\War has expanded the boundaries of news reporting through accurate and timely re-creations of real-world military events.  As a broadband leader in episodic games, Kuma is committed to turning around missions for its audience in a matter of weeks. Kuma\War episodes are powered by Source – the same award-winning game engine technology Valve® created to power Half-Life® 2 – and are available for free download at www.kumagames.com.