Press Ministry Requests $17M for 1C's Patriotic Computer Game

[Viking]

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/busine...me/405448.html

Software company 1C is asking the state for 500 million rubles ($16.8 million) to create a computer game simulator that will educate youth in patriotism, modernize the economy and rebuff those trying to falsify history.

The Communications and Press Ministry and 1C have jointly prepared a proposal for the creation of a series of military game simulators, a document that was prepared for a meeting of the presidential commission for modernizing the economy on April 29, a ministry official said. It wasn't presented, but the issue was discussed, he said, adding that 1C chief executive Boris Nuraliyev had demonstrated an aviation simulator to President Dmitry Medvedev.

The project's cost is 720 million rubles, according to the presentation. The Communications and Press Ministry is asking for 500 million rubles from the government, while 1C will come up with 200 million rubles and 20 million rubles will come from the Khanty-Mansiisk autonomous district, which is an initiator of the project, the official said.

The development of the core of the simulator will cost $5 million to $10 million, said Sergei Orlovsky, founder of Nival Network. Each game based on that engine will run an additional $1 million to $2 million.

The project needs state financing because it aims to stimulate high-tech production and create a product for export, while at the same time using the groundwork laid by the project to create a simulator for teaching pilots.

The goal of the project is to foster a sense of patriotism in children and shut out falsifications of history, the ministry official said. The project could be approved at the next modernization commission meeting, which will be dedicated to the development of Russian video games, said an official close to the leadership of the presidential commission.

The parameters of the project and state support are still being worked out, said an official in the presidential administration. The project is now being finalized, the ministry official said.

The project is interesting, but it is unclear whether state support is needed, presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich said.

The project will become profitable within four years, its authors said. Sales are projected at 10 million copies, and the share of Russian games on the domestic market will grow 10 percent.

The secret to the project's success is 1C's experience in developing training simulators. The company's Il-2 Shturmovik game is one of the 25 best games ever, according to Imagine Games Network. It has been translated into 11 languages, and 1.3 million copies have been sold.

Representatives for 1C declined to comment.

[Antoninus]

Interesting. I guess there is no need for Oleg now to release SOW this year and a lot more red planes are overmodelled debates in future.

[Novotny]

Perhaps Oleg is running out of money; perhaps they want the West to better understand Russia's involvement in the 2nd World War. Perhaps both?

Either way, I hope they are successful. regardless of your politics, Russia has not been given it's due appreciation for stopping Nazi Germany.

edit:: Ooh, I realise how contentious this is going to become. Let me say frankly: without Russia fighting Nazi Germany, I would most likely be speaking German now. Whether or not I agree with current or past politics, I am grateful to those Russians who fought Hitler, and kept fighting him, allowing a second front to develop.

So, basically, I think the world should recognise this effort a little bit more. Whatever political feeling you may have, no-one wanted the Nazis. And Russia suffered most opposing them. This reduced the burden on other countries, allowing them more ability to attack, as opposed to merely defending, as they were doing before. Russia absorbed the Nazi war-machine.

Again: no politics: simply put, Russia suffered and endured so much in defeating the Nazis, but you'd think that my nation and a few others were the only ones that put some effort in, if you listened to the media.

[AndyJWest]

I'd rather see another report on this, or even better a response from 1C:Maddox, before commenting. It is not entirely clear who exactly is proposing what, and I wonder if a journalist has been using a bit of poetic license here.

As for 'the falsification of history' I've no doubt that IL-2 has already done something to counteract that.

[csThor]

The only problem I see with this development is that modern Russia itself is not making any effort to go over its archives and throw out the most obvious Stalinist distortions or at least mark them as such. That's a pity.

So it remains to be seen what this "patriotism" thing will be about and how it'll be represented.

[Lucas_From_Hell]

Interesting, and certainly a great strategy.

Why on Earth will children read some stupid school book when they can experience and see it themselves? How were the battles, how the planes performed, the tactics and everything else. For sure it'll raise interest in history among the younger folks, which is something needed to every country.

And csThor, it's quite obvious that it's being looked at - just look at the Katyn incident, for instance.

[Feuerfalke]

Originally Posted by csThor

The only problem I see with this development is that modern Russia itself is not making any effort to go over its archives and throw out the most obvious Stalinist distortions or at least mark them as such. That's a pity.

So it remains to be seen what this "patriotism" thing will be about and how it'll be represented.

That's not entirely true. In the past weeks a lot of things have changed concerning this specific topic. It seems that Polands tragic loss in the end has at least started a change e.g. in regarding things that happened on the eastern front. Documents are opened and reports released to the public, discussions are started.
Looking at what IL2 has done for the interest in the eastern front, I have no doubt that historic missions and contents in SoW can serve as an ambassador for more than that.

In either case, the petition is just.

On a personal note: I loved this part:
The project is now being finalized

[Avimimus]

Originally Posted by Antoninus

Interesting. I guess there is no need for Oleg now to release SOW this year and a lot more red planes are overmodelled debates in future.

Remember how everyone said the Russian airplanes were overmodelled compared to the German? Then Oleg pointed out that his last name was British. Then people started comparing the Spitfire and the P-51...

Good old days...

[Feuerfalke]

LOL, true.

Well, overmodeled was a wrong term anyway. IMHO most of the "superpowers" or "crippled features" of planes simply come from an explosive combination of things you simply can't model due to engine or data limitations and completely overexagerated user expectancies.

[nearmiss]

A historically accurate portrayal of the Eastern Front war from 1939 to the end would be a horror story beyond belief.