About

Hello! Welcome to Digital Iran Reloaded

a site on video games, information controls, and digital pedagogy.

Digital Iran is an exploratory research project twice funded by the Simpson Center for the Humanities at the University of Washington for a total of $28,500, split among collaborators.

In 2024, Digital Iran was funded by Open Tech Fund working in concert with the Miaan Group for a total of $94,000.

During summer 2020, the original team consisted of the principal investigator, Melinda Cohoon, PhD student Solmaz Shakerifard, and an undergraduate research assistant, Kayla van Kooten. We analyzed video games based on Iran better to understand the culture industry of games and player experience.

In summer 2023, Melinda and the research assistant Maddy Brown, a PhD candidate in the Department of Mathematics, accomplished the following tasks:

● Met weekly to discuss gaming in Iran, personal experiences as gamers, and previous project iterations, which influenced the 4 recorded podcasts.

● Disseminated 4 podcasts on content, process, and knowledge gained as the pedagogical component to the project.

With sponsorship from Open Tech Fund, Digital Iran has taken on new contours, working with gamer populations and NGO stakeholders to find solutions to their internet user needs. In particular, it seeks to support Iranians using insider information from Iranian gamers who experience a repressive information control regime. Primary outputs will include monthly reports, data analysis and visualizations, ultimately leading to a final report on improving internet access using virtual private networks.

Digital Iran now seeks to combine the three funding periods’ objectives. In 2025, the new Digital Iran team, including Afsaneh Haddadian and Maddy Brown, seeks institutional and public funds to continue various projects. The aims are:

● Research current repressive measures, especially emphasizing anti-VPN artificial intelligence.

● Create rich datasets that challenge and advance current AI capabilities, particularly in processing complex multimedia with cultural nuance. We aim to combine humanities-centered close reading with AI-enhanced analytical techniques to extract
themes, visual patterns, linguistic elements in Persian and Arabic, and aural components.

● To create videographic criticism essays on video games’ sound and aesthetics through the lens of powerful propaganda used in US and Iranian made games. A downloadable spreadsheet of the data collected will also be included.

● To map previously used and current (anti)censorship, (anti)surveillance, and strategies to access the internet and online video games in Iran by gamers.

● To disseminate weekly podcast-like updates via Twitch podcasts, new information on cutting-edge technologies to video game content, and more, emphasizing Iran and touching on similar case studies

Any Questions? Please do not hesitate to email us!

Melinda Cohoon can be reached at melindacohoon@gmail.com or mecohoon@uw.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Digital Iran exactly?

Digital Iran is an interdisciplinary project that examines and interprets Iranian digital culture through the lens of technology, media, and gaming. It seeks to explore how digital media and interactive platforms reflect and shape the evolving identity of Iran in the modern era.

2. What types of games do you analyze?

Digital Iran focuses on a diverse range of digital games including indie titles, mainstream video games, and culturally-specific interactive narratives. By analyzing both the content and mechanics of these games, Digital Iran provides insights into societal trends, cultural narratives, and the impact of digital entertainment on modern Iranian society.

3. When did you begin this project? And will you continue the project after the grant?

The Digital Iran project began in Summer 2020 with the original team supported by the Simpson Center for the Humanities at the University of Washington .

The project then received funding from Open Tech Fund working with the Miaan Group ($94,000), which has now ended.

The project is currently seeking new institutional and public funds to continue its work. The new Digital Iran team, including Afsaneh Haddadian and Maddy Brown, is looking for funding to pursue several initiatives in 2025, including:

  • Research on repressive measures, especially anti-VPN artificial intelligence
  • Creation of rich datasets for AI analysis
  • Videographic criticism essays
  • Mapping of censorship strategies
  • Weekly Twitch podcast updates

4. Who are the Researchers?

Research Team Members:

  • Melinda Cohoon (Principal Investigator, PhD Candidate – Near & Middle Eastern Studies)
  • Maddy Brown (PhD candidate, Department of Mathematics) – Summer 2023 & 2025 team
  • Afsaneh Haddadian (PhD – International Studies) – 2025 team member
  • Solmaz Shakerifard (PhD candidate) – Summer 2020 team
  • Kayla van Kooten (Undergraduate Research Assistant) – Summer 2020 team