tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62143215433523618672024-03-13T20:43:37.391-07:00Arab GameSpaceAraboludologyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.comBlogger219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-28926404023411329712015-07-07T23:43:00.002-07:002015-07-07T23:43:54.329-07:00Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-48016848897714174902013-12-02T22:50:00.002-08:002013-12-02T22:53:35.019-08:00<h2>
<a href="http://www.artandcopyfilm.com/" target="_blank">Art & Copy</a></h2>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wkoX0pEwSCw" width="560"></iframe></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-86908878653805389612013-08-23T22:52:00.000-07:002013-08-23T22:52:14.474-07:00Africa's video game super heroeshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF5mEOzYs8c<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OF5mEOzYs8c?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-74117755198980528932013-07-18T02:20:00.003-07:002013-07-18T02:20:37.788-07:00 Brighton Develop 2013: Gaming's mobile future<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23274741"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23274741"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23274741">Brighton Develop 2013: Gaming's mobile future</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-69398400613677052492012-11-12T21:11:00.001-08:002012-11-12T21:11:41.256-08:00Black Ops 2: Gamers claim they got early copies<br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/20297740">Black Ops 2: Gamers claim they got early copies</a></h1>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-82922680881827577902012-11-05T00:45:00.002-08:002012-11-05T00:45:40.568-08:00Ladies first: Inside the first women-only game jam<br />
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20186937">Ladies first: Inside the first women-only game jam</a></span></h1>
<span class="byline" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(216, 216, 216); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 16px; margin: -1px -160px 21px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; position: relative;"><span class="byline-name" style="display: block; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">By Zoe Kleinman</span></span><span class="byline-title" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Technology reporter, BBC News</span></span></span><div class="caption full-width" style="background-color: white; clear: both; float: none; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; position: relative;">
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><img alt="XX game jam, Andrea Hasselager" height="288" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/63890000/jpg/_63890664_jam1.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; position: relative;" width="512" /></span><span style="display: block; width: 512px;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Andrea Hasselager was one of three women who travelled from Copenhagen to take part in the game jam</span></span></div>
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<a class="hidden" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20186937#story_continues_1" style="font-weight: bold; left: -5000px; position: absolute; text-decoration: none; top: -5000px;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Continue reading the main story</span></a><h2 style="border-bottom-color: rgb(216, 216, 216); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(216, 216, 216); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 1.231em; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 11px 0px 12px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">At first glance, it was a game jam like any other.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">Teams of developers, programmers and artists who had never met before, hunched over laptops, racing against the clock to create computer games from scratch in 24 hours.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">With just four hours to go, thoughts about coding and graphics were frantically being exchanged over bowls of popcorn and strong coffee.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">The only difference was that all the participants were women - and for that reason organisers Debbie Rawlings and Helen Kennedy believe the XX Game Jam held in east London at the end of October was the first of its kind in the UK.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"The whole idea of an all-female game jam is something I discussed a while ago," said Helen Kennedy, a founding member of a group called Women in Games.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"I took the idea out to Canada and pitched it for funding and they told me it couldn't be done, the whole format of a game jam was somehow too masculine to be done with just women. I thought that was a rather challenging thing to say as I don't believe in those sorts of categorisations."</span></div>
<span class="cross-head" style="background-color: white; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Global demand</span></span><div style="background-color: white; clear: left; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="color: #bf9000;">The pair certainly had no problem finding recruits for this event, held in the offices of Mind Candy, creators of Moshi Monsters.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"Within eight days of the registration going live we had filled 40 spaces," said Debbie Rawlings.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"We have a waiting list of about another 40 already so we could run another next week and I'm totally confident that would sell out too."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">Three women travelled all the way from Copenhagen to take part.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><img alt="Moshi Monsters" height="171" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/63892000/jpg/_63892174_jam4.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; position: relative;" width="304" /></span><span style="display: block; width: 304px;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Mind Candy, creators of Moshi Monsters, has both men and women on board</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">Andrea Hasselager, Nevin Eronde and Rositsa Deneva run game development workshops for teenage girls around the world, and decided to put themselves in their shoes for the weekend.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"The girls are really very interested - the thing is that maybe they've never been introduced to something like that before," said Ms Hasselager.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"Their games definitely have stories from their own lives - one group made a game about dating the cute guy from school, getting your chores done so fast so you can get to your date.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"Guys wouldn't make a game like that."</span></div>
<span class="cross-head" style="background-color: white; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Sex appeal</span></span><div style="background-color: white; clear: left; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Helen Kennedy also believes that a larger presence of women in the games industry will change the landscape of the games themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">She cites Maxis, creator of The Sims, and Mind Candy, whose Moshi Monsters have become a big hit among the under-12s, as two games developers with a good balance of men and women on board.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"If you have more women on your team, you might get a different dynamic in the workplace that might transform some of the decision making that happens," she said.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">That's not to say that female characters would all suddenly start wearing sensible shoes and sports bras.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"Women like to make sexy women too," said Ms Kennedy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"They might be less overly hyper-sexual, less passive, there might be more complicated characterisation, but women love active sexy women just as much as men do.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"It's the victim or passive wall-dressing that you get that women find rather repellent."</span></div>
<span class="cross-head" style="background-color: white; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Lovelace legend</span></span><div class="caption body-narrow-width" style="background-color: white; clear: both; display: inline; float: right; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px -160px 16px 16px; position: relative;">
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><img alt="XX Game Jam participants" height="171" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/63890000/jpg/_63890672_jam3.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; position: relative;" width="304" /></span><span style="display: block; width: 304px;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Most of the participants had never met before</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">The theme for games created at the XX Game Jam was clockwork, a nod to Ada Lovelace, the female mathematician credited with writing the world's first computer programmes in the 1800s.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">She worked with Charles Babbage, an inventor whose "difference engine", a steam-powered machine which he designed but never built, is now considered to be the earliest computer.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">The women worked in teams of five and their games included clockwork crocodiles and android Grim Reapers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"We're all helping each other out, solving each other's problems," said participant Jo Evershed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"Tool challenges have been our biggest challenges, getting our computers working together, understanding each other's strengths and limitations.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"As always in all projects, it's the human bit that's the difficult bit."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">The prizes for the winning team were tool kits - a nod to the masculine environment that women in the games industry find themselves in.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">"I hardly ever see any women in my job," said developer Helen Mealey, who had only previously attended game jams as an online participant. "It's a nice change."</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-41503988882736183792012-10-30T22:34:00.000-07:002012-10-30T22:34:00.514-07:00Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds Rita J. King recently spoke about the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="433" src="http://blip.tv/play/gYArgoO7HQI.x?p=1" width="720"></iframe><embed src="http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#gYArgoO7HQI" style="display: none;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-92010889028430560212012-10-30T22:27:00.003-07:002012-10-30T22:29:06.743-07:00Most Famous Arabic Countries and Cities in Video Games We take a look at the Arab region's depiction in video games.<span style="color: #ffd966;"><br />
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<a href="http://me.ign.com/en/feature/3589/-Most-Famous-Arabic-Countries-and-Cities-in-Video-Games"><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;"><b>Moustafa Gad </b></span><span class="article_pub_date" style="font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px; margin-left: 10px; padding-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">28.08.2012</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">The region’s cultural and historical richness make it a great backdrop for stories to be told. Countless novels, poems, films and even video games have dealt with the region’s culture, telling stories that deal with the region’s past, present and near future.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">From medieval Jerusalem to WWII-era Egypt to post-apocalyptic Dubai, we take a look in this article at the region’s depiction in video games, and how different developers would handle the region and present it in their own video games.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Jerusalem - Assassin’s Creed</span></div>
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<a href="http://me.ign.com/pictures/articles/3560/76955.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #ffd966;"><img alt="" src="http://me.ign.com/pictures/articles/3560/76955.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 253px; width: 450px;" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">This is perhaps the most lifelike city in our list. The game was released in 2007, and it amazed us with its brilliant design, accurate landmarks and lifelike population (which became a staple in subsequent Assassin’s Creed games). The game really gave the impression that it is indeed set in the midst of 12th century Jerusalem. In the game, Jerusalem was ruled by famed Muslim leader Saladin, and the third crusade was being led by Richard The Lionheart to take over Jerusalem.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">So how accurate was Jerusalem’s portrayal in the game? Well, we weren’t present in 12th century to give a verdict on the matter, but to their credit Ubisoft seems to have done their research. The city was divided into three parts - the poorer districts included low buildings, a church, a mosque and a jewish temple, and is riddled with guards which makes it one of the more difficult areas in the game</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">The middle district is relatively larger in size than the previous one, and includes most of the city’s landmarks such as the hospital, the guard tower, and The Church of The Resurrection, and it is sparsely populated in terms of civilians and guards. The rich district is known is for its large spaces, its tall buildings and most importantly, its accurate recreation of the Dome of The Rock Mosque.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Syria and Yemen - Uncharted 3</span></div>
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<a href="http://me.ign.com/pictures/articles/3560/76954.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #ffd966;"><img alt="" src="http://me.ign.com/pictures/articles/3560/76954.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 253px; width: 450px;" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">The Uncharted series took us across the world, and through the game we visited countries like England, France, Colombia, Syria and Yemen. The historical landmarks presented in the latter two countries made them ideal to serve as important elements of the game’s story.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Yemen appeared in six chapters, and while its appearance in the game might not be an accurate representation of the country itself, the developers put a lot of effort in recreating Yemen’s oriental atmosphere, with its narrow roads, unique antique buildings and its high mountains gracing the skyline. This becomes more apparent when you visit the “souq” (marketplace), where you will find lively merchants selling fruits and vegetables, and small stores lining up the market as female shoppers dressed in Arab and Middle Eastern garments walk by. The icing on the cake is when you hear Arabic phrases, such as “Tafadaloo, Ahlan w Sahlan, Shukran” (Welcome, Greetings, Thank you) being thrown around, as well as Arabic writing and graffiti marking the stores and the surrounding walls. We don’t see nearly as much of Syria, as the country served as the location for only two chapters, and most of it takes place inside a castle.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Iraq - Splinter Cell: Conviction</span></div>
