By IANS/RIZ Novosti,
Moscow : The Russian government is working on a project to produce computer games aimed at boosting patriotism among young people.
The communication ministry and a leading software firm 1C have presented a project concerning six flight simulator games that they say are helping to improve Russia’s international hi-tech image and increase patriotism among teenagers.
Vedomosti, a business daily, quoted 1C CEO Boris Nuraliev as saying that he had already demonstrated a flight simulator game to President Dmitry Medvedev.
The Kremlin views encouraging patriotism and preventing attempts to distort history, especially about World War II, as a key element in its efforts to consolidate the nation.
The project’s cost is estimated at around 720 million rubles ($24 million), Vedomosti said quoting communication ministry’s statement.
The ministry has asked the government to allocate 500 million rubles. 1C is ready to spend 200 million rubles, and another 20 million rubles will come from the government of Russia’s Khanty-Mansiysk region, the statement said.
1C became popular for its bestselling game – a fight simulator of the World War II-era Ilyushin Il-2 attack plane that was translated into eleven languages and sold over 2,300 000 copies, more than a half of them abroad.
The game simulates World War II battles and includes an encyclopedia of Russian military hardware.
The 1C also produces a MiG-29 flight simulator as well as submarine games.
The ministry said the main goal of the computer games is to create low-cost educational and professional simulators for pilots, promote Russian information technology abroad, and increase Russia’s hi-tech exports.
The authors of the project expect to make their money back within 4 years, with 10 millions copies sold throughout the world, Vedomosti said, adding that Russia’s share in the computer games’ market will grow to 10 percent.
However, the project is still to win backing from the Kremlin. Russian presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich told Vedomosti the project was interesting but he was not sure whether it needed government support.
1C officials did not comment on the project.