Game Industry in Afghanistan
Introduction to the popular game market and computer games in Afghanistan
Video games are a part of the entertainment community these days and many users are using these games. Mobile and computer games are very popular in Afghanistan, with everyone playing more than one hour a day. Our country has become a huge market for the computer game industry, with a sizeable young population and a growing technology penetration. Computer games with their special attractions have become very popular in recent years. That means, on average, every person spends 70 minutes a day on these games. But despite to this huge consumer market, Afghanistan’s share of this huge capital is not high.
The beginning of wonder and excitement
When American physicist William Higginbottom made history’s first video game in 1958, he never thought less than 60 years later that the lab project would become a massive, international industry with a turnover of more than $ 152 billion. Although efforts to build these games began even before the 50s, their prevalence among ordinary people can be attributed to the introduction of home gaming consoles and arcade game stations in the 1970s. These consoles, including Atari, were electronic boards that were specifically designed to run video games cheaper than computers of their time. It provided the same ground for public access to these games.
The 80s should be considered the reign of home consoles, and computer video games weren’t very popular because PCs were expensive, but the 90s and the advent of PCs changed everything along with the increasing power of their hardware. Big studios have revolutionized graphics with 3D games, and personal computers have become popular games. Of course, in the same decade, companies such as Sony reintroduced the PlayStation Console to the platform, but the quality of PC games continued to grow. With the advent of the new century, however, the trend changed and the new generation of game consoles such as the Xbox and The PS3 has intensified competition for market share.
New consoles were able to run heavy games such as computers because of their powerful hardware, and home consoles again gained a significant share of the gaming market. Finally, we should note the recent years and the rise of smartphones. That changed many of the definitions in this space. And introduced a new and more inclusive platform for video games. Today, gaming platforms are available to millions of users worldwide, with hundreds of game titles being released annually, and online gaming and multiplayer has become a habit for many gamers. In the near future, with the introduction of virtual and augmented reality into the world of computer games and the greater integration of these games with our lives, their role will become even more prominent.
Afghans enter the market
Afghan people have always been interested in new things, especially entertainment, and computer games are no exception. Many of our ancestors have experience playing television at the time. And dare we say, computer games entered the Afghan home years before computers themselves.
Famous Atari consoles, the first computer game experience for sixties, were among the first computer games to enter Afghanistan after the war. Later generations, such as Nintendo and Sega, also entered the country shortly.
However, by the end of the 1970s, the proliferation of personal computer video games had become familiar to most of the young Afghan youth. The overwhelming young population, the appeal of this new medium, and the increasing influence of technology among the Afghans made the games popular among the population.
This widespread acceptance has drawn attention to this medium as an effective means of conveying the concepts behind entertainment. Especially since there was no substantial Afghan sample due to lack of legal and financial support. And the few efforts made were solely due to the personal interest of the developers.
However, during all these years, informal sales of computer games have grown substantially, with hundreds of foreign titles being sold annually in Afghanistan.
Game market in Afghanistan
We are working to form the National Foundation for Video Games as a source of support, monitoring and streamlining in the field of computer games, and we are working hard to regulate the video game market in Afghanistan. Its activities include ratings and licensing for foreign games, as well as supporting the supply of Afghan games.
We have seen the game making in Afghanistan. But the share of home games is still zero compared to foreign products. And there is a long way to go in finding the right place in this field. However, it should be noted that in the past few years, the number of Afghan games produced has been several times higher than the total number of games produced in the past few years. And their quality has also grown dramatically. Successful titles that, along with maintaining standards, communicate well with the native audience and give confidence to Afghan creators.
What kind of games do Afghans like to play?
A glance is enough to illuminate the tastes of Afghans. In the 1970s, most of the clubs were dominated by football games such as Winning Eleven and FIFA, although they also had their own fighting, strategy, story, and adventure games. Entering the 80’s and shifting from clubs to game nets, multiplayer shooters and strategy have gained popularity among players, with titles such as Counterstrike and Warcraft gaining popularity among Afghan gamers. Of course, more generations of game consoles such as PC and The Xbox also introduced players to new styles of video games. Games like the GTA are always a favorite with fans because of their open-world structure and players’ freedom of movement, and they are one of the familiar names for fans. Finally, we have to mention one of the most popular Afghan style of driving games that has a lot of fans. Therefore, apart from these popular genres, other games, including role-playing games, brain teasers, and many other genres of computer games in Afghanistan each have their own fans.
