Is This the Middle East? is a project investigating representation of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in a selection of video games. I am interested in the patterns, repetitive artefacts, locations and texts in games that claim to be set in the MENA region. These objects become archetypes. Are these photo-realistic environments also realistic in the scenes they depict or do they become another backdrop for war-related games? Using photogrammetry to reconstruct these environments, I address the implications of seeing an abundance of often over-simplified images of the Middle East, especially in a world where video games are becoming not only a global phenomenon, but also a means to encounter other cultures. The project was awarded the Pierre Keller prize, “A prize awarded for a particularly committed diploma project” by Mr. Alexis Georgacopoulos, Director of ECAL

While the project took many forms, one way in which it was presented was in the form of a website and installation. The website allowed me to gather all the reconstructed models, and also served as a way for users to interact with them in a different context to the game itself. Users can navigate through scanned landscapes, or through a library of artefacts, to put into perspective the repetitive elements found through games set in the MENA region. It allows viewers to understand the limited visual and written language used in these games