Video game designer sentenced to death in Iran over propaganda charges - Polidicks

[quote]A U.S.-born video game designer has been sentenced to death in Iran over charges that the CIA paid him to create games to sway public opinions on U.S. policies. Iranian-American Amir Mizra Hekmati allegedly confessed to spying on the country and designing propaganda games, according to the ruling from the Islamic Revolutionary Court. After the former U.S. marine was detained while visiting Iran in August (supposedly to visit family), local daily newspaper Tehran Times[URL="http://www.tehrantimes.com/component/content/article/93702"]published excerpts from a purported confession[/URL] in which Hekmati admitted to helping create games designed to "manipulate public opinion in the Middle East" at New York City-based developer Kuma Reality Games, under the CIA's direction and payroll. Hekmati allegedly said, "[Kuma] was receiving money from the CIA to (produce) and design and distribute for free special movies and games with the aim of manipulating public opinion in the Middle East. The goal of the company in question was to convince the people of Iran and the people of the entire world that whatever the U.S. does in other countries is a good measure." Along with various titles themed around dinosaurs, mobsters, and World War II, Kuma's catalog includes a free episodic first-person shooter set in the Middle East, featuring localizations in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu alongside English releases. Its [I]Kuma\War[/I] series re-created scenarios in which players killed militant Islamist figures like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Osama bin Laden. The studio even released a [I]Kuma\War[/I] episode titled "Assault on Iran," speculating on how the U.S. could respond to the country's nuclear weapons program. In the episode, players had to infiltrate an Iranian nuclear facility, "secure evidence of illegal uranium enrichment, rescue [their] man on the inside, and destroy the centrifuges that promise to take Iran into the nuclear age." [URL="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14112"]Kuma CEO Keith Halper previously told Gamasutra[/URL] the release had an impact in Iran: "There were hundreds of thousands of downloads in Iran. We were denounced by name in the newspaper controlled by the supreme Ayatollah as a possible precursor to real US policy, which is absurd on the face of it, but speaks to the great power of real-time video games as a storytelling medium." [URL="http://kotaku.com/5874301/iran-sentences-alleged-video-game-developer-spy-to-death"]Halper also admitted[/URL] to Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo in 2006 that his company has previously accepted contract work to develop training software for the U.S. army as a side project. However, he did not state that the developer is bankrolled by the CIA or any other U.S. government organization to produce the [I]Kuma\War[/I] series or other titles that Kuma released for consumers. In addition to his confession that was published by Tehran Times, Hekmati appeared on Iranian state television in December and claimed to have been sent to the country by the CIA. He said his mission was to infiltrate Iran's intelligence ministry by providing them with information, gain their trust, and eventually report his findings to the U.S.'s own intelligence agency. Iranian news agency Fars reported that the Revolutionary Court, which specializes in trying those accused of attempting to overthrow the country's government, found Hekmati "Corrupt on Earth and Mohareb (waging war on God)." The New York Times [URL="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/world/middleeast/iran-imposes-death-sentence-on-alleged-us-spy.html?_r=1&hp"]says the ruling[/URL] "is routinely used in cases against alleged enemies of the Islamic Republic, and the charge carries the death sentence." "Allegations that Mr. Hekmati either worked for, or was sent to Iran by the CIA are false," said Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council. "The Iranian regime has a history of falsely accusing people of being spies, of eliciting forced confessions, and of holding innocent Americans for political reasons." The White House is demanding Hekmati's release, and has called on the Iranian government to grant him access to legal counsel via diplomats from the Swiss Embassy, which represents the U.S.'s interests in Iran.[/quote] Src: [URL]http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/39542/Report_Video_game_designer_sentenced_to_death_in_Iran_over_propaganda_charges.php[/URL] Is anyone safe over there? Shit. I know he "confessed", but something makes me doubt it was of his own accord.

Seems like Iran sentences everyone to death these days.

Installing Kuma War now. Will post how it is. graphics seem nothing special, like Medal of Honor frontline era but that doesn't bother me. website if anyone else is interested: [URL="http://www.kumawar.com/"]http://www.kumawar.com/[/URL] starting up KumaWar episode 107: The Death of Osama Bin Laden. huh... [QUOTE]Downloading butt-kicking animation[/QUOTE] ?