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<a href="http://me.ign.com/pictures/articles/3560/76956.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #ffd966;"><img alt="" src="http://me.ign.com/pictures/articles/3560/76956.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 253px; width: 450px;" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">In the fourth Splinter Cell game, Sam Fisher needs the help of his old friend Victor Coast who served alongside him in the Gulf War and saved his life in Iraq. During the phone call between the two friends, the game takes us through a flashback of Sam’s mission in Iraq.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">A lot of players were skeptical about Iraq’s depiction since the area we see has little relation with the Arab country. However, the game explicitly states that the area saw numerous clashes between the American forces and the local armed guards, which is why you’ll find yourself under the grey sky standing on a charred road riddled with bodies and debris.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">As Sam goes forward, we start seeing burnt vehicles, destroyed homes, and fallen Arabic billboards scattered through the area. More Arabic elements start coming to our attention further into the game, such as palm trees, the lighting posts and the electric posts that we immediately recognize from the region. This all gives the impression that this is an Arabic city in, but one that has been bombed and destroyed beyond recognition</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Dubai - Spec Ops: The Line</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Dubai served as the main setting for this game, but this is not the Dubai we know. Gone are the majestic skyscrapers, the expensive cars and the luxurious restaurants, as we are greeted by a ghostly city ravaged by sandstorms that obliterated everything in its way and turned the city’s residents into refugees. The United States sends a 33-man team led by John Conrad to evacuate the city, however all contact is lost with the team, and another team led by Captain Martin Walker is sent to investigate their disappearance.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Spec Ops’s experience was strange, but it was exhilarating at the same. It was quite cathartic to experience the city in such a dark scenario, and in the end Yager Studios did an incredible job.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Gulf of Oman - Battlefield 3</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">This isn’t the first time we see the Gulf of Oman in an FPS, as the location was previously featured in Battlefield 2. But with the release of the old maps on Battlefield 3, we get to see the region rendered in the mighty Frostbite 2 engine.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">The design of the city stands out thanks to Battlefield 3’s graphics. The atmosphere of the map is very Arab in nature, with the region’s unique architecture and vast desert environments and the palm trees lining up the roads. Take a jet and fly over the map to get an aerial view of the map and the really enjoy the incredible amount of detail that DICE incorporporated in their map.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Egypt - Call of Duty 2</span></div>
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<a href="http://me.ign.com/pictures/articles/3560/76957.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #ffd966;"><img alt="" src="http://me.ign.com/pictures/articles/3560/76957.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 338px; width: 450px;" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Call of Duty 2 was released in 2003, and despite its admirable efforts in depicting the Egyptian desert, we can’t compare Call of Duty 2’s representation of the region to the other current-gen games on this list. However, what we appreciate is Call of Duty 2 taking us to one of the WWII’s most important battles; the Second Battle of El Alamein.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">The battle took place between The Axis powers (The German and Italian forces) and The British Forces, whose role you take. The general design presents Alamein’s war-ridden desert environment brilliantly; a sand covered area with dozens of trenches are dug to provide the soldiers with protection, in addition to plenty of transport vehicles, bedouin tents scattered through area. The area is under a constant barrage of bombings and explosions, often trapping you in sand clouds that compromise your vision during combat.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">Libya - Global Ops: Commando Libya</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">The game starts in the year 1968, when the American forces pursue a ship containing 4 nuclear bombs into the north pole. The forces manage to secure three bombs, with the fourth bomb going missng. Cut to present day, and the CIA learns that Russian arms deal Yebievdenko is in possession of the bomb and has made a deal to sell it to a notorious Libyan dictator, and it is up to your team to venture into Libya and secure the bomb.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Due to the game’s lackluster graphics, it lacked any interesting design choices that would make Libya stand out. But that’s hardly the primary concern with this game, as the game’s environments have little to no relation to Middle Eastern environments, as the architecture, buildings and environments could’ve been found in any other country, and if we would’ve had no idea that game took place in an Arab country, let alone Libya, if it wasn’t specified in the title, with the only identifying elements being a few Arabic phrases you would hear during the campaign.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-82826854311191095792012-10-30T21:59:00.002-07:002012-10-30T22:00:14.327-07:00Video games: the rise of the Middle East<br />
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<a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20120506-2012-05-05-1014-wb-en-beyond-business">Video games: the rise of the Middle East</a></h1>
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In this edition we look at the world’s fastest-growing media business. The video games market is forecast to reach over $80 billion by 2015, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. American, European and Japanese games makers dominate the market, but Middle Eastern actors want a bigger share of the pie. For many of them it’s not only about money, but also about cultural influence.</span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20120506-2012-05-05-1014-wb-en-beyond-business">ViewVideo</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-17208856659598857102012-08-21T00:58:00.002-07:002012-08-21T00:59:41.389-07:00Activision's Call of Duty series targets Gamescom<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19262068"><span style="color: orange;">Activision's Call of Duty series targets Gamescom</span></a></h1>
<span class="byline" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(216, 216, 216); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; margin: -1px -160px 21px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; position: relative;"><span class="byline-name" style="display: block; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: orange;">By Leo Kelion</span></span><span class="byline-title" style="display: block; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: orange;">Technology reporter</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><img alt="Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" height="288" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62278000/jpg/_62278692_shoot.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 16px; position: relative;" width="512" /></span><span style="display: block; line-height: 16px; width: 512px;"><span style="color: orange;">Activision is using Germany's Gamescom as an opportunity to show off new mulitplayer options available in its next Call of Duty game</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Video games maker Activision Publishing arrives at the industry's biggest European event - Gamescom in Cologne, Germany - from a position of strength.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Its first and third-person shooter franchise, Call of Duty, continues to blast its way to success: The Modern Warfare 3 sequel has been one of the top-selling games since its November launch and its online service, CoD: Elite has attracted more than 12 million registered users.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The firm is showing off the series' next title, Black Ops 2, and a version for the Sony Vita handheld console at the event. It is also about to launch a free-to-play edition in China which will charge users for weapons and other upgrades.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Its Skylanders games targeted at younger children have also proven to be a hit. The firm has sold tens of millions of add-on toys which offer new content when they are placed into a RFID (radio-frequency identification) reader attached to a console.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">They have proved so popular that the firm recently boasted that the characters had overtaken Star Wars to become the best-selling action figures in the US and Europe.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Despite all this, doubts remain. The firm remains a relatively small player when it comes to smartphone games; Vivendi has been exploring a sale of its stake in parent company Activision Blizzard, which could prove a distraction; and some critics claim the company is over-reliant on sequels.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><img alt="Eric Hirscherg" height="304" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62278000/jpg/_62278478_eric.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 16px; position: relative;" width="250" /></span><span style="display: block; line-height: 16px; width: 250px;"><span style="color: orange;">Mr Hirshberg says both he and his children are "big gamers"</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Ahead of Gamescom, Activision Publishing's chief executive Eric Hirshberg, spoke to the BBC:</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: orange;">Your big focus at this event is the new Call of Duty titles. Some analysts have questioned if there will still be the same appetite for the new games. Is that a worry?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Of course it's something we think about constantly but so far the proof has been in the pudding.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">There's been continued appetite every year and it's up to us to continually innovate and give people lots of reasons to keep coming back to the franchise.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">I certainly think we've answered that call in grand fashion with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. The game is very innovative, it has several firsts for the CoD franchise including the fact that it takes place in a future setting which unlocks a whole host of creative possibilities for our developers from new weapons to new settings to new art directional ideas.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The other thing I'd say is that while I hear those questions every year, and I understand the reason for them, I also think that there is a pattern in the gaming industry overall from gamers: that people are voluntarily spending more and more time with fewer franchises going deeper into the worlds that they love.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">That doesn't show a decreased appetite for interactive entertainment, it shows an increased appetite - just through the lens of fewer brands.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">So I think our strategy plays well with what games are doing naturally themselves.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: orange;">The free-to-play business model is a hot topic right now, and your firm is pursuing the strategy in China with CoD. Which of your other titles would you be willing to experiment with?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">In my career most times I've seen executives predict the future they've been wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">I think the future unfolds in ways that are hard to predict, and it's our job to respond as they do.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">I certainly think free-to-play is a big disruption and it's a big new idea in the marketplace that is meaningful and we need to watch carefully. I also think there's a tendency to overstate a kind of the sky is falling mentality: that anything new axiomatically destroys everything that came before it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">In my experience that hasn't been the case. Usually new things create new demand and new markets for themselves and don't necessarily destroy everything in their wake.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: orange;">So why adopt the strategy in China?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><img alt="Skylanders toys" height="220" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62278000/jpg/_62278481_spyro.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 16px; position: relative;" width="336" /></span><span style="display: block; line-height: 16px; width: 336px;"><span style="color: orange;">Sales of Skylanders action figures have helped create a new revenue stream for the company</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The reasoning behind that is very simple. The free-to-play model is the widely adopted model of choice for the Chinese gaming community.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">It's not a console community, it's an online [PC] gaming community, and that's the model that works there.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: orange;">Activision hasn't been a big player when it comes to the smartphone market - though last week's opening of your new mobile games studio in Leeds points to change. Why have you been slower than competitors such as Electronic Arts?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Actually Activision already has a good track record of making mobile games all the way back to Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero and Call of Duty: Zombies. These were some of the top-rated and top-selling games when they came out.