Iranian of the Day

Ghaboolet daram:)

Cyber-brother Ghool: 

Yes. I guess you have a point right there.

Speaking of khar polis. You think you can convince mashti navid to create a game on that basis too? he can say he is basing it on the reality show COPS! and what we are really doing here is to give catching and stopping criminals a new meaning or i don't know... we are redifining crime! i am sure he can think of something catchy.

Be sharteh chaaghoo

LOL, Doctor jaan my sales pitch is like hendooneh beh sharteh chaaghoo, if you don't by it I stab you, I learned that playing GTA, j/k =)

I enjoyed our banter sir, just one quick note that the game industry demographic reaches up to 35 year olds because these infidels grew up with games here in US while you and I-ran outside playing khar-police. All i'm saying is don't dismiss games as a HUGE media for PR.

Ghool Khan

Now you are over selling it.

anyone who is over the age 16 and still finds playing games an attractive and educational option, needs serious attention, medical and psychological. People are being drafted to go to war at the age of 18!

You are comparing watching moving scenes of saving private ryan (i used to think it was saving ryan's privates but begzareem bache boodam o nafahm) to playing call of duty? Puleeezzz. that is so overdoing it.

I respect your ideas and understand where you are coming from, Butyou sound like a pushy salesman at this time to me (with all due respect) who goes to any lenght to make something look worthy of a sale at any price . So i will chalkthat up to your marketing skills than anything else.

It does not matter how much propaganda and false and negative PR is pumped out in any society war torn or not, There is always many other more credible and engaging resources that will tell the real story as it happens and not just a virtual simulation of it.

I don't believe in educational power of violent video games.

To me, the kids who play violent games are doing a harm to themselves. In order for any kid to really get an educational benefit of playing violent video games, parents have to spend too much time to explain issues to the kid and the kid has to be an exceptional kid. Average kid just gets more violent playing violent video games. This is my opinion and may be I don't know much about video games. Neither I nor thankfully my daughter have been players of violent video games. So may be I need to expose myself to this educational value to see what they are talking about but somehow I just don't buy it.

Doctor jaan no doubt,

Doctor jaan no doubt, wikipedia is a more effective learning tool but for the young 12-20 year old demographic a game is a far more attractive option and if a game happens to contain some educational context more power to it...

True I already knew about war even before seeing the game but I also come from a war torn nation, realize that media is a great PR tool and games are even more powerful than movies and TV as they engage the audience in a far deeper experience, playing "call of duty" is more intense than watching "saving private ryan" so to cut the long story short don't underestimate the power of gaming, I even have a recent Colbert episode for you on educational power of games:

//www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/thu-feb...

Hope you enjoy, cheers

Ghool Jan

Never mind the example . Point is people can learn so much through various other means available to them and don't have to use a video game as a pretext for having a discussion about what happened in iran.

Be honest with yourself. you really did not need to be confronted with the realism of Army's call of duty to be mindful of war and all horrors that come with it. What. did you think war was a picnic prior to that?

Great reply Niki

I enjoyed your sense of humor, video games are largely a waste of time I agree but they are a reality the very same way alcohol is bad for you but many people drink it, cholesterol is bad yet people love burgers, so lets face it regardless of what anyone thinks games will thrive, however we should not just blindly dismiss a game with real historical context from which people can learn a thing or two, I don't play games myself but having seen the realism in Army's Call of Duty make me mindful of war and all the fears associated with it.

@Dr. Engineer, I agree with you how all businessmen are ultimately chasing payday, one can say that about all people, nothing wrong with earning a living, you lost me with the bike example, cheers

It's called SPIN

I don't believe a word of what this Khonsari guy is saying, about this video game just being this amazing educational tool for all of us to re-enact and re-live history without taking on the roles of good guys or bad guys.  If this was so, why didn't he pick the French Revolution as the theme of his game? Because he knows that his audience of Billie Bobs and Vinnie Goombahs are not interested in guillotining Robespierre or discussing the finer points of enlightened philosophy with Voltaire, but they are eager to shoot some of'em demm eye-ranians and other sandn*ggers who live across the world, from the safety of their living room :)

Priceless comment, Niki jan!

still laughing...:-)

Grand Theft Auto = Great PR and educational Tool

Mr. Khonsari's popular video game Grand Theft Auto can, just like his newest game about the Iranian Revolution, be a great PR tool to open the minds of law abiding citizens and generate awareness of the human struggle of hooligans and prostitutes as they valiantly struggle to rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld. I mean, those law-abiding citizens who prevent their kids from re-enacting violent and criminal acts (while having a good giggle about it cause violence is, like, so funny) are just so petty, bourgeois and small-minded, I want to smack them in the mouth with my Atari 800.

