Interviews

These are interviews that simply have to be done regardless of popular opinion or leaning.

My interview with Fuad Rostom of the shooter game Special Force

(This interview was originally posted on the old Deleted Logic site at Wednesday, June 16, 2004 8:30 PM )

Mr. Rostom of the shooter game Special Force took the time to answer a few questions about the game and it's message. The whole thing is copied verbatim from our correspondence.

First were my questions:

“Dearest Mr. Rostom, 

     I thank you for this opportunity. I must apologize for the long wait in sending these. I had a back injury, and the pain medication made it difficult to focus my thoughts. Here are the questions I have. Please feel free to take all the time necessary in answering them. 


     Special Force came into a market flooded with games where Arabs were the "Bad Guys" and it put the shooter in a very different role. I came across the website a few years ago and was quite amazed at what I saw. It seems to have started a trend in the industry of games based on actual battles.

1) When the idea was first being discussed, how much support did the designers have from people who heard about the project?
a) Were they excited to see it?
b) How many copies were sold?

     It was made very clear from the onset that only military personnel were to be targeted in the game. Special Force did draw some criticism for recreating the outposts and bases in detail.

2) Did the designers ever anticipate criticism for the detail they put into structures and bases?
a) Was it difficult work to recreate those outposts?
 
     One of the interesting things about the advertisements was that there was an entire version made in English. 
3) Was there a hope that this game would reach an American audience?
a) Were any copies sold to Western players?
b) Have there been many letters or comments about the game from American gamers?

     Special Force has been out for quite some time now. It has had a while to gain popularity and international notice.
4) For the designers, what was the best part of the game?
a) Is there a plan to make more games like Special Force? 

      The site also shows three screen-shots from Delta Force in it's explanation of the need for a game of Arabic design and make. Novalogic's newest game (Joint Operations - based on the Delta Force design) is now one where you can pick a side that opposes American soldiers and fight from the perspective of the opposition. 
5) Do any of you feel that this is a much needed improvement?

    The American game developers have had the majority of the market for some time now.
6) Is there anything you would like to see American game designers do in the future?

    The face of shooter game design is changing rapidly. Now players from all over the world can meet in the same arena and chat while playing as a member of very opposite forces. In games like Battlefield 1942, entire theaters of war have been recreated and people can pick any side they want to in historic battles.
7) Do you feel that this is a good trend?
 
     Speaking of multiplayer shooters; EA Games and Trauma Studios have teamed up to make Battlefield 2.
8) What do you guys think about a game that let's kids play as united Middle-East Coalition soldiers against American forces?

     Special Force began to fill a gap in gaming culture. This is a gap where there are few (If any) Arabic heroes in computer games. The most distinguishing thing about the game was that it was actually designed by an Arabic company.
9) Is there anything more you would like to see come out of the Arabic community in the form of computer games?
a) Do you think that there can be more representation of true Arabic culture in future games?

10) Is there anything you would like the opportunity to say about Special Force or the message behind it?    

11) Is there anything else you would like to say to an American audience?


      Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions. I think that it is more important now than ever to pay attention to Arabic culture ant the truth behind the things we all see and hear. Anyone could accuse others of harmful motives and political agendas. I hope you understand that my motivation is simply to understand the importance of a creation like Special Force to the whole gaming community.

    You have my best wishes,
Michael“


This was the response:

“Dear Mr Sarver;

Greetings;

It is my pleasure to answer your questions concerning Special Force game.

Answers to your question (1):

The idea was first discussed almost four years ago. The designers received a tremendous support from the people who heard about it. Many people offered their services to help at the time of game design. People were thirsting after such game and continuously inquired via the e-mail about the launching date. They were all very excited to see the game and play it. We do not know how many copies have been sold until know because we do not have the necessary feed about the number of copies sold by the retailers.

Answers to your question (2):

The designers continuously anticipated criticism by the "Israeli" enemy for no reason at all. Recreating the outposts and bases in detail was a challenging task for the designers. However, it was not impossible to recreate them because they had the actual photographs of those outposts, but it did take quite a large amount of time. Special Force required two years of hard work.

We have hoped that this game would reach the American audience, but unfortunately, it was not possible because the Zionist lobby that controls the decisions of the White House was the main obstacle.

We do not know if copies have been sold to Western players because we do not have any retailers until now in any western country. However, we believe that some western citizens have purchased the game via the internet because we have been receiving questions regarding the game from some western audience.

There have been no comments about the game from American gamers until now.

Answers to your question (3):

The best part of the game for the designers was when the resistant fighter swam under water to reach the water lockers, and then released the water to his liberated villages that have been thirsty for more than 25 years, which is the period of the occupation.

Answers to your question (4):

Yes, there is a plan to make more games like Special Force. Special Force II is a multiplayer game and is under construction.

Answers to your question (5):

When we talk about the improvement needed, we would like to clarify one issue first of all. The aim of Special Force game was to cultivate the audience and make them understand the concept of resistance, fighting occupation, and then liberation. In other words, for one to liberate his country, he must fight the occupation. In the newest game (Joint operations), a player can pick a side that opposes American soldiers but perhaps at the same time does not understand the concept mentioned above; thus, where is the improvement here? The only improvement made at this point is commercial and entertaining but not moral. We care about the moral improvement of the people.