Waaaait a minute. [QUOTE]Amir Mizra Hekmati[/QUOTE] [QUOTE][URL="http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1154211"]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1154211[/URL][/QUOTE] [QUOTE]U.S. Marine Amir Mirzaei Hekmati[/QUOTE] [QUOTE][URL="http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1154014"]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1154014[/URL][/QUOTE] [QUOTE]Amir Mirza Hekmati[/QUOTE] Either this is somehow late twice, or Iran is looking for some very narrow links.

[QUOTE=Cone;34138057]Waaaait a minute. [quote] "Corrupt on Earth and Mohareb (waging war on God)." [/quote] They found him guilty of the same charges, so Either this is somehow late twice, or Iran is looking for some very narrow links.[/QUOTE]

What fucking assholes.

[QUOTE=Cone;34138057]Waaaait a minute. Either this is somehow late twice, or Iran is looking for some very narrow links.[/QUOTE] The others didnt mention the games either way

[QUOTE=G71tc4;34138094]The others didnt mention the games either way[/QUOTE] -I really need to read more-

If Iran keeps this up it's only a matter of time the U.S. is forced to 'liberate' them from an oppressive regime.

Just nuke that country, damnit.

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;34138137]If Iran keeps this up it's only a matter of time the U.S. is forced to 'liberate' them from an oppressive regime.[/QUOTE] He was also an American citizen and lived in America for most of his life, and served as a Marine

[QUOTE=pessimistic;34138147]We should just nuke that country.[/QUOTE] lol

Are you kidding me? Wow, he was just visiting too, he's American born and everything. Not to mention I can only imagine the blow this will have on the Kuma Games community, how ironic I was just thinking about Kuma yesterday after forgetting they existed for years. This is shit and horrible, I hope the US/anybody else does something to stop this.

[QUOTE=Contag;34138164]He was also an American citizen and lived in America for most of his life, and served as a Marine[/QUOTE] Wow, I thought this was a totally different guy. The last thread said nothing about his involvement with Kuma Games so I figured this was yet another guy that they arrested.

This is the same fucking spy, read the article and ignore the moronic sensationalist title.

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;34138231]Wow, I thought this was a totally different guy. The last thread said nothing about his involvement with Kuma Games.[/QUOTE] Yeah, it's interesting how it's developed In the previous articles it sounded plausible that he was actually a spy but now it makes it sound as though it's all bullshit [quote] in which Hekmati admitted to helping create games designed to "manipulate public opinion in the Middle East" at New York City-based developer Kuma Reality Games, under the CIA's direction and payroll.[/quote] is definitely not the same as [quote][B]I was told that after being dispatched to Iran ‘you will become a source for (Iran’s) Intelligence Ministry, will deliver the coordinated information to them, will receive some amount of money, and will return.’[/B] I was allowed to access the most secret intelligence systems and was dispatched to Bagram base in Afghanistan to collect the necessary intelligence (for carrying out) the infiltration project. It took 45 minutes from Bagram base to Kabul, and I was working at a spying center that was located in Bagram. I took a series of flights from Bagram, one of which was from Bagram to Dubai. After travelling to the United Arab Emirates, I stayed in Dubai for two days and got a ticket there and came to Tehran. The CIA’s plan was to give (the Intelligence Ministry) some valuable intelligence first so that (the ministry) could evaluate whether it is good or not and call me afterwards. However, Iran’s security apparatus, through studying the intelligence,… not only scuttled the infiltration project, but also identified and busted the spy network. [/quote] which the above article quoted [editline]10th January 2012[/editline] what to believe@!?

Hell even the fucking OP didnt read the thread.

[QUOTE=pessimistic;34138147]Just nuke that country, damnit.[/QUOTE] We stop them from killing thousands by killing millions. Doesn't seem like a very sound plan.

How terrifying would it be to know that your games instill fear in a regime that you might cause a revolution.