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">That said, I certainly think it's fair to say we recently upped our investment and our focus on it. The reason for that is not necessarily being slow to move, but being prudent, measured and methodical in our decision making.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">What we're seeing is obviously an explosive install base - you've got hundreds of millions of smartphones in people's pockets and tablets being sold, and a very robust demand for high quality interactive entertainment content.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">And that's something we think we can do as well as anyone out there and it's something we want to compete in.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: orange;">So, do you think this will become more of your focus than the Sony Playstation Vita and Nintendo 3DS handhelds?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><img alt="Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified screenshot" height="165" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62278000/jpg/_62278694_vita.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 16px; position: relative;" width="304" /></span><span style="display: block; line-height: 16px; width: 304px;"><span style="color: orange;">Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified may boost demand for Sony's Playstation Vita</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">I certainly think that smartphones and tablets have an install base and an adoption rate that is unignorable in culture.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">So, obviously if games are going to be one of the primary things that people consume on those devices then we want to be there.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The question you had about Nintendo handhelds and Sony handhelds: I know it's easy to conflate them because they are both pocket sized devices, but they are very different. One is for a core game experience - a very immersive experience on the go - the other is for a more simplistic and bite-sized gaming experience on the go.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Whether or not those more immersive mobile gaming platforms find the kind of audience that they have in the past - certainly mobile phones are a huge disruptive force in that industry.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">But we still think we can deliver a great CoD experience for the Vita. And we delivered a great Skylanders experience on the 3DS and did very well out of it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">I think a lot of the time you take it on a case by case basis.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: orange;">One of the other trends catching attention has been the number of developers who have raised cash and built customer excitement through crowd funding platforms like Kickstarter. Are there lessons from that which Activision can take on board?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><img alt="Wasteland 2 art" height="282" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62278000/jpg/_62278484_wasteland-2-ranger-closeup.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 16px; position: relative;" width="226" /></span><span style="display: block; line-height: 16px; width: 226px;"><span style="color: orange;">Inxile raised $2.9m (£1.8m) via Kickstarter to make Wasteland 2</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">First of all I think it's awesome. I think it's really a great development in culture to have people taking these commercial decisions on the content that they are attracted to into their own hands.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">At the same time just as there has always been a marketplace where there is independent films and music, there has been a peaceful co-existence between independent development of content and more like how we approach it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">It is certainly something that we look at. What I think is most compelling about it is the degree of engagement that people are willing to have with the content that they love, and that is something that we are capitalising on - in very different ways, obviously.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">But that was [included in] a lot of the discussions that led to the development of Call of Duty: Elite.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">There's millions of people playing multiplayer every single day: what if we gave them the tools to connect to each other? What if we gave them tools for user-generated content so they can upload their own videos? Do you think they would do that?</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">And I think that the good news is that if you give people relevant content they tend to be open to deep and meaningful engagement.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">That is a macro-trend that I really like in our industry and culture overall.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: orange;">Further down the line you have Halo creator Bungie's much anticipated new game. How is it progressing?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">We're dying to talk about it, but all I can tell you is that we're really excited about how the development is going.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">We think it's going to be very differentiating and new, and a whole new gaming universe.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><img alt="Sony Playstation Move sensor" height="250" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62278000/jpg/_62278696_move.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 16px; position: relative;" width="240" /></span><span style="display: block; line-height: 16px; width: 240px;"><span style="color: orange;">There has been a mixed reaction to games' use of motion sensors</span></span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: orange;">You have had success with the Skylanders toys. But other efforts to integrate new types of hardware with games - such as motion sensors -have sometimes been dismissed as gimmicky. What lessons have you learned?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">It has to be responsive to the game you make, otherwise it is just novelty and [a] gimmick.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">I'm not surprised that the games that have done best with the motion phenomena have been dancing games where movement is really integral to the gameplay experience.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">I don't think that necessarily the case with a game like Call of Duty, and yet do think giving people a new way to physically interact with the console on Skylanders was incredibly relevant and indispensable to that experience.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">I really think it starts with the game you are trying to make - the creative idea - and then you say is there a new input mechanism or mechanic that would make this idea better.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: orange;">Are all the reports and rumours of a sale of Activision Blizzard proving a distraction?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">I can't speak on Vivendi's behalf and can't engage in any hypotheticals.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">But I will say is it's a great time at the company because we're focusing on some pretty exciting IP [intellectual property] and experiencing some pretty remarkable successes and we're just going to stay focused on the things we can control which are creating and executing the best interactive entertainment out there.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">I know that sounds like a packaged answer but it's the truth.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><img alt="Skylanders Giants screenshot" height="189" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62278000/jpg/_62278698_shark.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 16px; position: relative;" width="336" /></span><span style="display: block; line-height: 16px; width: 336px;"><span style="color: orange;">Skylanders Giants will test its audience's appetite for a sequel when it goes on sale in October</span></span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: orange;">Finally, we're heading towards the key Christmas selling season. Apart from Activision's titles which are you, as a gamer, most looking forward to?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Gosh... I can't not answer CoD: Black Ops 2 and Skylanders Giants because they are so near to my heart.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">But I'm really curious to see [Microsoft's] new Halo game - what I've seen looks really good - I have a lot of love for that franchise.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">And [Naughty Dog's] The Last of Us also looks really fun - I know that everyone focused on the level of violence in that at E3, but there were some really nice acting and narrative structure that I admired</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-17507323379473225952012-05-13T03:30:00.004-07:002012-05-13T03:30:36.087-07:00Video Standards Council to take over games age ratings<br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18017385">Video Standards Council to take over games age ratings</a></h1>
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<span style="color: orange;">The system by which video games are rated in the UK is to be made "simpler and stronger", the government has said.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Games will now be rated by the Video Standards Council (VSC) in line with Europe-wide guidelines.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Previously, additional ratings were decided upon by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The new system means for the first time that anybody selling a 12-rated game to a child under that age could face jail.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The Pan European Game Information system (Pegi) gives games an age rating as well as additional information such as violent content and bad language.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The VSC will now rate games to Pegi's specifications while enforcing compliance among retailers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The new ratings do not apply to games bought online.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Creative Industries Minister Ed Vaizey said: "It will give parents greater confidence that their children can only get suitable games while we are creating a simpler system for industry having their games age-rated."</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">While the BBFC will now largely stop assessing content in games, it will still be called upon to judge games with gross violence or sexual material.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Games and entertainment body Ukie said the new system provides "much needed clarity for consumers".</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">"We are also in the planning stages of a major awareness campaign to help the public understand the system and other aspects of responsible gaming as soon as Pegi become law in the UK," Ukie chief executive Jo Twist said.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Richard Wilson, from UK games industry trade association Tiga, said the changes were a necessary "evolutionary" step.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">"It simplifies the system," he told the BBC.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">"The Pegi system is reasonably easy to understand.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">"The fact there are criminal sanctions in place will mean that retailers will want to train and support their staff."</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The new system is expected to come into force by July this year.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-23946147027354958962012-04-24T06:31:00.004-07:002012-04-24T06:31:54.306-07:00Saudi boy, 4, kills his father, who refused to buy him PlayStation<br />
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<a class="imagecache imagecache-highslide_zoom imagecache-linked imagecache-highslide_zoom_linked" href="http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/790916" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="<p>A customer samples a handgun at a shop in Glendale, California. Gabriel Bouys / AFP / Getty</p>
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<a href="http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/saudi-boy-4-kills-his-father-who-refused-buy-him-playstation">Saudi boy, 4, kills his father, who refused to buy him PlayStation</a></h1>
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An angry 4-year-old Saudi boy shot and killed his father for refusing to buy him a PlayStation, Saudi media reported on Monday.</div>
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The Asharq daily, citing police in the southern Jizan area, said the child, aged 4 years and 7 months, grabbed his father's pistol and shot him in the head.</div>
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According to the newspaper, the child had asked his father to buy him a PlayStation and the shooting took place after the man returned home without the desired object.</div>
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As he was undressing, the man put the weapon down, which the child then grabbed and fired at him from close range.</div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-28898739723259085232012-03-15T22:30:00.003-07:002012-03-15T22:30:29.999-07:00<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6214321543352361867" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; color: #035a91; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline; width: auto;"><img alt="A Saudi Arabian man plays video games, at a guest house in the city of Tabuk. The Middle East has one of the fastest growing communities of online gamers in the world, and demographics mean this is likely to remain true for many years." border="0" class="thumbnail" id="storyphoto" src="http://www.edmontonjournal.com/technology/6306935.bin" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 460px;" title="A Saudi Arabian man plays video games, at a guest house in the city of Tabuk. The Middle East has one of the fastest growing communities of online gamers in the world, and demographics mean this is likely to remain true for many years." /></a></div>
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A Saudi Arabian man plays video games, at a guest house in the city of Tabuk. The Middle East has one of the fastest growing communities of online gamers in the world, and demographics mean this is likely to remain true for many years.</h1>
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<b>Photograph by: </b>Stringer , Reuters</h2>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_890152431">Demographics, local tastes fuel Arab video game industry</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_890152431">Industry lacks financial, marketing muscle of West</a></h2>
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<span class="name" style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.edmontonjournal.com/technology/Demographics+local+tastes+fuel+Arab+video+game+industry/6306402/story.html">BY NOUR MERZA, REUTERS</a></span></div>