But overall, it seems that our overall taste has not changed much, and there are still more specific styles of games in Afghanistan. These games include first person shooters, strategy, driving and adventure, all of which can be described as many exotic examples. Series like GTA, Call of Duty, FIFA, Need for Speed and Tomb Raider are very familiar names for Afghan players and huge numbers of young people.
Famous Computer Games
In addition, these days apart from the game genre, features such as online gaming and multiplayer have become increasingly popular among Afghan users. There are some users who buy subscriptions such as Steam, PSN and Xbox Live to buy online titles and games. Also, simple games called minigames have become more popular in recent years. And other players aren’t just looking for great games with heavy graphics the gameplay has become even more important. Games offered in the form of mobile apps have also received widespread favor.
Popular Games
The fact is that developing, designing, and publishing a computer game requires a great deal of time and expense, and can only be expected to grow and develop if an investment is reasonably possible. The lack of copyright law and the return of capital has made us not likely to see much revenue or employment in this area, despite its high potential. One possible way of defining alternatives and online payment methods was by developing Android OS penetration and creating trusted and well-known app stores.
In recent years, the development process of Android-based games has accelerated significantly and has seen significant growth in terms of quantity and quality. Perhaps the existence of online payment mechanisms, even relative to the development and release of mobile games over heavier games, and of course the growing number of mobile players, have given us some promising momentum in this part of the gaming market.
Mobile Games Enter
Smartphones, especially Android phones, have a very high penetration rate in Afghanistan, and more than 80 percent of computer gaming audiences in Afghanistan play games using the phone. This figure is much larger than the world average of 52%, indicating how popular mobile OS games are. So, it’s not out of the question for developers to focus more and more on this area. That’s why in recent years we’re seeing a lot of production and even popularity of Afghan games. Some of these games have not been free and yet they have been able to benefit from a well-received user experience. As a result of this trend, game companies in Afghanistan are gradually emerging. Making a game for Android, because of the openness of the apps, the relative simplicity of programming, the overwhelming gameplay and the idea of graphics, and ultimately the ease of publishing and selling it, are very attractive to independent developers. The last two years have begun to build and deliver localized or new games. The shorter and simpler process of developing these games, unlike large computer or console games, can be financed at personal cost or by small companies and is a viable solution. The result is different games that have been released through app stores, in many cases they are the same and, in some cases, better than foreign games.
Old Stories New Narrative
With a millennial history, an ancient civilization, and a rich written and oral culture, Afghanistan has no shortage of suitable subjects for making computer games in a variety of styles. Afghanistan’s history is full of epic battles and fascinating stories, and there are thousands of pure and narrative stories that can be the subject of computer games in a variety of styles. In older times, children would often hear these stories from the mouths of older family members on cold winter nights, but unfortunately this connection is weakened in the new era and perhaps the lack of appropriate content for new generations may be the most important problem. The best way to do this is to develop Afghan games based on Afghan stories. And even with popular styles like strategy and role-playing, there is enough capacity in this area.
Playing With Business Stuffing
Approximately 80% of mobile games are played in Afghanistan. There are two main reasons for this. One is that smartphone audiences have a wider age distribution and have less time to play with a computer or console. Another reason is that mobile games are better priced than original games or even illegal versions. But Afghan market share is small, and this has long delayed the development of the Afghan game industry. In my opinion, another problem is the lack of proper culture. Hoping that this culture will fit right into the community. One solution for increasing profits may be to use in-app purchases that can alleviate the problem to some extent.
Ultimately, the real condition for any industry to grow is to generate revenue and attract capital, and unless the legal, financial, and cultural conditions are in place, we cannot be optimistic about producing great effects in the gaming industry. It is hoped that by providing the right conditions and the right culture, the growth and development of this industry will be possible as a way to create employment and income alongside preserving Afghan cultural identity.