Answers to your question (6):

The one thing we would like to see the American game designers do in the future is have the free will in designing games that reflect only the truth and nothing but the truth. At the same time, we do not want them to design anti-Arab games that picture the Arabs as bad people because this is the aim of Zionism. I am sure that many Americans have mixed with some Arab citizens and truly know what kind of people they can be. The Arab customs and traditions differ from that of the American, but this does not give the right to Arabs and Americans to exchange negative attitude towards each other. Customs and traditions are matters under which man is raised; his actions are the only elements that can determine his goodness from evilness.

As our prophet said: “The most beneficial to human beings the closer to God.”

Answers to your question (7):

We do not think that this is a good trend. What is the benefit gained when someone picks up the German side while at the same time he hates Germans? We cannot call this a trend. This is nothing but entertainment.

Answers to your question (8):

It will be fine to play as long as the concept behind playing such games teaches the player that he is fighting the occupation that occupies his country; that the only way to liberate his country can only be achieved through resistance.

Answer to your question (9):

It would be a pleasure to see the majority of the Arabic community working on properly cultivating the young generation through computer games.

Dedication and hard work will hopefully surface more representation of true Arabic culture in future games.

Answer to your question (10):

Special Force game is an Arabic game that was designed based upon a true life story. This is the story of the Islamic Resistance that fought against the "Israeli" occupation in the south of Lebanon for more than twenty years. The message behind the game is to teach the children and the young generation the concepts of resisting occupation, especially the "Israeli"; that man can only liberate his land by resisting and fighting the occupation.

Answer to question (11):

We would like to say to the American audience that Special Force is the story of the resistance, particularly the Islamic, that fought the "Israeli" occupation. The American people fought the British colonialism because this was the right thing to do. No body can accept his land go under siege or colonialism by a stranger and foreigner. Media and politics can be very illusive and can twist the truth. As long as a man has a pure and kind heart, he will use it to reach the truth.

God bless the good people regardless of their identity and their homeland.

Our best wishes,

Fuad Rostom“

posted Thursday, February 10, 2005 11:50 PM by admin with 0 Comments

E-Mail Interview with Under Ash Developer, Radwan Kasmiya

(This interview was originally posted at the old Deleted Logic site on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 8:24 AM )


Radwan Kasmiya was kind and considerate enough to answer a few questions I had about his project, Under Ash and it's upcoming sequel, Under Siege.
Just read the message; the words are copied straight out of the mail he sent in reply:

1)Was this a difficult project?
  a)Which part of making the game seemed to be the toughest?

OH, Yes it was a tough project. After adding two projects to my experience in this field,  I think that our shortage to technical experience was nothing in comparison to running a whole team of newbies. I had to take all decisions for each detail and at the same time telling them why I did it in that way, it was hard times, but now and after three years, I have skillful team full of visionaries so I can focus on my work and let them do theirs.


  b)What resources did you have available?

We downloaded a lot (maybe most) of free e-books about game programming, also all free game engines we found on the net, we studied, analyzed them well, and went in with our projects.

2)Can you tell me where the game starts out in this story?

I read a few articles mentioning "Under Ash" in the Arabic media and there seemed to be a lot of support.

 3)How well received was "Under Ash" in the Arabic community?
   a)How many copies were sold?
   b)Was there any criticism from groups who might have thought this was a bad idea?
   c)Do you have more people helping you with this new project?


4)Was there any support from American or other foreign interests?
   a)Were any copies sold to U.S. Citizens?

   b)Did you get any compliments from Westerners?

UnderAsh was a hit in the Middle East market. Most players overlooked the technical bugs and got hooked with the story. I think that our sincere efforts to produce the game was noticeable. it was much more than a ‘shoot’em all game’. However, we tried our best to enhance the technical side in our new born UnderSiege and I hope to combine both sides(story,technics), and maybe some originality in this game.

   a)How many copies were sold?

We sell rights to distribution companies, and these companies took care of their markets’ needs, thus I don’t have the correct numbers. But as the web master of Underash.net, we can confirm more than a quarter million successful downloads of the demo game, and about 25000 online registered unit.

b)Was there any criticism from groups who might have thought this was a bad idea? There was a "feedback" page on the original site for  "Under Ash"; It seemed like you had a huge interest in what others thought about your work.

b)Did you get any compliments from Westerners?

 

As far as I know, UnderAsh had no criticism around the Middle East. On contrary, everybody encouraged it. Further more 65% of European, 40% of USA comments were positive.

We sorted visitors comments and feedbacks in one main database, which was then analyzed to form our moves. Unfortunately, here in Middle East we don’t have companies that specialize in statistics, so we have to depend on our self to do that. We use our database to agree on the level of violence, Quality Assurance, marketing.. etc.

   c)Do you have more people helping you with this new project?