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<b>DUBAI </b>- Fares rushes through a crowded Moroccan market, past a man selling Persian rugs, a cat mewing for slivers of meat from a butcher, and a woman surveying mounds of bright red and yellow spices.</div>
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He hardly notices them, because his mission is to locate a lost chapter of famed Arab explorer Ibn Battuta’s book on his 14th century travels across Africa and Asia - a chapter stolen from the original manuscript long ago and detailing the location of a secret treasure.</div>
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Fares is an important figure in the Arab world’s burgeoning online industry because he is a character in Unearthed, the first major Arabic-language video game developed for PlayStation 3 and Xbox by an Arab company: Saudi e-publisher Semanoor.</div>
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The Middle East has one of the fastest growing communities of online gamers in the world, and demographics mean this is likely to remain true for many years.</div>
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About 60 percent of the 350 million people in the Arab world are younger than 25, with internet penetration in the region at about 70 million users - over 300 percent growth in the last five years, according to numbers from United Arab Emirates-based entrepreneurship research portal Sindibad Business. Internet penetration is expected to reach 150 million users by 2015, said the portal’s founder Bahjat Homsi.</div>
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Such statistics are encouraging the rise of a small but dynamic video game development industry in the Arab world. At least six Arab game firms, most in Jordan, received funding from local investors in the last two years, according to Sindibad.</div>
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Arab video gaming “is interesting because it is following internet growth in the region, which is among the fastest in the world”, said Nagi Salloum, chief marketing officer of Saudi investment firm N2V, which injected money into Saudi game platform Game Tako last month.</div>
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Last month also saw the first cross-border acquisition of an Arab video game development company, Saudi Arabian start-up Kammelna, by a foreign firm: Turkey’s Peak Games, a fast-growing social gaming company. Kammelna, which specialises in an online version of the card game Baloot, said it had around a million registered users and about 50,000 users per day.</div>
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Mashhoor al-Dubayan, founder of the Saudi Arabia-based Arabic gaming news portal SaudiGamer.com, said increasing consumer interest meant his website, initially launched as a hobby, was now a viable commercial proposition.</div>
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“After just a year of running it, we started seeing a business opportunity and began relationships with major companies (as sponsors). Next week, I’ll be leaving my job to stay with SaudiGamer full-time,” said Dubayan.</div>
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Arab video game developers lack the deep pockets, marketing muscle and much of the technological sophistication of huge rivals in the West and Asia.</div>
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But the local industry has some advantages. In oil-rich Arab Gulf countries, where youths with pocketfuls of cash feel they have few entertainment outlets, average daily revenue per user is among the world’s highest, according to Peak Games. While it is about 6 U.S. cents in the United States and Europe, it is around 8 cents in the Gulf, said Peak co-founder Rina Onur.</div>
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And while internationally known “first-person shooter” games from the West, such as Call of Duty and Halo, are certainly popular in the Arab world, there is also demand for games with local characteristics.</div>
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“People want to see their national days, their special dishes reflected in these games - people who look like they’re from the region, not just blond with a cowboy hat,” said Onur.</div>
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Many Arab video games are card games or historical adventures that differentiate themselves by having storylines or artistic elements that look distinctly Arab, and do not yet try to compete directly with the hi-tech glamour of Western games.</div>
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The big international companies are also responding to local tastes; U.S.-based giant EA Sports, for example, will release an Arabic version of its FIFA soccer franchise in 2012.</div>
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The industry in the Arab World is still small enough that competitors sometimes work together to improve quality. To help the market grow, said Dubayan at SaudiGamer.com, his team has gone as far as writing articles for rival Arab gaming news websites.</div>
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“This is a time to collaborate, not compete,” said Fahad al-Saud, Saudi Arabian head of California-based heritage game producer Popover.com, which specialises in developing online versions of culturally specific board games, such as Tarneeb, a traditional Arab game. “The geeks from all around the Arab world try to find each other and help each other.”</div>
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Part of the reason gaming has taken so long to grow into a viable industry is the lack of interested investors - most are extremely risk-averse, said Kammelna founder Essam al-Zamel.</div>
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“There are easy ways to make money in Saudi. If you get 20 percent returns on real estate, why would you waste your money on a start-up that might not succeed?” he said.</div>
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“They don’t understand the market...The mentality of investing in multiple companies, knowing two or three will succeed and others will fail and that’s okay, doesn’t exist. Here, they want to be sure that the company will succeed.”</div>
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Omar Christidis, head of the annual ArabNet Digital Summit, which promotes entrepreneurship in the region, said Arab game developers needed to flood the market with products before investors would come calling.</div>
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“We need to see game after game after game to see some successes,” he said.</div>
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Many of those in the Middle Eastern video game industry say they have a social and cultural mission. The plethora of games showing Arabs and Muslims as enemies and terrorists is what inspired Semanoor to enter the business, said the company’s founder, Emad al-Doghaither.</div>
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“Games are being used to ruin the image of Arabs. We went into games because we want to reach the youth who use them and show them a different picture.”</div>
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Gamers also hope their products change stereotypes about the Arab world by creating personal relationships between people from inside and outside the region who share a passion for video games.</div>
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The first line in Game Tako’s description page, for example, says it aims to facilitate social interaction between online gamers and promote regionally created content. The firm embodies this cross-cultural mission in its own name, choosing to use the Japanese word for “octopus” instead of the Arabic one.</div>
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In a region where there are conflicting interpretations of religion and culture, Doghaither said some of Semanoor’s customers saw its depictions of local lifestyles as divisive.</div>
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“We got pressure for having a veiled girl in our game. People asked us, ‘why are you forcing your culture on us?’ Well, what can we do? Women in our culture wear the veil. Other companies have their culture in their games.</div>
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“But others were supportive. They said that they’re used to seeing American and European games, so they’re saying: ‘this is different. This is interesting.’”</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hLfvmiB4edI" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-5816005928323634382012-02-22T10:36:00.003-08:002012-02-22T10:36:59.055-08:00Dubbing Video Games into Spoken Arabic<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><a href="http://www.deafcatstudios.com/dubbing-video-games-into-spoken-arabic/">Dubbing Video Games into Spoken Arabic</a></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">1. A Brief Overview of Dubbing in the Middle East</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">The Arabic language ranks in the top 5 spoken languages of the world. There are more than 350 million people that have the Arabic language as their mother tongue and they spread from the Arabian Peninsula across the Fertile Crescent and on to the Atlantic Ocean. Over 17 countries adopt Arabic as their official language: <strong>Saudi Arabia, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">1.1 Dubbing TV Soaps in the Middle East</span></h4>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">The business of <strong>dubbing in the Middle East</strong> flourished in the 90’s when FILMALI Productions, the first dubbing company in the <strong>Middle East</strong> introduced a series of dubbed South American soap operas that became instantaneous hits amongst Lebanese families. Soon after, satellite broadcasting allowed for dubbed soap operas to access the <strong>Arab world reaching up to 300 million viewers</strong>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Dubbing Soaps was considered a very lucrative business, but since the hype in the 90’s it has regressed and the demand shrunk considerably. A new trend is picking up and that is the <strong>dubbing of video games into spoken Arabic</strong>. And<strong>DeafCat Studios</strong> are pioneers in this domain.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">1.2 Dubbing Standards</span></h4>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">FILMALI Productions always delivered high quality dubbing services. The company was determined to provide a high quality product which in turn led them to form a staff of <strong>translators, actors, lip-synch and mixing engineers</strong>, and of course studios equipped with the latest <strong>recording</strong> techniques that delivered astounding results.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">The focus on quality, led FILMALI Productions to land big contracts with international companies such as <strong>Disney, ART and MBC</strong>, and following the tradition <strong>DeafCat Studios</strong> are determined to provide professional quality <strong>dubbing</strong>in an affordable price.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">2. Video Game Industry in the Middle East</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><strong>The Middle East</strong> is a part of the world that is experiencing a tremendous social and economical growth due mainly to the amount of wealth the petro dollar brings to this region. One can safely say that countries like the <strong>United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia</strong> are experiencing exponential growth in all sectors, and are expected to flourish even more since the demand for oil is ever increasing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">An article published in the MENA Report stated that: “<strong>The Middle East</strong> has been identified as a major contributor in the fast growing <strong>electronic gaming industry</strong>which is predicted to grow from USD 11.1Billion to USD 15.4 Billion by 2011 in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)” according to a report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP and Wilkofsky Gruen Associates.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">The petro dollar has ensured stability and wealth to a number of families in the<strong>GCC countries</strong> and opened the opportunity for work to a lot of companies in <strong>the Middle East.</strong> At the same time, the major investment in the gulf has attracted a number of expats coming from all around the world transforming the region into a multicultural booming society.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">The wealth and development in the region has provided average families with a substantial purchasing power with a large percentage of it spent on technology and entertainment. In addition to a young technology hungry population, the region has also experienced a recent implementation of fast broadband connection that enables video game players to take advantage of the new generation of multiplayers games:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">“Sales of games and game systems also spike sharply during the summer, as players look to keep entertained during the hot summer months, creating an important revenue stream for retailers during a traditionally slow season.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Source: <a href="http://www.menareport.com/en/business,IT_and_Telecom/229164" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">The MENA Report</a></span></address>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Concerns about piracy have never been more tangible in <strong>the GCC countries</strong>. Since <strong>Dubai</strong> is planning to transform itself into a leading global commercial hub, an incentive to fight piracy and enforce copyright laws has been implemented. According to an article published on the internet business law services website, “<strong>Israel and the UAE</strong> possess the lowest software piracy rate in <strong>the Middle East</strong>.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">3. Internet Marketing in the Middle East</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><strong>The Middle East</strong> has the leading user growth since 2000 which is mainly due to the increasing investment in Internet infrastructure by rich countries like <strong>KSA</strong> and<strong>UAE</strong>. There is a global awareness about the importance of the Internet and the market opportunities that it has created. <strong>DeafCat Studios</strong> are devoted to provide their clients with the most efficient tools that will guarantee maximal user reach to<strong>video game products dubbed into spoken Arabic</strong>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Since the broadband infrastructure has hit <strong>the Middle East</strong> a couple of years ago, a regional awareness about the potential and affordability of <strong>internet marketing</strong>pushed companies to include online advertisement in their global marketing strategy. All the signs show that the online advertising expenses are expected to grow in the next couple of years: “<strong>Online advertisement spending in the Arab region is expected to grow in the next 5 years that would bring the total online ad value to about $142.08 million by end of 2011</strong>” a new study by Madar Research reported.