Iranian video game targets U.S. tanker

A new Iranian computer game sets players the task of blowing up a U.S. tanker in the Gulf to block the sea route for much of the world's oil supplies, a newspaper reported Saturday.

The game, "Counter Strike," invites players to plant two bombs on the oil tanker to sink it and make the strait of Hormuz impassable, the Jomhouri-ye Eslami daily reported. About two-fifths of globally traded oil passes through the channel.

The game illustrates a warning by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said in June that oil exports in the Gulf region could be seriously endangered if the United States made a wrong move on Iran.

Its launch also comes at a critical time in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, which the United States says is aimed at making an atomic bomb but which Iran says is to produce electricity. Iran faces the threat of U.N. sanctions if it does not suspend uranium enrichment.

"In the new computer game...the ways of shutting down the Hormuz strait through exploding a ship will be shown to the users," Jomhouri-ye Eslami quoted a statement issued by the game's state-funded producers as saying.

The cyberspace and computer games markets have witnessed saber-rattling before between Iran and the United States. Games have involved special forces of each side blasting their enemies' facilities and foiling plots hatched by the adversary.

A popular U.S. game, called "U.S. attacks Iran" or "Assault on Iran" and made by Kuma Reality games, revolved around a special forces mission to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities.

The new Iranian game was produced by an eight-member team in three months for distribution in Iran, the paper said. Its launch was linked to commemorations of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, whose official start was marked in Tehran this month.

The designers and the sponsors of the game were not immediately available for comments.

Story Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

[jonnysnakes]

Inaccurate report

This "game" as actually just a modification of Counter Strike, a game from Vivendi Universal. A core element of Counter Strike deals with planting explosives, so the concept is not unique to the Iranian game.

I expected more from News.com. This report implies that the name of the Iranian game is "Counter Strike", which it is not. The game is not unique, and is really more of an amateurish hack of an established game.

[VI Joker]

Inaccurate source

News.com did not produce the story, Reuters did.

[fearhopelove]

News worthy?

Besides getting some of the facts messed up. I don't see how
this is news worthy.

Oh no the 'terrorists' are making games about blowing our self-
righteous ***** up. How many games are made where the
Middle East is labeled so liberally and ignorantly as 'evil' or
'terrorist'. Similarly as one group of people have their own
opinions, so wil another. So if the U.S. thinks ill of Iran, how can
you expect Iran to not feel the same about this country? No, the
U.S. is not God. Both sides believe they are fighting evil in the
name of good, when in reality both sides are just fighting for
their nationalist pride.

So...basically...

Who cares?

[ss_Whiplash]

Wrong

You are taking the ignorant and lazy pascifist view of the whole
situation. Iran is not simply fighting for national pride. They are
committed to the destruction of anyone who does not share their
worldview. The only reason they haven't done it yet is because they
don't have the strength. This is ENTIRELY different than the US who
could wipe the entire middle east off the map if she wanted to, but
is concerned primarily about her safety and the safety of her allies
(Israel).

[PCCRomeo]

You learn something everyday....

...I didn't know they had computers in Iran!!!

[pepsi_max2k]

Counter Strike? Hahaha...

In which case should the title not be changed to "American video game (developed by Valve software, based in Washington, and published by Microsoft, you may have possibly heard of them before...) targets U.S. tanker"? Or is the American propaganda machine simply out of all control? In soviet America, freedom terrorizes you.

[greglyh]

Gee! Why didn't we think of that??

Anyone who is disturbed by this has not been paying attention to the games produced by the US for the past 20 years!! Why is this even in the news??

[`WarpKat]

...

'A-lah your base are belonging to us!'

[barnetod]

Lame as hell

The sad thing is the game although developed by an American company allows it's source code to be released so others can develop maps. All this is is a group of iranians who made a map for this game, who gives a damn there are far worse things out there than a damn mod to a game.

[__howard__]

Nice way to show peaceful intent

Is there a some form of disease that makes people proclaiming to be peaceful to commit acts of violence? Or who are claiming to have peaceful intent and then threatening blowing up things?

Or maybe they aren't really peaceful ...

[ddesy]

Same on all sides

All sides involved in these things do this. All claim to want peace, and all threaten to at least some degree. Nobody is ever completely innocent.