UnderAsh technical team was six persons, now we are seventeen at AFKAR MEDIA Co. (1 project manager, 2 lead programmers , 4 programmers, 1Art director, 1Texture and Art , 1Lead Modeler and animator, 3 animators, 4 modelers) and we are planning to double our production team to cover more gaming platforms (PS2,XBOX..) for our next projects.

   a)Were any copies sold to U.S. Citizens?

     

 

No copies of UnderAsh were sold to American nor European citizens. Mainly because the game was in Arabic. The Demo on our website was multilingual , however we are planning to sell UnderSiege (multilingual version summer2004) world wide, but we didn’t find the suitable distributors yet.

 

 

 

When I played the demo for "Under Ash" a few years ago, I did not see any anti-American sentiment in it... Especially interesting for a game that seemed partially to be an answer to American games like "Delta Force" where all the "bad guys" are Arabs. I was content to notice that all of Ahmad's targets are Israeli soldiers and not American Special Forces.

 

Even though UnderAsh or UnderSiege seemed to be substitute action games for Arabs or Moslems, Well IT IS NOT. Computer games are part of the modern human culture and art, and these should be used to erase the gap between races, religions and nations. We focused in our game topics on modern history, and on events that truly happened. We are not going to repeat some American companies faults in making games that encourage genocide and racism under cover of innocent entertainment.

 

The problem here is the visual message that these companies are planting deeply into the young generation’s minds. In games like Medal of Honor by EA, you fight your way shooting Germans in WWII, but the visual message is clever enough to let player separates German soldiers from German Culture and personality, so at the end of the game you respect your enemy and forgive him, but in games like those you already mentioned, you shoot Arabs like some aliens from outer space, you just eliminate them, and this is the serious problem here.

5)Was it your intention to make sure that Americans were not tied in with the Israelis in this game?

  A)Was there a hope that the message would reach an American audience?

If we get 10% of American audience understanding (we already have more) then I think we made a huge success. I don’t expect miracles in this, it is more than our capacity to balance the unfair look to our religion and race.

Regarding Fortune Magazine’s article, 70% of America’s most powerful companies are owned by Jews, I had nothing against them but their most support always goes blindly to Israel whether it was right or wrong. But I think that some courage attempts to tell the reality to American audience are already taken (Passions of the Christ by Mel Gibson) and I wish them good luck.

  
When "Under Ash" first came out, many who knew about it compared it to the game "America's Army" as a means of appealing real-life events to a young audience. Most of the missions in the American game hinted at the "Opposing Forces" as being extremists from the former Soviet Union or Germany; except for two missions which clearly took place in a Middle-Eastern setting.

6)Did you feel that this was another attempt to vilify Arabs?

Yes I think it was.

 


The newest version of "America's Army" has Arabs fighting and dying next to American Special Forces Soldiers in all of it's new missions. The player is more likely to play as one of these "Indigenous Forces" than as an American.

7)Do you see this as an improvement?

 

I think it is a shallow move in the other way. You already now that AA was funded by the Pentagon, and they made this innocent ;) changes for the following reason:

1- To manipulate the American audience by sending a false message (Hey guys don’t worry we have the nations of this evil countries fighting in our side to eliminate their dictators. Ahmad is fighting side by side with Johnson, Lopez and Yang to bring peace to world, soon we will have enough local soldiers so we can send ours back home).

 

FACT: (most coalition forces in Iraq are withdrawing, more American forces are shipped to Iraq)  

 

2- To manipulate the Arabic audience by sending false message (Hey guys don’t worry, we are here to liberate you, your brothers are fighting with us, so join our team, you’re either with us or against us)

 

FACT: (a whole division of the new Iraqi Army is vanished after their graduating ceremony under the American control)


8)What would you like to see American developers do in the future?

 

Islamic culture is very rich and full of tolerance and acceptance to others, try to understand it from inside through independent sources, you will find a huge amounts of new ideas and projects for original games. I believe that the next wave of media will focus on (ARABA) games (ref. MANGA games).

We gladly put our experience in this area in the hands of American companies to cooperate and generate the next wave of entertainment.

With the World paying closer attention to the Arabic community these days, many of the old myths about Eastern culture and society have been thrown out. Societies everywhere can see the way modern Arabs live. It amazed me to find a software developer that was making a game.

9)Do you hope that this game will help people to understand other things about Arabs as well as the Palestinian struggle?

 

Yes, of course.

10)Is there anything you would like the opportunity to say about this game or the message behind it?

 

What is happening in Palestine is a massacre not a war, and the loser will be our conscience if we didn’t at least try to tell the truth.

 

It is wrong to bombard a whole neighborhood to a ground level killing every body with F16 if one resident there explodes himself in a crowded bus, it is easier and most civilized to know why he was so disparate to do so, forget the 70 virgin and martyr myth at heaven (it is not mentioned in any Islamic documentation/reference). Muslims around the world love to live peacefully on earth.     

11)Is there anything else you would like to say to an American audience?
Peace is the fruit of justice between equals, and to be equals we have to understand each other.


posted Thursday, February 10, 2005 11:34 PM by admin