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.deafcatstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/mena.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #e69138;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-264" height="180" src="http://www.deafcatstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/mena.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #1a272e; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;" title="mena" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Source: internet worldstats – 2008</span></address>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">“<strong>The MENA countries</strong>, according to Internet World Stats, have a collective online population of approximately 18.3 million, which represents an average of 22% penetration into the market and a 1,044% growth over the past seven years. Within this online population, <strong>Egypt</strong> and <strong>Saudi Arabia</strong> command 80% of the internet users, although the majority of the money is with the countries that make up the rest of the 20%. However, <strong>Egypt</strong> and <strong>Saudi Arabia</strong> are high-potential countries, and should propel the online growth of the region in the near future. This dichotomy creates within the <strong>MENA</strong> countries both an established and wealthy section as well as a large growth-oriented sector, which is optimum for conducting <strong>e-commerce or e-marketing </strong>campaigns in the region.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Source: Ezine Articles</span></address>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Opportunities for international businesses to expand in <strong>the Middle East</strong> are at their best. <strong>The MENA region </strong>is the fastest growing single-language region in the world. Therefore, businesses worldwide are considering to find and invest in emerging businesses in the region.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Our competitive edge at <strong>DeafCat Studios</strong> is our collaboration with <a href="http://www.eastlinemarketing.com/" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Eastline Marketing</strong></a> an established Arab-speaking company with genuine international expertise that understands regional clients and can provide them with the latest online marketing services that will target mainly Arab customers. We have built an extensive database of websites that allows us to geo-target a maximum number of Arab users according to their Age demographics, psychographics and online behavior.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.deafcatstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/demographics.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #e69138;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-265" height="190" src="http://www.deafcatstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/demographics.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #1a272e; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;" title="demographics" width="289" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Source: <a href="http://www.eastlinemarketing.com/" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Eastline Marketing </a>Data - 2008</span></address>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">49% of the online users in <strong>the MENA region</strong> are under twenty five years of age.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">33% of the online users in <strong>the MENA region</strong> are between 26 and 35 years of age.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">The rest of the online users (18%) in the MENA region are over 35 years of age.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">It is important to note that the purchasing power is divided between these three groups.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">4. Final Thoughts</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">We are confident that <strong>dubbing bestselling video games into the Arabic spoken language</strong> and marketing it to Arab video game savvies is becoming the trend in the region and drive investors to sign up on a successful business plan.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;">The fact that there is still few companies that have taken such an approach to video game so far should put <strong>DeafCat Studios</strong> ahead of the competition and allow us to hit the <strong>Arab market</strong> with consistent and fresh products. With an appropriate online marketing campaign, the final product ought to be picked up in all retail stores across the region and available to be purchased online.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-1002938609886314502012-02-22T10:36:00.000-08:002012-02-22T10:36:10.500-08:00UBISOFT to open development studio at twofour54 Abu Dhabi<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;"><a href="http://dubai.sae.edu/en-gb/news/7727/UBISOFT_to_open_development_studio_at_twofour54_Abu_Dhabi">UBISOFT to open development studio at twofour54 Abu Dhabi</a></span></h1>
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<a href="http://dubai.sae.edu/en-gb/news_overview/1725/News" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="back to news overview"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Back to Overview</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06;"><br /><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">26th October 2011</em></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">twofour54 gaming academy in partnership with Ubisoft to build regional capabilities Studio to create 100 new jobs over next 5 years</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Ubisoft, one of the world’s leading video game publishers and the developers of brands such as Tom Clancy®’s Splinter Cell, Assassin’s Creed® and Prince of Persia®, today announced an agreement that will see Ubisoft establish a new development studio and participate in a new game development academy in Abu Dhabi. This marks the first time a major games publisher has established a direct presence in the GCC.<br /><br />Based at twofour54 tadreeb, the twofour54 gaming academy in partnership with Ubisoft is scheduled to welcome its first intake of full-time students in March 2012. It will allow them to receive international standard training to prepare them for a career in the digital gaming industry; one of the fastest growing sectors within the media industry generally and especially in the Middle East.<br /><br />Under the agreement, Ubisoft will establish a games development studio at twofour54. This studio will provide exciting job and talent development opportunities for graduates of the Academy as well as other games developers looking to create games that have universal appeal.<br /><br />“Digital gaming has always been a priority sector for twofour54 and to partner with an international market leader such as Ubisoftis great news for the region’s gaming industry,” commented Wayne Borg, Deputy CEO & Chief Operating Officer, twofour54. “The digital games played by Arabs have traditionally been developed outside the region, which means that they rarely have a direct relevance to Arab gamers. Our agreement with Ubisoft will benefit the region in that it will enable the development of titles with universal appeal, whilst also building the skills of young Arabs to allow the region to create its own games and developing a gaming industry base here at twofour54.”<br /><br />Ubisoft has the second largest in-house development staff in the world, employing more than 5,400 developers in studios around the world. The young students that sign up to be part of the new academy will have the opportunity to engage with these experts who will provide the guidance, knowledge and tools required to ensure that their gaming ideas turn from concept into reality.<br /><br />Yannick Theler, a ten-year veteran at Ubisoft has been chosen to manage the new studio. Yannick’s experience at Ubisoft began at Ubisoft Switzerland as Marketing & Sales Directorbefore being appointed Vice President of Business Development for Ubisoft’s China activities and most recently served as Human Resources Director of Ubisoft Shanghai.<br /><br />“We are excited by the partnership with twofour54. Their commitment to developing a strong regional gaming industry and their knowledge of the region were the perfect foundation on which to continue building our development teams,” said Christine Burgess-Quémard, executive director, worldwide studios at Ubisoft. “The demographics and the pool of skilled technical talent in the Middle East and North Africa region are key factors that will contribute to the success of this new studio.”<br /><br />To register your interest in the twofour54 Gaming Academy, please <a href="http://dubai.sae.edu/en-gb/content/7729" mce_href="http://dubai.sae.edu/en-gb/content/7729" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">click here</a>.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-33556061818001042072012-02-04T10:42:00.000-08:002012-02-04T10:42:03.775-08:00Bill Moyers explains:<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E8GbIkY4hbo" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-67877603640555012152012-02-03T10:49:00.001-08:002012-02-03T10:49:35.961-08:00Kuma Gameshttp://www.youtube.com/user/KumaGames/videos?sort=dd&view=u&page=1Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-10318673241824048972012-02-03T10:05:00.001-08:002012-02-03T10:05:35.649-08:00Iran Says U.S. Video Games Are CIA Propaganda<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8lOiSj2QTt8" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-58168018628885803012012-01-27T12:47:00.001-08:002012-01-27T12:47:45.253-08:00Haram Games<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bq65YgdZxSo" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-5479450481908688702012-01-27T12:45:00.000-08:002012-01-27T12:45:05.415-08:00Video Game Says Islam is the Light<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qCcyrjpoccc" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-71917595589217195252012-01-13T11:10:00.001-08:002012-01-13T11:10:50.785-08:00Latest Game From the Islamic World<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b9S-yo1KOZg" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-50486803184305747702012-01-01T03:26:00.000-08:002012-01-01T03:26:00.710-08:00Marketing in the Muslim World: Understanding the Hajj<br />
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<a href="http://sparksheet.com/branding-islam-sponsoring-the-hajj/">Marketing in the Muslim World: Understanding the Hajj</a></h1>
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<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><abbr class="published" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="2011-11-07T10:21:07+0000">2011/11/07</abbr></span> · <span class="author-name vcard" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://sparksheet.com/author/shelina-janmohamed/" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.33s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Posts by Shelina Janmohamed">Shelina Janmohamed</a> </span>· <span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="comments-link" href="http://sparksheet.com/branding-islam-sponsoring-the-hajj/#comments" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.33s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Comment on Marketing in the Muslim World: Understanding the Hajj">Responses (6)</a></span></div>
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The Arab Spring is opening a new frontier for brands hoping to engage the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims. To mark this week’s Eid al-Adha festival, Ogilvy Noor’s Shelina Janmohamed looks at the hajj – the annual Muslim pilgrimage – and what it means for marketers.</div>
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The world’s most diverse annual pilgrimage is about to end in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Last year, numbers for the Islamic hajj reached an epic 2.8 million people from 181 countries.</div>
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The hajj is one of the defining events of the global Muslim community. Islam is the only religion where it’s compulsory to undertake a pilgrimage at a specific time, in a specific place, with specific rituals so that it’s in unison with other Muslims.</div>
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Any brand hoping to have an impact in the Muslim world needs to understand the power of this occasion in the collective Muslim consciousness along with the values it embodies.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aljazeeraenglish/3085904466/" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.33s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #e1024b; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-10135" height="480" src="http://sparksheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Hajj.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; height: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Hajj" width="640" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 11px; font: normal normal normal 14px/1.5em MuseoSans500, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
Image by Al Jazeera English via Flickr</div>
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Engaging the ummah</h2>
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It’s hard to overstate the significance of the hajj in Muslim life. When Muslims stand for their five daily prayers they face in the direction of Mecca no matter where they live. Not only does this create a deep-seated yearning to visit the holy site, it’s also one of many factors that bind together the global Muslim nation known as the ummah.</div>
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Ummah is a word that is often repeated in the Western media but which can be difficult to grasp in an era of modern nation states and defined borders. Like the hajj, the ummah is about togetherness, a form of global connectivity that disregards geography, culture and language.</div>
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The Quran talks repeatedly about how Muslims are “one ummah.” The traditions of the Prophet Muhammad explain that the ummah is like a body: If one part is in pain, the whole body feels it. Acknowledging this sense of collectivity is crucial for marketers.</div>
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Investing in the hajj</h2>
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Devout Muslims will start saving for the hajj as soon as they can afford it. In some nations governments will support hajj savings schemes or set up hajj investment funds.</div>
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In 1963 the Malaysian Parliament launched the Malaysian pilgrim’s management fund as a response to unscrupulous operators who were targeting potential pilgrims, especially the poor, who may have saved for decades.</div>
