Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Cultural resistance much?

Russian Government May Fund Patriotic Game Series


The Russian government has been asked to fund the bulk of a 720 million roubles ($24m / £16m) game project designed to boost the country’s international hi-tech image and increase patriotism among teenagers.

That’s according to Russian daily Vedomosti (via RIA Novosti), which claims that the country’s Communication Ministry wants to work with developer 1C to create a series of six flight simulator games.

1C is one of Russia’s biggest independent software developers and publishers. Outside of its home country, it’s perhaps best known for developing the IL-2 Sturmovik line of combat flight simulator games.

The Ministry has asked the government to allocate 520 million roubles ($17.5m / £11.6m) to the project, with 1C stumping up the remainder. It said that the series would work as low-cost educational and professional simulators for pilots and increase Russia's hi-tech exports.

1C CEO Boris Nuraliev is said to have demonstrated one of the titles to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, although the project has yet to win the backing of the government.

The report claims that the series would be expected to sell ten millions copies worldwide in four years, and help grow Russia's share in the games market to ten per cent.

It would be silly to dismiss the idea that governments would not try reaching plebes via video games. It is necessary for a balanced world to have countries boast their nationalism to some extent, if only to offer a vision that is free from the usual USA productions and the one sided Rambo depictions.

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