And as he explains in the above-posted video with a smirk, it can  also be great for your marriage since you can basically lock yourself up for 2 days and play the video game non-stop (healthy) and then walk out to find your spouse has left you and emptied out your apartment.

I tell you, all these mean and jealous people who make negative comments about these wonderful games are just so "typically eye-ranian." 

Fish Here

While i disagree with all forms of denigrating and mean comments that are made on certain other topics , there are no hiding the facts and you can not deny realities. Yes, I would be a jerk if i had predicted the worst outcome on some marriage , But I or anyone else would downright stupid if we for even one brief moment doubted the monetary! and related motivation of a buisnessman In any project he undertakes regardless of how he frames his ambitions in an interview,. Good and Noble intentions aside, At the end it is all about the Big pay. Nothing else.

I am not denouncing them or puting them down, I am just saying It is what it is.

You can fault anyone and i mean anyone for using this freedom of speech through the internet to say what they want and hold it against them. They have as much right to criticize as you do to Glorify and give heaps up on heaps of Praise.

 Deev Khan

That is a very super -simplified way of looking at things. So you really think every single american would in fact make such a conclusion? That is like saying: i know all the residents in a certain district or town absolutely hate having bikes in this town, so i am gonna make sure no one rides it anymore starting today.

You don't , i guess, give the slightest possibilty that there maybe some who are smart enough to belive differently.

A PR tool? You must be joking. How many Video games can you name that have been a great PR Tool in creating better qualities in youngsters who use them and not haveing the total opposite effect. If there is a burning desire for great awarness, there are books magazine to be read and programs to be watched and other resources to be utilized, which take a lot less time by the way. 

LOL you haven't seen anger honey

No one is angry dear lady, we just found your I-didn't-see-it-but-I-hate-it attitude shallow.

 ps: thanks for the "loser" title, expected behavior from presumptuous and shallow people ;)

deev and fish, get a grip on your anger.

your anger at me is appalling. Get a life. At the time that IRI is killing people, i see more anger from you guys directed at me than at IRI. That means you are losers.

Deev

Welcome to another routine day on Iranian of the Day features. Mean, jealous, and plain dumb comments abound. We are used to it around here. People leave nasty comments for ordinary people, artists, entrepreneurs, and even couples celebrating their marriage or even their children's bar mitzvahs. All dancing guys "are gay." All brides and grooms "will divorce in a year or two." All businessmen "think only of getting rich." Everyone is at best mediocre. We are faceless.  We are nameless. We have a computer and an internet connection. We can say nasty things without getting recognized or being held responsible for it. So of course we will use the "freedom of speech" to say as we please.

It is fairly routine for some people on iranian.com to start their dumb comments by saying: "I have not yet read your blog, but..."

For all it is worth in the middle of all this nastiness, I wish Mr. Khonsari continued success.

What a bunch of nagging haters

Due to the policies of our oppressive regime and the war mongering of US government the Iranian people have been dehumanized and reduced to the single face of Ahmadinejad, such a game can be a great PR tool to open the minds of westerners and generate awareness of the human struggle of Iranians.

@Anahid Hojjati, how presumptuous of you to judge a person as money hungry without even watching the interview, this exact behavior of making judgments without any merits has been the root of our problems, many people loved khomeini without listening to him, as much as I'm proud of Navid Khonsari's work I'm appalled by your blind reaction!

یکی نیست بگه

Reading friends' great comments, I don't need to listen to him

Another Iranian thinking of only getting rich no matter what it takes.

Very Impressive person And interview

Creative indeed! I think parents should use this tool to open up discussions about real motives and functions in historical context.

Matter of perspective

MY sweet ...

Sad to see how some people can get away with just about anything.

I don't believe this guy

What's next, a video game version of the stoning of Soraya M.?

Total Lack of Responsibility ...

Great. Another GTA game in which you can choose the character of a U.S. Black OP and invade Iran and kill the enemy or you can choose the character of an Islamic fashist and enforce on others the Sharia Law.

Shame on you Mr. Khonsari. I am sure you make a lot of money off of the game.

What a waste of talent and entrepreneurship.

.

The Worst Video Game ever!

In  my opinion, Grand Theft autho is The worst video game my boys have ever played. The game has been the source of inspiration for many wanna-be-criminals in the real world, and a bad influence on the kids, because of its core concept.

Honestly, there is no pride in being the maker of an Iranian version of this aweful game.

Fantastic

Great interview, proud to see such a creative force is Iranian!