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The fund now has 5 million members, and at 23 billion Malaysian ringgit it’s the world’s largest Islamic savings institution. It even bailed out large Malaysian corporations during the financial crisis.</div>
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It’s a simple, effective concept, but surprisingly it has not been adopted outside Malaysia, despite the prevalence of dishonest hajj brokers around the world.</div>
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This year Islamic banks in the United Arab Emirates have been offering 12-month interest-free loans to prospective pilgrims. The Sharjah Islamic bank says that offering this service “without any profit or fee is part of our commitment to catering to consumer demand for Islamic products” and to “products that serve the social, health, educational and spiritual aspects of society.”</div>
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In Indonesia banks have been marketing hajj savings funds as their primary product. Catering to potential pilgrims is a great way for banks – and perhaps other brands – to attract long-term customers while being perceived as community-oriented and Muslim-friendly.</div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10126" height="164" src="http://sparksheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/small-but-potential-add-ons.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; font: inherit; height: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 513px;" title="small but potential add-ons" width="482" /><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10129" height="164" src="http://sparksheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/small-but-potential-add-on-2.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; font: inherit; height: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 513px;" title="hajj ad" width="482" /></div>
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Branding the hajj?</h2>
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As pilgrims leave their hometowns, entire communities will be there to bid them farewell. In Muslim countries high-ranking ministers will often show up at airports and the media will cover various delegations of pilgrims as they depart.</div>
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Marketers may have their marketing ears perked at this point. Are you wondering whether pilgrims are handed out company goody bags? Are they given access to special branded lounges at the airport? Are there photo opportunities to have the white-clad pilgrims snapped in front of some corporate logo?</div>
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Not so fast. Pilgrims wear white clothing to erase all trace of worldly existence, to become a “simple soul” that focuses only on the spiritual. Any brand plastering itself across a hajj convoy risks a serious backlash.</div>
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That doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities for marketers, but they must be handled subtly and with pure intentions. Pilgrims will see right through veiled attempts to buy or brand the hajj.</div>
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One opportunity is to assist potential pilgrims for whom hajj costs might be prohibitive. This could be done by matching their savings, or even through a corporate scheme to pay for a certain number of hajj pilgrimages.</div>
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Another idea might be to ”sponsor” the family that remains behind when a pilgrim heads to Mecca. Wealthy individuals already fund poorer pilgrims. Brands can do the same.</div>
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The hajj is a wonderful microcosm of how Muslims feel connected to their wider nation, the ummah. The best way for brands to be welcomed into the ummah’s fold is to show Muslims they are willing to go the distance for them as well.</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-11061433089917336242011-12-31T13:11:00.000-08:002011-12-31T13:11:09.060-08:00Islamic system will rate video games<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_137639618">Islamic system will rate video games</a></h1>
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<span style="color: #1578c9; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-width: 1px; font-style: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial;"><a href="http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/technology/islamic-system-will-rate-video-games">Eugene Harnan</a></span></span></div>
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ABU DHABI // Parents who are concerned about their children playing violent or offensive video games will get a helping hand in the form of a new, Islamic-based rating system.</div>
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From January, the Entertainment Software Rating Association (ESRA) will assess the minimum age for which each game is appropriate: six, 12, 15, 18 or 25.</div>
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Although they will not have any legal force for now, the ratings will be displayed on a website to help parents decide whether games are appropriate for their children.</div>
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The rating a game receives will be determined by rules drawn up by the Iran National Foundation of Computer Games, in concert with Dubai-based Index Holdings. They have spent the past two years discussing the guidelines with Islamic clerics.</div>
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The criteria include sex, nudity violence and the use of drugs and tobacco.</div>
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Dr Behrouz Minaei, the managing director of the Iran National Foundation of Computer Games, said the aim was to maintain "the balance of children and player's psychological behaviour".</div>
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"The system works as a monitor for the games' content and makes sure that games should indicate education and entertainment at the same time," he said.</div>
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Several games have fallen foul of regional moral standards in recent years. The Grand Theft Auto series, for example, was banned because it depicted prostitution, gambling and alcohol.</div>
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Dr Minaei said there were games that depicted Muslims as terrorists, while others were frightening for younger players.</div>
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He said the top age bracket was necessary because "there is a difference between an 18-year-old Muslim and a 25-year-old". The latter, he said, "is more than likely married and some games are more suitable towards married people".</div>
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Anas al Madani, vice president of Index Holding, said the system would help maintain the conservative aspect within the society.</div>
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"We are keen on encouraging game developers and publishers to use the ESRA system," he said. "It enables publishers to understand the nature of the Islamic society and the different aspects that it emphasises".</div>
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David Reeves, the chief operating officer of Capcom, the company behind the Resident Evil series of games, said the guidelines would only help the industry.</div>
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"In the past it was announced just before games were shipped or even when they were in the process of shipping to the UAE or Saudi Arabia that they were banned."</div>
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He said the rules would give developers a benchmark, helping them develop regional versions.</div>
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"It also gives developers and publishers a forum to talk to about what works and what doesn't," he added. "If there is a possibility of a game [being] banned, the developers will have something to work against and make changes to it."</div>
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Saeed el Ajou, managing director of Music Master, a games distributor based in Dubai, said that while all games were clearly marked with European age recommendations, that does not mean they complied with Islamic values.</div>
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"This is a Muslim country and they have to abide by those values," he said. "You will see a lot of contradictions in successful games that don't fall in line, like some war games."</div>
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Abdul Mohammad, a 42-year-old Syrian living in Dubai, monitors his 12-year-old son's gaming.</div>
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"I always check what my son buys or brings home from his friend's house," he said. "It's good to see this for the Arabic region.</div>
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"Films and even the internet can be monitored so it doesn't affect our values too much. I know of some games that are misleading. They start out all good and they would have hidden levels of strong violence. Something like this could cut this out in the future."</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214321543352361867.post-26733779778345282432011-12-31T13:09:00.001-08:002011-12-31T13:09:38.199-08:00Are Videogames Permissible in Islam?<br />
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Are Videogames Permissible in Islam?</h2>
<span class="submitted" style="background-color: white; color: #494949; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">August 19, 2009 — Ebrahim Saifuddin</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"></span><div class="content" style="background-color: white; color: #494949; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
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<strong><br /><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 16pt;"><a href="http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20101129115433">Are Videogames Permissible in Islam?</a></span></strong></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 9pt;">by Ebrahim Saifuddin</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><img alt="" class="alignleft" height="202" src="http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/ebrahimsaifuddin/ps3-vs-xbox360.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 7px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" title="PS3 Xbox" width="303" />With new technologies came video game consoles like Microsoft Xbox, Sony Play Station and Nintendo Wii. When Sony PS3 was launched in Japan on November 11, 2006, 81,639 (<a href="http://kotaku.com/gaming/sony/japanese-ps3-sales-data-also-depressing-214864.php" style="color: blue;">Media Create</a>) systems were sold within 24 hours. On August 3, 2009, a report quoting Sony’s earning figures stated Sony had sold 24 million units globally (<a href="http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/18703.cfm" style="color: blue;">AfterDawn</a>) since the launch of the product.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Today, one can buy a PS3 80GB edition for about $400. Despite its price, many children as well as adults own either of the most famous video game consoles. Muslims now face a question whether the video games available to play on these consoles are halal or haram. As a Muslim, this question must be asked because we are to assess the permissibility of some thing before we can sell, purchase and utilize it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Generally video games are without a doubt haram. There are many aspects to this issue which lead to it being forbidden.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 14pt;">Music in Videogames</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The first element which cannot be missed by anyone is the presence of music in these games. Any videogame has plentiful usage of musical instruments which are haram in Islam. Some people wish to argue that it is not haram but this objection of theirs is baseless.</span></div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Is Music Halal or Haram?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In not less than four places in the Qur’an, music has been declared haram. One such verse is found in Surah Luqman:</span></div>
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<span class="ayatarabic"><span dir="rtl" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 14pt;">وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ</span></span></div>
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<span class="ayatarabic"><span dir="rtl" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 14pt;">عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ</span></span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Wamina alnnasi man yashtaree lahwa alhadeethi liyudilla AAan sabeeli Allahi bighayri AAilmin wayattakhithaha huzuwan olaika lahum AAathabun muheenun</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">There is a man among the people who buys discourses of distracting amusements, so that he may mislead (people) from the Way of Allah, and make a mockery of it. For such people there is a disgraceful punishment. [31:06]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The phrase ‘lahwa alhadeeth’ is of importance as this refers to music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (ra), while replying to a question regarding “lahwa alhadeeth” said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“I take an oath by Allah, this means music.”<br />(al-Sunan al-Kubra lil Baihaqi, v.1 p.223)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Imam Shawkani (rh) quotes this hadith and says:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Ibn Shayba (rh) has quoted this hadith with sahih sanad. This has also been quoted by Hakim (rh) and Baihaqi (rh). Both of them classified it as sahih.”<br />(Nayl al Awtar, v.8 p.100)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) stated regarding “lahwa alhadeeth”:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“This means singing and things like it.”<br />(Adab al-Mufrad v.2 p.662)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Hasan Basri (rh) said regarding the same:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“This means music other things like story-telling the whole night, jokes, nonsensical talks etc. In fact, it includes all such things which would make one negligent of Allah’s (swt) worship and remembrance.”<br />(Tafsir Ruh al-Ma’ani, v.21 p.67)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Another narration from Hasan Basri (rh) is reported where he has said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“This verse was revealed with regard to music.”<br />(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v.3 p.442)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">There are many such statements of the companions where they have explained the meaning of “lahwa alhadeeth” to mean music. The above are just a few mentioned to clarify the matter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Apart from the Qur’an, there are many ahadith that leave no doubt that music is haram in Islam.