The Iran Computer and Video Games Foundation (ICVGF), also known as the National Foundation for Computer Games (NFCG), is an
Iranian nonprofit organization established by the
Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to control and support the
video game industry in Iran.
Established in 2007, the ICVGF is responsible for publishing and releasing video games, supporting Iranian
video game developers, teaching
video game development, and monitoring the activities of
LAN gaming centers in Iran. The ICVGF is also responsible for banning foreign video games that are not compatible with Iran's political views, and filtering video game websites that do not meet governmental rules.
Duties
The main duties of the ICVGF are:
* Supporting and promoting game development in Iran
* Educating Iranian game designers, developers, and artists in Iran
* Managing the Entertainment Software Rating Association
and the Game Development Institute
* Hosting officially-sanctioned
gaming conventions and
game jams in Iran
* Promoting Iranian video games at regional and international gaming conventions and
trade fairs
A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...
* Governing and controlling video game sales in the Iranian market
Video game bans
One of the responsibilities of the ICVGF is to ban video games that do not meet Iranian ideals or do not follow the Iranian government's media regulations. This is often done in conjunction with the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. One notable ban was the 2016 video game
''1979 Revolution: Black Friday'', which, according to the ICVGF, presented "false and distorted information" about the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
. The ICVGF blocked websites offering the game, and conducted an operation to confiscate all copies of the game in Iran. In 2012, the ICVGF denied
Bohemia Interactive a license to sell ''
Arma 3'' in Iran due to its depiction of the
Iran Armed Forces. ''Arma 3''
's plot depicts Iran as a leading member of the fictional coalition "CSAT", an antagonistic faction that fights the player's faction,
NATO.
Organization
Entertainment Software Rating Association
In 2007, the ICVGF established the
Entertainment Software Rating Association (ESRA), a
self-regulatory organization that assigns
age and content ratings for video games released in Iran.
Iran Game Development Institute
In 2010, the ICVGF established the Iran Game Development Institute (IGDI), a video game development school, made for the purpose of training Iranian video game designers and developers. The IGDI regularly participates in
game jams and gaming conventions hosted by the ICVGF, and often wins awards from them.
Festivals and exhibitions
The ICVGF hosts gaming conventions and game jams in Iran for the purpose of garnering wider appeal for Iranian video games and the Iranian video game industry.
References
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External links
Official websiteTehran Game Festival
2007 establishments in Iran
Video game organizations
Censorship in Iran