We’re the founders, editors, and staff of Donya ye Bazi (Dbazi.com), Iran’s first official video gaming magazine. We’re here to take your questions on Iran’s gaming industry, gamers in Iran, and more!

How are general internet speeds, availability and costs there?

A great deal of gaming is either online, or involves patches/dlc to be downloaded.

Is there a network infrastructure to deal effectively with the growth of gaming and being online in general?

I could say in general, it is not bad. We can get online, play without lags and bad latency (most of the time). But we surely have problems in downloading. During to the new terms and costs set for the internet, everything is better than the past but it is far away from perfection. And about your last question, I have to say there still is not a good infrastructure to deal with the future of gaming. We all know the future has got a lot of streaming stuff coming which I think, as of now, most of the gamers in Iran will not be able to use the streaming services.

Internet speed is relatively good here. I have a 4mb ADSL connection with a relatively low price & good online ping. The main problem is firstly the U.S sanctions which prevents Iranian gamers from accessing digital contents such as games. In order to buy a legal copy of a game, we have to buy gift cards and use VPN softwares which could result in acount bans & deactivation. The second problem is national censorship which is already spoken about above.

Can’t we in the US just send you guys games to play? Or will you get in trouble? I’d happily send games over there.

Well in that case we, the writers and staff of Dbazi, get review codes and promotional copies of almost all the games in case of coverage. But it has got pretty tough for gamers to buy a game here due to sanctions.

If there’s a way I can send you guys a code or something to review let me know! Happy to help. Keep up the good fight guys.

Thanks a ton! We keep up doing what we do because we all love the 8th art.

As an Iranian living in Canada is there anyway I can support you guys? I'd love to get involved somehow, I am a graphic designer and illustrator by trade and have been an avid gamer the majority of my life so this is a lot of different paths crossing.

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We would appreciate any kind of support. Whatever you have in mind just be in touch with us. Thanks.

What are some of the best Iranian-made games? Answer does not have to be in the present.

Garshasp, E.T. Armies, mountaineer, The Dark Phantom and many others. In Microsoft's Briefing in E3 2018 Children of Morta got featured in the indie games which is a game from an Iranian team.

What's been your favorite thing that you've covered? Your least favorite?

Well, personally I cover, edit and go through lots of news and articles daily. But I always had the most fun while I was writing my own series of feature articles named "Two sides of a coin". In this series I talk about both pros and cons of a game, movie, event etc as equally as possible and wonder about the future of those things. I haven't find the time to continue the series and write another episode for a while. My least favorite thing to cover are the news of online-only games which are again on a rise. I do enjoy my time playing online, but today with all the battle-royale heat... well you know! I'm exhausted!

Sorry that I am asking very broadly as I am grasping to find the right question to understand one subjects in particular.

Oh oh what was the Iran's general audience reception to the first Assassins Creed? I think Saudi Arabia initially banned it first but then decided to unban it later?

Are Japanese game popular in Iran? are they given a different status or are they just simultaneously put together with western games?

And what is the Iran's game industry more attracted towards developing? is storybased games or arcade type of games? if it is storybased games are they more likely develop them in the setting of Iran or the west? (like how Capcom developed Resident Evil)

We are very happy to answer your question. I myself live AC and Ubisoft in genreal because who else makes great historical games? Well, aside from the fanboying, AC has a great fanbase in Iran and none of the versions got banned here. In general, Japanese games do not have the majority attention here and they have got their special fans and followers. The gaming industry here is more attracted towards arcade titles. But if story-based games get developed, they are more likely to be based in setting of Iran.

What social reasons do you believe caused the more common arcade style interest in the Iranian market?

Easier and more budget-friendly job, better supprot, more local user etc.

What does “Donya ye Bazi” mean, and what is the history behind it being chosen as magazine’s name?

World of Gaming

As our friend said here, it means world of gaming or gaming world.

Can you talk about female Iranian gamers? I wanna know how my sisters in the east are doing. Do they get the same bullshit us Western girls do with sexism and harassment? Or is it because it’s sort of a counter culture to begin with, that goes away? Any particular favorite games that are different from the male crowd? How many female coworkers do you guys have? I see a lot of “Ali”s posting in the comments, so I was curious.

Unfortunately yes, they get the sexist comments. We only have one female co-worker in our team and that is the same in other teams. As of my experience, for now, not a lot of girls apply for a job in magazines and websites like movie and vg-based websites. Whatever the reason is, if I see somebody knows what she/he is doing, I do not hesitate in answering her/his application.

How well does the Fallout series do out there? It would seem non English speakers would miss the oldies radio station playing ironic lyrics, or meeting a dude cosplaying as John Hancock wouldn’t carry the same subtext for someone unfamiliar with who he is.

Actually, Bethesda games are pretty popular here and Fallout has got some hardcore fans in Iran.

Hi, i wanted to ask why aren't you a part of MetaCritic or OpenCritic? i thought all the official gaming websites should at least submit their reviews on one of these websites.

also style of your website seems really outdated, i think you should consider a big upgrade!

Hi there. We are getting to be a part of OpenCritic and we are close. And about MetaCritic it is just a matter of time. Yeah it is so outdated, and that's why big upgrades are under works!