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Umaamah Baahilee (ra) has narrated that the Messenger (saw) said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Verily, I have been sent by Allah (swt) as a guidance and mercy for the Muslims and He (swt) has commanded me to destroy the flute, drum, cross and objects of the days of ignorance (jahiliyah).”<br />(Abu Dawood)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) has narrated that the Messenger (saw) said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“I have been commanded to destroy the drum and the flute.”<br />(Jamul Jawaami’)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Abu Hurairah (ra) has narrated that the Messenger (saw) said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Close to Qiyaamah, the forms of some people of my Ummah will be transformed and changed into that of monkeys and swines.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><br />The Sahabah (raa) asked: “O Rasulullah (saw)! Will these people be Muslims?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The Messenger (saw) said: “Yes, they will testify that there is none worthy of worship but Allah (swt) and that I am Allah’s (swt) messenger and they will also fast.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The Sahabah (raa) asked: “O Rasulullah (saw)! Then why will this happen to them?<br />”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The Messenger (saw) said: “These people will become accustomed to musical instruments and singing girls and they will drink wine. One night they will be involved in drinking wine and in futilities and amusements. In the morning, their features will be transformed.”<br />(Ibn Hibban)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">‘Abdullah ibn Dinar said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“I went out with ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar to the market. He passed by a small slave-girl who was singing and remarked, ‘Shaytan. If he had left anyone, he would have left this girl.’”<br />(Adab Al-Mufrad)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) narrated that the Messenger (saw) said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Allah (swt) has forbidden wine, gambling, drum and saarangee (stringed instrument like violin).” He added, “Everything that intoxicates is haram.”<br />(Ma’ariful Qur’an, while quoting from Imam Ahmed, Abu Dawood and Ibn Hibban)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">As this article does not pertain to the topic of music being halal or haram in Islam, hence, many authentic narrations, juristic rulings etc are omitted. The basic evidence has been given to establish that music which we have today is not permissible in Islam and as a result the music component of video games makes them haram beyond a doubt.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 14pt;">Animate Objects in Videogames</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Another component of videogames is the animate objects i.e. humans, animals. Many a times the female characters in video games are highly inappropriately dressed. All such things render the games impermissible. There are many ahadith which render making the picture of an animate object, impermissible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Narrated Said bin Abu Al-Hasan:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">While I was with Ibn ‘Abbas a man came and said, “O father of ‘Abbas! My sustenance is from my manual profession and I make these pictures.” Ibn ‘Abbas said, “I will tell you only what I heard from Allah’s Apostle. I heard him saying, ‘Whoever makes a picture will be punished by Allah till he puts life in it, and he will never be able to put life in it.’” Hearing this, that man heaved a sigh and his face turned pale. Ibn ‘Abbas said to him, “What a pity! If you insist on making pictures I advise you to make pictures of trees and any other unanimated objects.”<br />(Sahih Bukhari, v.34 b.3 n.428)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The Prophet (saw) said: “The angels do not enter a house which contains a picture, a dog, or a man who is impure by sexual defilement.”<br />(Abu Dawood, b.32 n.4140)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Similar ahadith are found throughout the hadith collections. They stress on the grave punishments one will face if they make pictures. The making of pictures includes sculptures as well. There are hardly any videogames available that do not have any animate objects in them. This again renders them to be impermissible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">There is an objection raised by some after quoting the following hadith:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Narrated ‘Ayesha, Ummul Mu’minin:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“When the Apostle of Allah (saw) arrived after the expedition to Tabuk or Khaybar (the narrator is doubtful), the draught raised an end of a curtain which was hung in front of her store-room, revealing some dolls which belonged to her. He asked: What is this? She replied: My dolls. Among them he saw a horse with wings made of rags, and asked: What is this I see among them? She replied: A horse. He asked: What is this that it has on it? She replied: Two wings. He asked: A horse with two wings? She replied: Have you not heard that Solomon had horses with wings? She said: Thereupon the Apostle of Allah (saw) laughed so heartily that I could see his molar teeth.”<br />(Abu Dawood)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Similar ahadith related to dolls are also present in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. They state that ‘Ayesha (ra) was allowed to keep dolls. Many scholars have explained the doll issue in this hadith. Firstly the doll was without features and made out of rags. This is nothing like the dolls today. Today dolls have prominent features like eyes, nose, ears etc. Moreover, some scholars have stated these events were before picture-making was declared impermissible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Maulana Manzoor Ahmed in Fadhl al-Ma’bud fi Sharh Sunan Abu Dawood writes:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Imam Munzari has said the word ‘banaat’ in the hadith refers to dolls with which girls play. If they had facial features then this event was before the prohibition of picture-making. Otherwise, many times things which do not have such features are also referred by the same name.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Commenting on a hadith in Sahih Bukhari (Kitab al-Adab), related to dolls, Maulana Salimullah Khan in Kashf al-Bari ‘amma fi Sahih Bukhari, has stated:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“From this hadith, majority of the scholars have said that children can play with dolls but to make facial features like eyes, nose, and mouth, and to give it the proper human shape should be avoided.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">As a result, if any object made by man for example a doll, has distinct features etc, then it is impermissible. In many videogames, the characters have distinct features which render them impermissible, even for children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Use of such objects is only deemed permissible when needed strictly for an academic reason. For example, in a medical college, students require the use of 3D plastic models to study anatomy. Due to this, scholars have permitted to use of such objects.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 14pt;">Analyzing famous games</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Many of the famous videogames, at times have a lot of inappropriate content in them.</span></div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 13pt;">Grand Theft Auto</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The main theme in all the games in this series is based on car theft. One has to steal cars and carry out missions which require one to break the law. Gang mentality is promoted and crime is marketed as something “cool”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">What was the outcome of such a game? Two boys aged 14 and 16 shot and killed a man after being inspired by this game.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“His (the deceased) parents have sued Sony for $246 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Sony makes the video game “Grand Theft Auto,” which the two boys accused in the death said inspired them to shoot into traffic.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=1490662)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In fact, many online websites now present a “dating guide” for a videogame in this series where the lead character can date various women in the game.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Such acts of violence and mingling with people of the opposite sex are highly unislamic and one should neither allow one’s children to play these games nor should one purchase these for oneself.</span></div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 13pt;">Metal Gear Solid</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The <a href="http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/CDA5D8997C8695AB8025743400326EE6?OpenDocument" style="color: blue;">British Board of Film Classification</a> has rated this videogame 15 despite noting extreme violence, implied child rape and references to suicide:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“According to the BBFC, MGS4 includes ‘references to suicide and an implied child rape,’ broadly speaking, the violence on show isn’t overly graphic, however.<br />‘During battles enemy soldiers die with small puffs of blood. The weaponry includes petrol bombs, however there is no detailed portrayal of injuries. During cut scenes slightly more detailed violence is portrayed, such as enemy creatures spearing friendly soldiers and one protracted fist fight.’”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://play.tm/news/17623/metal-gear-solid-4-includes-strong-references/)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Similarly, there are many popular videogames with inappropriate content especially for children and they should not be allowed to play these. As Muslims, our duty is to raise our children with Islamic morals and not corrupt their mind with unnecessary violence or other things of provocative nature. Such content is simply impermissible by Islamic standards.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 14pt;">Psychological Impact of Videogames</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In a report titled “The Influence of Media Violence on Youth” by a team of 8 members (Craig A. Anderson, Leonard Berkovitz, Edward Donnerstein, L. Rowell Huesmann, James D. Johnson, Daniel Linz, Neil M. Malamuth and Ellen Wartella), it is stated:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Violent video games have recently surpassed violent music videos and even violent TV as a matter of concern to parents and policymakers. There are several reasons for this. First, children are spending an increasingly large amount of time playing video games. Second, a large portion of these games contain violence. Third, because the children playing these games are active participants rather than observers, they may be at increased risk of becoming aggressive themselves. The impact of exposure to violent video games has not been studied as extensively as the impact of exposure to TV or movie violence; however, on the whole, the results reported for video games to date are very similar to those obtained in the investigations of TV and movie violence (Anderson & Bushman, 2001; Anderson et al., in press).”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/pspi/pspi43.pdf)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Craig A. Anderson, a PhD in psychology, writes a detailed article on the psychological effects of videogames. Some of his arguments are reproduced hereunder:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“<em>Myth 1</em>: Violent video game research has yielded very mixed results.</span></div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Facts</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">: Some studies have yielded nonsignificant video game effects, just as some smoking studies failed to find a significant link to lung cancer. But when one combines all relevant empirical studies using meta-analytic techniques, five separate effects emerge with considerable consistency. Violent video games are significantly associated with: increased aggressive behavior, thoughts, and affect; increased physiological arousal; and decreased prosocial (helping) behavior. Average effect sizes for experimental studies (which help establish causality) and correlational studies (which allow examination of serious violent behavior) appear comparable (Anderson & Bushman, 2001).</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Myth 2</span></em><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">: The studies that find significant effects are the weakest methodologically.</span></div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Facts</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">: Methodologically stronger studies have yielded the largest effects (Anderson, in press). Thus, earlier effect size estimates – based on all video game studies – probably underestimate the actual effect sizes.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Myth 8</span></em><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">: Unrealistic video game violence is completely safe for adolescents and older youths.</span></div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Facts</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">: Cartoonish and fantasy violence is often perceived (incorrectly) by parents and public policy makers as safe even for children. However, experimental studies with college students have consistently found increased aggression after exposure to clearly unrealistic and fantasy violent video games. Indeed, at least one recent study found significant increases in aggression by college students after playing E-rated (suitable for everyone) violent video games.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Myth 11</span></em><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">: If violent video games cause increases in aggression, violent crime rates in the U.S. would be increasing instead of decreasing.</span></div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Facts</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">: Three assumptions must all be true for this myth to be valid: (a) exposure to violent media (including video games) is increasing; (b) youth violent crime rates are decreasing; (c) video game violence is the only (or the primary) factor contributing to societal violence. The first assumption is probably true. The second is not true, as reported by the 2001 Report of the Surgeon General on Youth Violence (Figure 2-7, p. 25). The third is clearly untrue. Media violence is only one of many factors that contribute to societal violence and is certainly not the most important one. Media violence researchers have repeatedly noted this.