[jimothyGator]

Mid East reputation

The Middle East has earned its reputation not through the
ignorance of the west, but by the events that take place or
originate there. When a country with huge oil reserves, and a stated
desire to destroy Israel, builds a nuclear program for "energy
production," the world should rightfully be skeptical and worried.
And this state sponsored video game will only further Iran's
reputation as a hostile nation.

[atif.muhammad]

You're not?

O, and you're not a hostile nation? You started off this entire
problem nearly 30-40 years ago when the CIA-led coup
attempted to get rid of the then Iranian leader and put in a
puppet dictator. Where were your democracy values then?

Why did you want to get rid of the democratically elected Iranian
leader? Because he wanted to nationalise the countrys' oil
supplies.

Face it. All America wants is oil. As soon as the oil runs out in
the Middle East, you're not going to give a damn about them.

Ever wondered why Ms. Rice is now campaigning for a UN force
in Sudan? Because oil has been found there! You don't give a
damn about the poor starving children - you just want to exploit
each nations' oil resources to the fullest and then bugger off to
bomb another country.

Anyone who doesn't serve America's interests is a terrorist.
Pathetic. You American people have proven time and time again
that you are nothing but a bunch of obese obnoxious SUV-
driving retarded ignorant fools.

The World will wake up someday and America will get to taste
its' own medicine. Just Wait.

[umbrae]

Everyone is missing the point...

The US and other countries make games about this kind of stuff all the time. Its ok for us to make games about invading Iraq or Georgia or any other country, but if a terrorist makes a game about kill Americans, we get upset? Its just a game. Maybe if they play more games to release their anger, they will stop actually coming after us.

I say pop the thing on Multiplayer and lets go at it. More peaceful than bombing each other.

[ddesy]

Good idea....

How about fighting all future wars in video games! There really is no point in all the senseless violence and deaths in real life. All war really amounts to is a horrible game played by the leaders of the world, so let's make it a little less horrible.

[tania3000]

They're also doing this in China ...

Here's another amazing thing which has been found in Google Earth, a place where the Chinese are perhaps doing video game-based training for warfare:

<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://regmedia.co.uk/2006/07/19/huangyangtan_wide.jpg/" target="_newWindow">http://regmedia.co.uk/2006/07/19/huangyangtan_wide.jpg/</a>

<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/484568/" target="_newWindow">http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/484568/</a>

That's the place in the middle of the desert where the Chinese Army has constructed a scale-model replica of the entire region of Aksai Chin (occupied by China since the 1962 war with India). At 1:500, it's still 700 by 900 meters big ( = several football fields). Next to it is a base with dozens of troop transporters seen coming and going. The duplicate shows everything: rivers, lakes, roads and snow-capped mountains. It's basically a landscape within a landscape.

The problem is that nobody has been able to figure out the function of this thing. The world's biggest miniature golf course, perhaps? China's own Area 51? That's why it's the subject of so much discussion in the blogosphere.

Any ideas?

[perfectblue97]

One sided

Anybody remember Opperation Desert Strike for the Genesis?

It came out over 10 years ago, and I bet nobody in Washington was bothered that it might upset or offend Iraqis.

[baswwe]

we've already been everywhere - ever play Rainbox Six or Ghost Recon?

cuba, mexico, etc

[yikes31]

I wonder if people from other countries are insulted.

It seems to me that this game is just a modification of other first
person shoot em ups. If you can be a nvay seal in a game, then I
guess there is no reason why not to choose to be from another
country (if you so wish).
I dont know why everyone is getting so offended by this - it
doesnt mean its going to happen! Was there an outcry and fury
in germany when Medal of Honor and other games came out
depicting german soldiers being killed during WW II?
Considering that country lost millions of lives in that conflict (as
did many other countries), they have kept surprisingly quiet.
perhaps the words 'ITs JUST A GAME' applies here

[Seaspray0]

I wonder if the game includes....

Lets see... how could the storyline go?

As a muslim fundamentalist in the Iranian Army, you naturally want peace [of course]... but the local cleric comes to you with a holy mission. He says, "we've declared a holy war on the great american satan [again] and need you to help us destroy the infedels. By blowing up a Bahranian tanker in the straights, you will block the oil traffic and send a message to the infedels that we will no longer tollerate the injustice of them believing in another religion." With only an AK-47, you sneak aboard the tanker, fight you way through the maze of deadly [unarmed] crewmembers to the heart of the ship where you blow it up [along with yourself], ensuring your everlasting ticket to heaven and the 72 virgins [end of game].

