The manifestation of Iranian-Islamic symbols in the cat and coup video game

Abstract: Video games are among the widely demanded cultural and artistic products in various human communities. Hence, the development, transfer, and representation of cultural values have directed attention to this industry (Khaniki and Barekat, 2016, 99). Video games encompass traces of a nation’s culture and arts as well, since game developers design games relying on the culture and thoughts of the community they come from, and develop their products accordingly. One could point out several contemporary video games that contain elements and hints of Iranian art as well as traces of Islamic thought. After Islam was introduced to Iran, Islamic culture and thought integrated with the Iranian civilization and culture, bringing about a new era of culture and arts in the country also known as the Iranian-Islamic art. Islamic art is defined as an absolute and abstract form of art whose characterizing features include abstract designs, rich decorations, and the prohibition of illustrating animal and human forms (Enayat, 2008, 33). The Islamic artist seeks to bridge the natural world and existential world, illustrating the invisible universe by transforming the material logic of nature (ibid). This purpose is practiced through symbols and signs in the works of Iranian-Islamic artists that contain symbolic and mystical concepts. Iranian-Islamic art brims with abstract and mystical symbols, the awareness of whose intellectual and spiritual foundations informs the audience of ancient arts (Nazarizadeh and Mashhadi Haji Ali, 2015, 1). This practice is reflected contemporarily in various works of art, especially in restoration practices. For instance, game developers are inspired by Iranian-Islamic works of art, based on which they design the game space and offer valuable works. The reconstruction of the space in contemporary Iranian movies equals relying on the significance and presence of a human as the player in the position of value patterns that appear alongside each other through various characters depending on the game. In the case of the game “The Cat and the Coup,” the two characters of “Cat” and “Dr. Mosaddegh” have been developed in this regard. The significant point regarding the game “The Cat and the Coup” is that the game designer has been inspired by Iranian painting art. Moreover, the game encompasses special symbols and signs that encourage the audience to contemplate. This game starts in the final days of Dr. Mosaddegh’s life in Ahmad Abad, and rewinds to various times in the past, up until the Iranian coup on August 19th, 1953. The games start with the death of Dr. Mosaddegh and delve into his past as his spirit goes through the pages of history. Each segment of the game includes the historical events of its time, and new characters are beautifully introduced into the gameplay. The strength of the fame would be the use of metaphorical images demonstrating the emergence and fall of Mosaddeq in 1953. The main character in this game is Dr. Mosaddegh’s cat, which heavily affects his decisions while going through the stages of the game (URL1). The present article is concerned with an analysis of the various geometrical, composite, and natural symbolic elements used in “The Cat and the Coup” gameplay that facilitate the understanding of the symbols used in the game.
Research aim: The present work seeks to explore the Iranian-Islamic symbols in the design of “The Cat and the Coup” video game as a means of visual expression in Iranian game development and analyze the concepts incorporated in each of the symbols.
Research questions: The present works seek to respond to the questions of what are the symbols used in “The Cat and the Coup” video game. And what concepts does each of the symbols carry?
Result: Given the imagery and contents of “The Cat and the Coup” video game, various symbolic elements such as geometrical, composite, and natural elements go through an evolutionary process while pointing to realities beyond the apparent scope of the game. In this regard, the reflection of emotional expressions in the behavior of the main characters in the game, the induction of the power of animals and humans, the destruction of evil forces, the war between good and evil, and the struggle between darkness and light are among the results unveiled in the present work. Islamic symbols have been incorporated into the geometrical symbols used in the game. These symbols used to be incorporated due to the prohibition of demonstrating animal and human figures, some of which can be found in a segment of “The Cat and the Coup” video game on the oil barrels to decorate them and demonstrate their significance for Dr. Mosaddegh and the Iranian nation. The square is another one of the geometrical symbols used in the game, exuding a sense of death and an opposing circle, which is a symbol of immortality and life. This symbol has been used at the beginning of the game in a square-shaped frame, symbolizing the death of Dr. Mosaddegh. The second set of composite symbols includes the dragon symbol. This element harbors a notion of evil and darkness, destroying things in its path and counting as a threat against the victory of good and the emergence of favorable events, and has been used beside the oil barrels and inside the frame within the space where Dr. Mosaddegh resides. The angel symbol demonstrates the invisible forces sent down from God to protect Dr. Mosaddegh in the court. The symbol of a human with a pig head appears to be inspired by the Animal Farm novel whose main character was a pig bringing misery to other animals. This symbol is depicted on the king’s body and emphasizes the aforementioned notion. The natural symbols include animal and human symbols, the former comprising the cat character that causes several events throughout the game that could the enemy countries complicating Dr. Mosadegh’s works or the country of Iran since Iran’s map resembles a cat. The dark silhouettes of humans in the background also symbolize evil people who put pressure on Dr. Mosaddegh throughout his decision-making, contrasting Mosaddeq himself, who has been illustrated in a white robe signifying his honesty and purity.