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">(http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sb-anderson.html)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The above are only some of the common objections raised by those who state videogames have no psychological effects. In the source link given above, other objections and their answers can also be read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Another report titled “The Effects of Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Aggressive Attitudes and Behaviors” by Paul J. Lynch, Douglas A. Gentile, Abbie A. Olson and Tara M. van Brederode, points out the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Students were also asked whether they had been involved in a physical fight within the past year. Students who spend more time playing video games, have played for more years, or buy or rent video games more frequently are more likely to have been involved in physical fights……We asked students whether they play video games when they are angry as a way to release their anger. Thirty-nine percent of students overall (45% of boys, 31% of girls) say they play video games with the intention to release their anger. This usage pattern is related systematically with each of the aggression variables. Students who play video games as a way to release anger see the world as a more hostile place, get into arguments with teachers more frequently, tend to be more hostile, and are more likely to have been involved in physical fights. They also perform more poorly in school. ”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://www.fragtopia.com/currrent-news-images-etc/Violent%20Video%20Games.pdf)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">For a detailed study these reports can be read in full in the links given.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 14pt;">Impact on Physical Health</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">While people spend time on videogames, they miss out on healthy activities. A person may sit for 2 hours playing tennis or boxing but they hardly burn any calories. If one would play only one hour of tennis, they would burn a whole lot more calories than 2 hours of tennis on video console games. Exercise outside makes both the mind and body healthy. Sitting in a room playing videogames does neither.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">There are some who claim Nintendo Wii solves this problem because playing games on Wii requires physical movements and hence it is just like playing the actual sport. The reality of the matter is that Wii sports burns about only 60 calories per hour more than regular console games:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“A new study shows that kids playing the active computer game Wii Sports burn 60 more calories per hour than while playing Xbox 360, a sedentary computer game.<br />But they would burn far more calories playing the real sports, report experts at the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences in Liverpool, England.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=85994)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Another problem related to Nintendo Wii, as stated by some, is that its overuse injures soft tissues, muscle and tendons:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Prolonged use can lead to injuries The Courier Journal in Louisville, Kentucky reports warnings of overuse from a local PT Siri Njos, who has gotten reports about pain and soreness among both adults and children who got Wii Sports for Christmas.<br />The action of using the Wii is like hitting the air, hundreds or even thousands of times which can inflame the rotator cuff tendon and bursa in the shoulder…….Imagine playing virtual tennis for much longer than you would in real life. “Unlike the real sport, physical strength and endurance are not limiting factors,” Dr. Julio Bonis wrote in his letter.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://www.allhealthcare.com/news/articles/167-nintendo-wii-pts-weigh-in)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The gist of the matter is that it is far better to go out and play a particular sport in real life than spend hours playing it on video game consoles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Such forms of activities are a waste of time and have no benefit in them. As Muslims, it is prohibited to get into idle activities that simply wastes time. Islam does not prohibit one to indulge in healthy activities and in fact encourages people to do so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In Imam Suyuti’s al-Jami’ al-Sagir, v.1 p.62, it is reported:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:<br />“Carry on playing and enjoying for I dislike harshness in your religion.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In Maraasil Abu Dawood, it is recorded:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:<br />“Refresh your hearts from time to time.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">These narrations make it clear that Islam does not expect one to be in ‘ibadah 24 hours a day. However, enjoyment and play should be those that are beneficial to our body and mind. That which has no benefit should not be practiced by us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In Mustadrak Kitab al-Jihad, v.2 p.95 it is reported:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The prophet Muhammad (saw) said:<br />“Every game in the world which a person plays is fruitless except for 3 things. These are archery, training one’s horse and playing with one’s wife.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In a similar narration recorded in al-Jami’ al-Sagir, swimming is also mentioned. Further, a hadith reported in Abu Dawood:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Narrated ‘Ayesha (ra):<br />“While I was on a journey along with the Apostle of Allah (saw), I had a race with him and I outstripped him on my feet. When I put on some weight, I again had a race with him and he outstripped me. He said: This is for that outstripping.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The focus of indulging in these sports is to acquire skill and also train the mind and body for time when one has to defend his deen or himself and his family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Sitting at home playing video game consoles prepares us for neither. This is purely a useless activity and one should abstain from it at all cost. In Sahih Bukhari it has been recorded:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:<br />“There are two blessings which many people lose, health and free time for doing good.”</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 14pt;">Distraction from Obedience to Allah (swt)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Another issue related to videogames is that it distracts people from their religious duties. It often happens that people playing videogames would hear the adhan but do not get up to offer the salah because they are so much engrossed in the game.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an in Surah al-Munafiqun:</span></div>
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<span class="ayatarabic"><span dir="rtl" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 14pt;">يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ</span></span></div>
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<span class="ayatarabic"><span dir="rtl" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 14pt;">عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ</span></span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo la tulhikum amwalukum wala awladukum AAan thikri Allahi waman yafAAal thalika faolaika humu alkhasiroona</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">O you who believe, your riches and your children must not divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And those who do that are the losers. [63:09]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Although the apparent objects in the verse are riches and children, the verse refers to all forms of entertainment. Mufti Sahfi’ Uthmani, in Ma’ariful Qur’an explains:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“There are two major objects in this world that divert a person from the remembrance of Allah (swt): [1] wealth; and [2] children. Therefore, these two things have been named in particular. Otherwise, it refers to all the means of enjoyments in the world.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Videogames are addictive and many people have suffered from it. According to the data cited in American Psychiatrist Association council’s report:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Up to 90 percent of American youngsters play video games and as many as 15 percent of them – more than 5 million kids – may be addicted.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19354827/)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In the same news item, it is further noted:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Joyce Protopapas of Frisco, Texas, said her 17-year-old son, Michael, was a video addict. Over nearly two years, video and Internet games transformed him from an outgoing, academically gifted teen into a reclusive manipulator who flunked two 10th grade classes and spent several hours day and night playing a popular online video game called World of Warcraft.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19354827/)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In a news report from Australia, the following is stated:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“The father of a 15-year-old Perth computer-game addict has described the family’s extraordinary nightmare – comparing it to heroin addiction.</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><br />Wanting only to be known as Lee, the distressed dad told The Sunday Times his son’s life had spiralled out of control in the past 14 months.</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The Year 11 Ballajura Community College student has not attended classes for two months.<br />He spends his time alone in a dark room playing the RuneScape game for up to 16 hours a day.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22073926-2761,00.html)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">One of the leading newspapers in United Kingdom published a report on the same issue. They mentioned psychologists to have said “one in 30 videogame players have symptoms similar to those of gambling and drug addicts.” The report further mentioned:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Gaming formed such a large part in the lives of three per cent of gamers in a study that they missed meals and went without sleep to spend more time playing.</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">They suffered withdrawal symptoms and had difficulties cutting back on their hobby, and were found to be more introverted, emotionally unstable and have lower self esteem than average.<br />Psychologists, presenting the research at the British Psychological Society conference in Dublin yesterday, said gaming addicts had personality traits similar to people with Asperger’s syndrome.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3338422/Video-game-addiction-like-being-on-drugs.html)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Realizing such harmful effects of videogames, China imposed online gaming curbs. The player was expelled from any game which he was playing, after 3 hours. However, later in 2006, due to unknown reasons China relaxed this ban and the restriction was applicable only to those under 18:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“A watershed online gaming announcement from China’s General Administration of Press and Publications, or GAPP, last Friday means that its proposed “fatigue system,” which is designed to restrict online game playing in an effort to combat addiction among youth, will only apply to gamers under the age of 18.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/online-gaming-restrictions-eased)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Could it be that the gaming industry was losing a lot of money due to the initial ban and hence pressured the government to relax it? This question will probably remain unanswered but we should consider all possibilities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Keep in mind that professionals have compared video gaming to drugs and gambling. Both these are strictly forbidden in Islam. How then can we say something similar to both drugs and gambling can be freely used?</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 14pt;">Wasting Money</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">As noted earlier, a PS3 80GB edition costs about $400, while games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4 costs almost $39 and $30 respectively on a known online shop. To spend so much on something which, in principle is useless, is wasting money. It is far better to simply take a membership of a gym or jog around the park which would virtually cost nothing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">In a hadith in Sahih Bukhari, the prophet Muhammad (saw) has said that one of the things for which Allah (swt) has hated us is “wasting of wealth.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Do we really wish to earn the hatred of Allah (swt) or should we yearn to earn His love?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Many Muslims in third-world nations earn a fraction of the cost of PS3 in a month. There are yet many who do not even earn that much in a year. Our brothers and sisters all over the world are simply dying of hunger. How can we then sit and spend all this money on something which is futile.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">With the same money we can purchase books that would enable us to be better Muslims. There are so many of us who have been offering salah for a long time but all that has been invalid because they were not executing the fardh aspects of salah properly. The reason for this is that we do not wish to learn fiqh of even the basic pillars of Islam. However, when it comes to videogames, we are always informed about the new ones that are about to be released and have read reviews of multitude of others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style'; font-size: 14pt;">Conclusion</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Keeping everything in mind, videogames should be avoided and the money spent on them should, instead, be channeled in a useful way which would be beneficial to us and others. A Muslim household should have members who have a healthy mind, body and soul.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Video game consoles, if used for educational purposes would then be permissible. Some videogames can simulate learning in children and thus can be used for these purposes strictly. However, there are other ways to simulate learning in children but if it is so necessary to use videogames then they can be used for such purposes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Apart from this, videogames should be avoided and not deemed permissible for the many reasons stated above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">And Allah (swt) knows best.</span></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17286896973319500482noreply@blogger.com0