[mssoot]

horse before the cart

At least americans have enough sense to request the 72 virgins up front!

[netsweng]

I wonder if the game includes....

72 virgins!? Why don't you pick up a book and read for a change rather than go on with your life spreading nonsense that you heard through the mills.
This was concocted to further spread the gap between the religions and the cultures at war, to the benefit of the religious war-hawk right groups in countries such as yours and democratic-if-you-re-Jewish-only-kill-all-else Israel. You keep mistaking crap-head Bin Laden with the rest of the muslims out there but you're excused because you're a TV-addict that's not been to the library since 3rd grade. Want religion intolerance? Watch the 700-club or the evanglist TV channels late and night and you'll see who's been leading the way. It's not the mid-east stupid. That's merely a 40yr reaction. Your fear and hatred has been spewing since that first (or 7) holy crusade started a 1000yrs back. I wonder if this game includes a scene of an american sniper protecting the ship snipping at innocent Iraqi civilians as they cross the street and radioing back "mission accomplished". You probably have no idea which video clip I'm talking about because you'd never see this on Fox.

[VI Joker]

Too short

It has to be bit more involved. First you have to have to find a recruitment agent to get to the training camp, where you do a couple convey ambushes, gaurd suicide bombers while the run into buildings, sneak into camps to kill key soldeier, etc. Then once you have completed training you fight your way to three specialist to get equipment to build a bomb. After that you have to get to your cell leader to get the locations of the bomb maker and plans for the ship. Once you have to the bomb and plans for the ship you have to get to the docks and acquire a fishing boat to carry you close to the ship. After your on the ship you have to get to the engine room and plant the bomb. Once planted you have to stay alive until the bomb blows up. If this does not happen you are denied the 72 virgins and you are brought back to life as an American.

[chuck_whealton]

This is getting old...

I'm getting tired of the same old "us again them" or "them against us". This is what happens when you get an administration in office that doesn't give a darn about getting along with the REST of the world.

Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com

[Xpheyel]

The REAL Question Is...

If you blow up the tanker, does the game still intone "Terrorists Win"?

It *must* say something funny like "Holy Forces of Allah Are Victorious". And replace all references to the "Counter-Terrorists" with "Forces of the Great Satan" before I'll even be interested. Anything less than that gets a "n00b" rating for effort from me.

[qwerty75]

THis is stupid

In short, who cares?

US game makers do this all the time. In the typical arrogant, my opinion is right attidute of the US, this is somehow wrong. If you understand this is merely a game, all the stupidity vanishes.

If you can't wrap your amall mind around that simple concept, just understand that they are doing exactly what the US does. Or is the US the only ones allowed to be arrogant?

What is good for the goose...

Once another country "premptively" attacks the US, and detains US citizens deemed to be a terrorist, without trial or any rights; because we are a threat to them, maybe then we will realize the folly of our course set by our moronic wanna-be dictactor. Probably won't happen. We would just attack them for their "unprovoked" act of aggression. The US never has realized how hypocritical our policies are.

[smoke928]

I know who is wrong

Here's the deal. I am american. Not Christain, Not muslim. I don't care what your reasons are. If you are killing, you are wrong. Our guys get paid to kill your guys. Our government Kills for oil. Your people kill for their reason. But if you kill, you are wrong. I can't believe any god that says it's ok to kill for any reason.

I don't care what religion you are. I don't care what I pay for gas. I don't care what our government says our laws are. I don't care who owns jeruselum. I don't care about what my government does to your country. I don't care what hostages you take from our military. They chose to be there.

Our military isn't fighting for our freedom. They are fighting on behalf of a half assed retarded president. I am sorry that he screwed up your country for oil or favors or whatever his reason, but I didn't vote for him.

I care about living life, I care about my children, and I care about people living happily. I also care about the environment and peace.

Do me a favor Christians, Muslims, Soldiers, Terrorists, and all the other extremists I left out.

Leave me out of it. I just want to enjoy life. Take your misery elsewhere. I suggest you all go fight over antarctica and leave the rest of the world out of it.

God is love. Killing is evil. All religions cover this. It is as basic as that.

Stop it.

Morons.

If you have a gun in your hand, put it down. Go elsewhere. No matter how hard it is to get there. In the name of whatever higher power you believe in. Put down your gun, and leave the situation.

It isn't that complicated.