“With the Iranian government doing its best to crack down on the growing unrest following its contested election, most forms of interactive communication have been blocked. However, that firewall does not yet appear to include video games, suggesting a unique route by which Iranians can communicate with the world. … The Iranian government has since began filtering the Internet and other communications, making mobile phone difficult or impossible to use, and denying access to sites associated with the BBC, among others. For at least a little while though, it appears that the Xbox 360 and other services continue to be available. In Iran, it may be that video games have become far more important than they have ever been before.” 906/25/09)