A developer that is tied to Hezbollah developed a new video game where players can take on ISIS in Syria and Lebanon. The game is titled Holy Defense, it allows players to join Hezbollah to fight ISIS as they protect Shiite Muslims against the terrorist group.
Hezbollah is also considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and other countries.
Holy Defense
Holy Defense was developed by Dar al-Manar which was started by Lebanese media outlet Al-Manar. Al-Manar is affiliated with Hezbollah. On its website, Holy Defense says that it's not only a game but a simulation that show the fight against those who don't believe in the true form of Islam in their eyes.
"The Holy Defense game is not just a mere game, but a simulation aimed at documenting a stage of the holy defense facing the takfiri tide and confronting the American-Zionist project, chronicling the sacrifices made in this way," says the description for the game on its official website.
Takfiri is a term used by Shiite Muslim groups such as Hezbollah to describe Muslims of other branches of Islam. Holy Defense portrays the player's fight in the game as a holy crusade that is still happening in real life.
The description goes on to describe the game as a tool to combat games made by people of other cultures. It is also described as a "tribute" to the martyrs who gave their lives in fighting for Hezbollah's message.
Holy Defense will only be available in a few places in Lebanon. Both locations are in Beirut - the Al-Manar House For Artistic Production and Distribution, and the Al-Maaref Islamic Cultural House.
Gameplay
Just from a cursory look at the trailer, it can be seen that it is not going to have the best graphics. Holy Defense will be a first-person shooter and will have a 12-hour campaign. Players can play as Ahmed, who after witnessing an ISIS attack on the Sayyeda Zeinab shrine enlists with Hezbollah.
The game will be released on PC. Requirements for the game include Windows 7, 8 or 10. At least 2.6 GB of space required, and 4 GB RAM.
This isn't the first game made by Hezbollah, it previously made two more games more than a decade ago. It released Special Force in 2004, and Special Force 2: Tale of the Truthful Pledge in 2007. Both games feature Israel as the enemy instead of ISIS. Isreal also considers the group a terrorist organization.
The game could be seen as a recruitment tool.
