Iran Bans Video Game Based On 1979 Revolution

Iran has banned the sale of a video game which gives players the chance to take a first-hand role in the 1979 revolution.

1979 Revolution: Black Friday was created by an Iranian-born game designer Navid Khonsari and his wife, and has been praised for being historically accurate.

But it has been banned by officials in Tehran for being "Anti-Iranian" and "pro-American propaganda".

Mr Khonsari, a former Rockstar Games designer who helped develop the popular Grand Theft Auto series says they will look for another way to get the games to the masses.

"We’ve been aggressive. We are trying to combat the censorship," said Khonsari. "It's quite simple. We tried to portray a truthful account of what happened."

The game lets players experience the tumultuous events through the eyes of a photojournalist who is watching his country unravel.

Players make choices for the main character, such as photographing protestors from rooftops, and responding to an interrogation in the notorious Evin Prison, long known for holding and torturing political prisoners.

Iran's National Foundation for Computer Games blocked all websites that offered the game less than 48 hours after it went on sale..

Khonsari said that maintaining the accuracy of the history behind the revolution was as important as creating a great game.

His team conducted dozens of interviews with Iranians who lived through the revolution, and the game's storyline is based on their real-life accounts.

Players can also get a historical lesson with real photographs and audio recordings.

Source: Skynews