Iran Computer and Video Games Foundation

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Iran National Foundation of Computer Games

Formation	January 1, 2007; 17 years ago (2007-01-01)
Type	Nonprofit organization
Location	Tehran, Iran
Area served	Iran
Parent organization	Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance
Website	en.ircg.ir

The Iran Computer and Video Games Foundation (ICVGF), also known as the National Foundation for Computer Games (NFCG), is an Iranian nonprofit organization^{[dubious – discuss]} established by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to control and support the video game industry in Iran.^[1]

Established in 2007, the ICVGF is responsible for publishing and releasing video games, supporting Iranian video game developers, teaching video game development, and monitoring the activities of LAN gaming centers in Iran.^[2] The ICVGF is also responsible for banning foreign video games that are not compatible with Iran's political views, and filtering video game websites that do not meet governmental rules.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]}

The main duties of the ICVGF are:

• Supporting and promoting game development in Iran^{[10][11][12][13]}
• Educating Iranian game designers, developers, and artists in Iran^{[14][15][16][17]}
• Managing the Entertainment Software Rating Association^{[18][19][20][21]} and the Game Development Institute^[22]
• Hosting officially-sanctioned gaming conventions and game jams in Iran^[23][24][25]
• Promoting Iranian video games at regional and international gaming conventions and trade fairs^{[26][27][28][29][30]}
• Governing and controlling video game sales in the Iranian market^{[31][32][33][34]}

One of the responsibilities of the ICVGF is to ban video games that do not meet Iranian ideals or do not follow the Iranian government's media regulations. This is often done in conjunction with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. One notable ban was the 2016 video game 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, which, according to the ICVGF, presented "false and distorted information" about the Iranian Revolution.^[35][36] The ICVGF blocked websites offering the game, and conducted an operation to confiscate all copies of the game in Iran.^[37] In 2012, the ICVGF denied Bohemia Interactive a license to sell Arma 3 in Iran due to its depiction of the Iran Armed Forces. Arma 3's plot depicts Iran as a leading member of the fictional coalition "CSAT", an antagonistic faction that fights the player's faction, NATO.^[38]

In 2007, the ICVGF established the Entertainment Software Rating Association (ESRA), a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings for video games released in Iran.^{[18][39][40][41]}

In 2010, the ICVGF established the Iran Game Development Institute (IGDI), a video game development school, made for the purpose of training Iranian video game designers and developers. The IGDI regularly participates in game jams and gaming conventions hosted by the ICVGF, and often wins awards from them.^{[42][43][44][45][46]}

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The ICVGF hosts gaming conventions and game jams in Iran for the purpose of garnering wider appeal for Iranian video games and the Iranian video game industry.

• Official website
• Old domain
• Tehran Game Festival Archived 2018-08-28 at the Wayback Machine