Under Ash

Under Ash (Arabic name: "Taht-al-ramad", تحت الرماد) is a first-person shooter sometimes explained to be a response to how Arabs are pictured in computer games in general and America's Army in particular. Like America's Army, it is considered to be video game propaganda; however, it differs from America's Army in that it is not available free.

The player takes the role of Ahmed, a Palestinian opposed to Israeli occupation ("Zionists"). Through the course of the game, Ahmed progresses from throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers to destroying Israeli military positions. The game has been criticized for being too hard, and is designed so that it's easy to be killed. If you shoot a civilian, the game ends automatically. In the end it isn't even possible to achieve a victory.

The game was published by Dar al-Fikr, a Syrian publishing company, and the first pressing of ten thousand copies sold out in a week.

Its relevance to the fighting in the Middle East makes it a controversial video game. The developers say it was made with a similar motive to Delta Force and America's Army.

Under Ash was followed up with Under Siege.

Academic resources

 * Digital Intifada, article about Afkar Media's games
 * Digital Arabs: Representation in Video Games