What other publications do you draw creative influence from? As in do you want to be built with integrity like rock paper shotgun, or more of a IGN give them what they want type of publication.

Well we are sth in-between and more oriented to RPS, Polygon etc.

Hey thanks for the response! I really wish you guys the best of luck! Drumming up enough interest in the hobby could spawn amazing developers and with such a rich history as your country has id love to see what could be developed!

Thank you for being supportive.

Does Iranian gamer culture have the same toxic aspects as US culture? Specifically things like Swatting, Gamergate, verbal abuse, etc.

Well, I have to say it kinda has that, but it is seen mostly in the new generation.

What do you think about the portrayal of the middle east in fighting games with characters like Rasheed in street fighter and Shaheen in tekken?

I have to say that's not bad at all, but Middle-East consists other people from other nations as well.

What are the general opinions on games like Prince of Persia and the Assassin's Creed Series?

PoP and AC have lots of lovers not only fans in Iran. I'm one of those lovers as well!

Is there a streaming community in Iran? If so, where do you see it going?

The community here is just getting to grow up and stand on its feet, but it is too young for now. I think 5 to 7 years, it will become sth we can call a streaming community.

Question as to what systems you tend to prefer in Iran, is it more geared towards consoles or PC's and is there a particular reason why one is favored over the other?

Upcoming game you are most looking forward to playing?

Most of the gamers here use PC's and after that consoles which the majority use PS4. And the reason is it is often more budget-friendly. Well, personally I'm looking forward for Darksiders 3 and the fact is I'm a little worried about its destiny. By the way, RDR 2 is coming! We can't ignore that! :)

What do you make of expat developers such as Navid Khonsari and (going way back here, admittedly) Nasir Gebelli who have had a unique impact on the Western gaming industry?

We really admire them and we are grateful for what they've done and what they are trying to do.

Is portraiture taboo in Iran? Does this affect your portrayal of characters?

Sorry, I couldn't get your point.

Is there a game or even genre thats wildly popular in Iran that gamers in the States dont know about, or just dont care about?

Well, maybe puzzle word/dictionary games are the ones.

Hi, mahalo for doing this AMA. The word "Metroidvania" drives me crazy. Could you please not use it anymore?

Ok :) But I think it is better than saying "2D Side-Scrolling Action-Adventure", isn't it?

Well, "Metroid-like" gets the point across so much better. Metroid isn't just running from one end to the other, but exploring up and down and every nook and cranny too. It'll distinguish you from the rest of the gaming press. ;)

Nice point. Haven't thought about calling them "Metroid-like". But how would we mention the Castlevania elements?

How did Iranians react to the woman on the cover of the new Battlefield?

They reacted as any other human being! :)

Is the magazine industry lucrative in Iran? I live in USA and most of the magazines that are sold around here seem to be celebrity gossip and Hollywood stuff. Are you guys going to be selling physical magazines, or is this just an online publication?

It was a lucrative industry once, but nowadays people tend to spend their time more online and in social media. Anyhow, the online gaming media industry (Websites, Channels etc) is quite lucrative.

Do you have Xbox Live gamer tags? Of so what are they and what games do you all like to play?

I do :) There it goes: A Gray Human

Are gamers as persecuted in Iran as they are here in America? Rise up!

They were severely once, but everything is better now. We Are Rising Up ;)

Do games and gamers see any sort of social stigma? Within the journalism industry in your country, are you given the same respect as a sports-writer or columnist?

In those regards, how much have you seen the games industry change in the last 5-10 years there?

Well things weren't as good as they are now for example in 5 years ago. But right now, the majority of people respect people active in this industry in Iran and that did not happen easily but you know, it is a matter of time. The industry in Iran is growing so fast especially in the recent 2-3 years and soon more games from Iranian developers will meet international markets and events.

An Iranian gaming industry? I would love to know about how the government interferes in creativity and freedom do speech in particular with video games.

This is not as harsh as you think about it. But it could become challenging sometimes which is not something impossible to handle.

What are the most popular genres of games among Iranian developers and creators? Are there a few particular genres that seem to be developed more than others in Iran?

As we mentioned, because of the special (but not pleasantly special) like having a powerful platform and market for android devices which is really supportive of developers, most of the developers tend to develop an arcade or in general a mobile game.

'Gamers dont die, we just respawn.' GL with the publication! have you played pubg mobile? is it available for download in Iran? Regards.

We respawn for sure! Yeah, I see a lot of people surviving in their pocket-battlegrounds!

Do games that are story based have to follow rules like television/movies? I.e. a religious component, death and mourning, etc?

No, not at all.

Are the censorship laws harsh on any games in iran? Or are they unedited compared to say english versions aside from language?

what are the copyright laws like? I don't mean in terms of piracy, I mean do Iranian games on youtube get copyright strikes a lot like english ones do? Or is the streaming/lets play community minimal?

It is not harsh, but it is not completely unedited. No it not like that here (maybe yet), but maybe in the future it becomes like that because the minimal community of streamers is growing. But I personally think in this case, we cannot predict much.

What are you're opinions on traps?

Are they gay?

Traps in Fortnite? :)