Should video games be more culturally sensitive?

What in the World

• Episode: Should video games be more culturally sensitive?
• Website: What in the World
• Feed URL: https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/w13xtvrv.rss
• Duration: 00:13:47
• Published: 2024-01-19 15:50

For the first time, Ubisoft have released a Prince of Persia game with an option to have all the characters fully voiced in Farsi. It says it wants Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown to "depict and respect Persia and Iran". The game has great reviews and a lot of Iranian fans are very excited they’ll be able to experience it in their own language.

What does this say about culturally sensitivity in gaming?

We hear from Alireza Vasefi, an Iranian games reporter for BBC Persian Click, who’s played the series for years. He explains what the language option means to him.

We’re also joined by Kirsty Evers who wrote a study about gaming cultural stereotypes. She found that a majority of her participants wanted to see better representation.

Plus, what’s it like to help accurately map a historical place for a videogame? Renowned French archaeologist, Egyptologist and historical illustrator Jean-Claude Golvin helped do this for Assassin's Creed: Origins. He talks us through the process.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Alex Rhodes Producers: Benita Barden and Mora Morrison Editors: Julia Ross-Roy and Simon Peeks