Nick Khonsari, the director of the record-shattering Grand Theft Auto series, has unveiled the details of a new project entitled 1979. The game will follow the intrigue, politics and morality of Iran's Islamic Revolution through the eyes of several characters.
Tehran is set to join Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City as a locale in the burgeoning "sandbox" genre of video games. Khonsari, a Canadian of Iranian descent, hopes to explore the turmoil his forebears experienced through an interactive medium. 1979 -- named for the date of the famous U.s. embassy hostage crisis -- will throw players into the shoes of several protagonists: a student demonstrator, a translator, a militant and other archetypes critical to Iran's changing history.
With a tag line like, "There are no good guys," 1979 will likely be the first big budget video game to explore a non-American historical event with maturity and sensitivity.
Culturally Varied Video Games
1979 Explores Iran's Islamic Revolution Through a Moral Lens
Trend Themes
1. Culturally-engaging Video Games - Opportunity for game developers to create immersive experiences that explore diverse cultures and historical events.
2. Story-driven Sandbox Games - Potential for the sandbox genre to evolve beyond open-world exploration and prioritize engaging narratives.
3. Interactive Historical Education - Rise of video games as a medium for educating players about significant historical events while maintaining entertainment value.
Industry Implications
1. Video Game Development - Developers can seize the opportunity to create culturally significant games that offer unique and immersive experiences.
2. Educational Technology - Integration of historically-accurate video games in educational curricula to engage students while teaching important lessons.
3. Entertainment Media - Exploring non-American historical events through video games opens avenues for entertainment media companies to create innovative and thought-provoking content.