Watch: The Saudi prince who's challenging video game stereotypes

Leigh Alexander 3:55 am Tue Apr 28, 2015

If the video above is blocked, you can view it here.

Commercial video games often show Middle Eastern people as the villains — if they can tell the difference between different countries and languages at all. Prince Fahad Al Saud is aiming to help change that.

Fahad Al Saud grew up with games, but felt alienated by the portrayal of Arabs he often saw in the commercial medium. In response, he founded NA3M (New Arab Media), which pledges to make games that Saudi Arabians can relate to — the group's upcoming Saudi Girls Revolution wants to create social impact for young women in particular.

sgr

In the video above (or here, if you can't play the video in your region), Al-Jazeera's report from the recent Games for Change conference (I gave a keynote at the event in 2013) highlights Fahad Al Saud's work as part of a creative community aiming to address negative stereotypes about Middle Eastern people. Also in the video is Dutch-Egyptian developer Rami Ismail of Vlambeer, whose in-process project Gamedev.world hopes to remove language barriers from the massive database of game development knowledge, tools and articles online.

sgrconcept1

The Offworld Collection available to order

The Offworld Collection, presenting the very best features and essays from Offworld, is finally available to buy directly from Campo Santo for $40. I had the pleasure of designing and… READ THE REST
This week in games: inactivity, brutalism, The Witness and more

Zoya Street, curator of Critical Distance, offers slow reflections on the fast-paced world of digital play… READ THE REST
What was it like working a Nintendo hotline in the 80s?

This week, our partnership with Critical Distance brings us reading on parenting via Tomb Raider, the utility of the word 'gameplay', and experiences from Nintendo 'play counselors' from the 1980s and 90s. READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph

Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager

We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds

While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST