Ferdowsi University of Mashhad will organize a game jam under the auspices of Iran Computer and Video Games Foundation in late September.
Managing director of the Tehran-based foundation Hassan Karimi Qodousi paid a visit to Mashhad, capital of Khorasan Razavi Province to evaluate the capabilities of the university’s Department of Computer Engineering in expanding regional horizons of video games development, Mehr News reported.
Qodousi expressed satisfaction with what he saw at the university’s Computer Game Association and said the facilities “can put latent abilities of game developers to use and pave the path for scientific growth of the industry.”
In discussions with Assistant Professor Dr. Saeed Abrishami, head of FUM’s Department of Computer Engineering, he promised support for expansion of the university’s activities in the area of game-development. It was decided that the department organize the game jam.
Dr. Hamid-Reza Pourreza, faculty member was cited as being among the proficient masters who founded the Computer Game Association of Ferdowsi University. “This capacity can be enhanced under the patronage of Iran Computer and Video Games Foundation,” Abrishami said.
A game jam is a gathering of game developers for the purpose of planning, designing, and creating one or more games within a short span of time, usually ranging between 24 and 72 hours. Game developers are generally made up of programmers, game designers, artists, and others in game development-related fields.
Market Set to Grow
The PC and console games market in Iran is worth approximately $140 million, based on research firm Newzoo’s latest data that project it to grow to $167 million this year.
“But the majority of this is hard to measure or accurately track because it lurks in gray and black markets due to decades of sanctions and the absence of official distribution channels,” according to Venture Beat.
Around 60% of gamers purchase their consoles and games, original or copy, from the wide variety of stores in the Iranian tech bazaars, most of which owe their existence to the absence of official distributors barred from entering for decades. Online purchase, however, is rapidly growing with 27% opting for it.
