Of all the things Iran could be making it into the news with, the one thing you might not have expected it to be doing is developing computer games. But that’s exactly what’s happening: video games developers from Iran are have taken part in one of the world’s largest games exhibitions – gamescom, held in Cologne, Germany.
Speaking to the BBC, Amir Tarbyatjoui, head of Parsan Business Development Solutions, who managed the Iranian stand said his company was showing their games to the exhibition visitors and other delegates and receiving a “surprised” response, mainly because Iran has never before been associated with computer games.
“We are using this event to promote what is happening in the Iranian games industry,” he said. “We believe we have more potential and we want to promote that potential.” He added that Iran was becoming a leading player in video game development in the Middle East and that the event in Cologne was to show people just what they were capable of.
Surprising though it may seem on a cultural level, on a business level, entering the games market is makes good economic sense. The global games market is estimated to be worth more than $47 billion a year, and is reported to have surpassed Hollywood in its size and scope.
Online gaming is the fastest-growing area of the market, which is why Activision and Blizzard merged two years ago to create a business that even at the time was worth almost $20 billion. And unlike most other sectors of the global economy, which have seen slowdowns in business, the games market keeps on growing. Activision Blizzard own and operate World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, both of which are hugely popular MMORPGs – Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games.
Article Source: www.associatedcontent.com