video games, video clips and islam new media and...

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Contemporary Muslim Consumer Cultures Berlin, September 24-27, 2008

Video Games, Video Clips and Islam

New Media and the Communication of Values

Vít ŠislerCharles University in Prague

http://uisk.jinonice.cuni.cz/sisler

Neglected Media exhibit strong popular appeal and economic relevance, contrasted by lack of cultural prestige and scientific coverage.

Often, they have a profound impact on the collective imaginary although this ′passive′ knowledge is seldom accepted as culturally relevant.

Reichmuth, P., Werning, S., Pixel Pashas, Digital Djinns. ISIM Review, vol. 18, 2006

� popular music, comic strips, video clips, video games and others



http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2008/01/08/43963.html

Video games in the Middle East


Videogames open a new domain for persuasion, thanks to their core representational mode, procedurality. I call this new form procedural rhetoric, the art of persuasion through rule-based representations and interactions rather than the spoken word, writing, images, or moving pictures.

This type of persuasion is tied to the core affordances of the computer: computers run processes, they execute calculations and rule-based symbolic manipulations. Among computer software, I want to suggest that videogames have a unique persuasive power.

Bogost, I. (2007). Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Political, cultural and linguistic context:

1. Youth popular culture

2. Islamic revival

3. Oral cultural tradition

4. Wide and cheap availability


Game studies methodology:

1. Audiovisual signifiers

2. Narrative structure

3. Gameplay *

* the rule system governing the players interaction with the game


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Video games not only represent reality, but also model it through simulations. This form of representation is based on rules that mimic the behavior of the simulated systems. However, unlike narrative authors, simulation authors do not represent a particular event, but a set of potential events. Because of this, we have to think about their objects as systems and consider which the laws that rule their behaviors are.

Frasca, G. (2004). Videogames of the Oppressed: Critical Thinking, Education, Tolerance, and Other Trivial Issues. In P. Harrigan, N. Wardrip-Fruin (Eds.), First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Petri Nets description of the gameplay of al-

Khiyār level from Quraish game

“At Islamgames.com, our goal is to provide you with quality, Islamic entertainment for you as well as your children. Due to high levels of interaction, video games are actually a great learning tool, butunfortunately, many of the games available teach things contrary to the teachings of Islam.

The result, our children tend to identify with secular values and concepts more than with those of Islam. By providing an alternative to mainstream video games, we can help our children, in a subtle way, learn to identify with Islamic values, and thereby become more closely attuned to the teachings of Islam.”

Islam Games [Accessed 20 July 2005: http://www.islamgames.com]


Al-Muslim al-saghīr

(The Young Muslim, Safeer)


Immersive worlds are given environments which may be explored in a non-linear way by learners. They include artifacts and objects and allow users to learn through exploring the environment and its objects in a relatively open-ended way.

Minsky, M., Papert, S. (1971). Progress report on Artificial Intelligence.


QuraishAfkar Media, 2007


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Second LifeLinden Lab2003


Video blogging for Islam


Representation of Arabs and Muslims in videogames

1. “Digital Orientalism”

2. Conflictual framework


PRINCE OF PERSIA: HAREM ADVENTURE, Gameloft S.A., 2003


BATTLE IN SADR CITY, Kuma/War, 2005


Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, 2007


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I love this game. It makes Muslims look really cool.(Simba, Sunni Muslim)

Did anyone know that Altair from Assassin’s Creed is a Muslim? Wow, I am a Muslim. I can finally relate my self to videogames.

(furqan2006)

It is the only game my parents pay attention to when I’m playing, as they always want to see the mosque and Jerusalem and other Muslim icons like Prophet Solomon’s grave.

(joshF2295)

Arabian Lords, BreakAway Games, Quirkat, 2007



With this product historical accuracy and cultural relevance became important guiding factors. We knew that culturally religion played a major role during this time span covered in the game, and that it still does today. We wanted to make sure to include this in a way that would honor its significance, while being sensitive to all religious and cultural concerns.

http://www.arabianlords.com/Public/public_master.aspx?Site_Id=2&Page_Id=424&Path=66

Conclusions

1. Private Islamic piety

2. Individual agency

3. Family values

4. Private religious entrepreneurs

5. Market Islam

6. Cultural appropriation

7. Appeal to youth

8. Influence on mainstream production


digitalislam.eu

Thank you for your attention.

[email protected]://uisk.jinonice.cuni.cz/sisler

This presentation is based on research project on Islam, Middle East and digital media (digitalislam.eu) supported by Charles University in Prague by

the research grants “GAUK 125408” and “GRANTY/2008/547”.


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