CAIRO, April 22 (Reuters) - Glued to computer screens in a
Cairo cybercafe, Egyptian teenagers lead U.S. forces against
China and a shadowy Middle Eastern group, while most of the
country seethes in anger over U.S. policy in the region.
The U.S.-produced computer game Command and Conquer:
Generals portrays a scenario in which the United States and
China battle the Global Liberation Army (GLA), a Middle Eastern
underground movement with a fondness for chemical weapons.
The teenagers say the game reinforces the western image of
Arabs as "terrorists" with introductory scenes showing them
gunning down civilians and stealing U.S. aid, but the graphics
and high-octane action keeps them hooked.
"I really like the game. I play it every day. I miss it if I
don't play it for a day. I know it's racist but what can I do?
It's a good game," said 16-year-old Ahmed Mohsen.
The teenagers, all students at an American high school in
Cairo, say they are annoyed that games, movies, comics and books
from the United States portray Arabs as cruel fanatics but
despair that there are no Arab companies that can make products
to redress the balance.
"You can't boycott American products because the substitutes
are no good. There is no way an Egyptian company can make good
quality games," said 18-year-old Ahmed Abdel Qader.
FIGHTING AMERICA
Other Egyptian fans use the virtual characters to take out
real-world frustrations.
"Some people enjoy playing as the GLA against America so
they can fight the American army," said Mohsen.
Demonstrations in Egypt against U.S. support for Israel or
the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq are controlled by security
forces. Some activists complain of political arrests or say that
protesters are beaten.
Mohsen says he does not play the GLA, not because of any
political opinion but because the U.S. forces in the game are
superior. "You know they made it and will make their army the
best," he said.
The website for Generals (www.eagames.com), produced by
computer game giant Electronic Arts says the armies were
"inspired by real-world ideologies".
"The GLA uses weapons like toxic weapons, car bombs and
suicide bombers...They (the game makers) make the Arabs look
like evil bastards," said 16-year-old Amir al-Gindy, taking a
break from intimidating his friends with a huge Chinese army.
In three dimensional battlegrounds spread over Central Asia
and the Middle East, U.S. weapons verging on science fiction,
such as the supersonic Aurora Bomber, battle the GLA's low-tech
poison spraying toxin tractor and the bomb truck.
ARABS ETC.
Although the game does not directly identify the GLA as
Arab, the names of the rebels sound vaguely Arabic without being
real Arabic names. The characters speak in what could be
described as Arabic accents.
In other scenes, different nationalities are drawn into the
GLA umbrella.
One scene shows the angry mob the GLA can muster -- women in
black veils and men wearing Afghan hats.
The Egyptian teenagers say the message is not very subtle.
"The GLA represents all of the U.S.'s enemies in one role.
They are what the U.S. calls terrorists," said Abdel Qader.
"They might as well make (Osama) bin Laden one of the
generals," said Mohsen, referring to the leader of the al-Qaeda
network blamed by the U.S for the September 11, 2001 attacks on
Washington and New York.
Zero Hour, an expansion to the game, allows players to
assume the personalities of different commanders. One GLA
general who specialises in stealth operations wears combat
fatigues with an Arab scarf around his head and clutches an AK47
rifle while snarling at the camera.
Gindy, who has lived and studied in Canada for a large part
of his life, says the game's portrayal of the GLA influences
young people in the west.
"When you play the game online, young kids about my own age
will ask where I am from. When I say 'Egypt', they think I live
in a shack," he said.
"The GLA's crappy bases just pushes the idea that Arabs are
backwards and people in other countries end up believing this."
In spite of their strong feelings about the portrayal of
Arabs, the teenagers say most Egyptians have found a way to
enjoy the game with a clear conscience.
"People buy fake versions of the game, so they say 'well at
least I'm not giving them (the game makers) any money,'."
Cairo cybercafe, Egyptian teenagers lead U.S. forces against
China and a shadowy Middle Eastern group, while most of the
country seethes in anger over U.S. policy in the region.
The U.S.-produced computer game Command and Conquer:
Generals portrays a scenario in which the United States and
China battle the Global Liberation Army (GLA), a Middle Eastern
underground movement with a fondness for chemical weapons.
The teenagers say the game reinforces the western image of
Arabs as "terrorists" with introductory scenes showing them
gunning down civilians and stealing U.S. aid, but the graphics
and high-octane action keeps them hooked.
"I really like the game. I play it every day. I miss it if I
don't play it for a day. I know it's racist but what can I do?
It's a good game," said 16-year-old Ahmed Mohsen.
The teenagers, all students at an American high school in
Cairo, say they are annoyed that games, movies, comics and books
from the United States portray Arabs as cruel fanatics but
despair that there are no Arab companies that can make products
to redress the balance.
"You can't boycott American products because the substitutes
are no good. There is no way an Egyptian company can make good
quality games," said 18-year-old Ahmed Abdel Qader.
FIGHTING AMERICA
Other Egyptian fans use the virtual characters to take out
real-world frustrations.
"Some people enjoy playing as the GLA against America so
they can fight the American army," said Mohsen.
Demonstrations in Egypt against U.S. support for Israel or
the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq are controlled by security
forces. Some activists complain of political arrests or say that
protesters are beaten.
Mohsen says he does not play the GLA, not because of any
political opinion but because the U.S. forces in the game are
superior. "You know they made it and will make their army the
best," he said.
The website for Generals (www.eagames.com), produced by
computer game giant Electronic Arts says the armies were
"inspired by real-world ideologies".
"The GLA uses weapons like toxic weapons, car bombs and
suicide bombers...They (the game makers) make the Arabs look
like evil bastards," said 16-year-old Amir al-Gindy, taking a
break from intimidating his friends with a huge Chinese army.
In three dimensional battlegrounds spread over Central Asia
and the Middle East, U.S. weapons verging on science fiction,
such as the supersonic Aurora Bomber, battle the GLA's low-tech
poison spraying toxin tractor and the bomb truck.
ARABS ETC.
Although the game does not directly identify the GLA as
Arab, the names of the rebels sound vaguely Arabic without being
real Arabic names. The characters speak in what could be
described as Arabic accents.
In other scenes, different nationalities are drawn into the
GLA umbrella.
One scene shows the angry mob the GLA can muster -- women in
black veils and men wearing Afghan hats.
The Egyptian teenagers say the message is not very subtle.
"The GLA represents all of the U.S.'s enemies in one role.
They are what the U.S. calls terrorists," said Abdel Qader.
"They might as well make (Osama) bin Laden one of the
generals," said Mohsen, referring to the leader of the al-Qaeda
network blamed by the U.S for the September 11, 2001 attacks on
Washington and New York.
Zero Hour, an expansion to the game, allows players to
assume the personalities of different commanders. One GLA
general who specialises in stealth operations wears combat
fatigues with an Arab scarf around his head and clutches an AK47
rifle while snarling at the camera.
Gindy, who has lived and studied in Canada for a large part
of his life, says the game's portrayal of the GLA influences
young people in the west.
"When you play the game online, young kids about my own age
will ask where I am from. When I say 'Egypt', they think I live
in a shack," he said.
"The GLA's crappy bases just pushes the idea that Arabs are
backwards and people in other countries end up believing this."
In spite of their strong feelings about the portrayal of
Arabs, the teenagers say most Egyptians have found a way to
enjoy the game with a clear conscience.
"People buy fake versions of the game, so they say 'well at
least I'm not giving them (the game makers) any money,'."
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