Throwing Rocks - Let's Play 1979 Revolution: Black Friday - ep2

Channel:

Lowbrow Gaming

Subscribers:

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Published on December 1, 2016 5:00:09 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPKtkqb8igI

Game:

1979 Revolution: Black Friday (2016)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 21:44

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1979 Revolution: Black Friday is an adventure interactive drama video game developed and published by iNK Studios, with assistance from by N-Fusion Interactive. It was released on April 5, 2016 for Microsoft Windows and OS X, and on June 10, 2016 for iOS devices.

Players control Reza Shirazi, an aspiring photojournalist, who returns to Iran amidst the Iranian Revolution. As he becomes more involved in the events of the Revolution, Reza is forced to make decisions in order to survive. Players make timed responses throughout the game, determining the outcome of the plot. They are tasked with taking in-game photographs of their surroundings, and given historical background of the events.

The game was in development for four years, and was created to combine elements from video games and documentaries with an engaging narrative. Game director Navid Khonsari, who was a child in Iran at the time of the Revolution, developed the game with the intention of making players understand the moral ambiguity of the situation.

The development team conducted extensive research for the game, interviewing historical scholars and Iranians who lived in Tehran during the Revolution, as well as gathering numerous archival photos and historical speeches. The game's performances were recorded using motion capture, and each of the characters was developed with ambiguous attitudes and morals.

At release, 1979 Revolution was well received by critics, with praise particularly directed at the narrative, characters and performances, and historical representations, though some criticism was directed at the quick-time sequences and visual quality.

The game was also criticized by an Iranian journalist who declared it as propaganda. Khonsari felt afraid to reenter Iran as a result, and other members of the development team adopted aliases for protection.

Khonsari was a child in Iran at the time of the Revolution, and left the country shortly after it ended. Khonsari developed the game with the intention of making players understand the moral ambiguity of the situation, due to the different beliefs in Iran, and to "feel the passion and the elation of being in the revolution".

When the initial game concept was conceived, the location of Iran had not been decided; the development team was attracted to the idea of a game set during a revolution, ultimately settling on the Iranian Revolution. When representing the concept of a revolution, the development team wished to demonstrate the multiple definitions of the term. Khonsari stated that they "wanted to embrace that spirit of revolution, but we also show the trajectory of a revolution", regarding the true negative and complicated results of real revolutions.

The team interviewed a group of 40 Iranians who lived in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution. The game's setting and environments are based on photographs taken by real photojournalists during the era, such as Michel Setboun, and graffiti on the streets of Tehran at the time.

The team also studied many documentaries, films, journals and documents regarding Iran, and sought feedback from academic, political, religious and cultural advisers. They interviewed over fifty history scholars, including sociologist and political scientist Jack Goldstone, gathered about 1,500 archival photos, and collected many of Ayatollah Khomeini's speeches during their research for the game.

The home video footage featured in the game is that of Khonsari's grandfather, recorded in Super 8 film from the 1950s to 1979. Producer Navid Negahban, who portrayed Hajj Agha in the game, was a high school student at the time of the Revolution. He said that the script "brought back memories", and he provided information to the writers based on his personal experiences of the time.

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