How jinn started haunting the video game I’m developing
I’ve been told stories about jinn for as long as I can remember.
Family friends would complain of having to move house due to the racket in the attic, causally remarking, with complete seriousness, that the jinn didn’t want them there. I was told that whenever I was tempted to do something bad, it was actually because jinn were whispering in my ear.
But I’ve learned that jinn are far more than something to blame for bumps in the night. The origins of jinn are laid out in the Quran (although they existed in folklore before its revelation) - a people created from fire long before humans, who mismanaged the Earth, caused calamities and so were banished to the realms of the unseen. They are not evil, and not good either; they are free sprits, with the potential to shift allegiances and act as they wish. They are the central Asian equivalent of fairies, and are even called ‘paris’ in Iran where they have long been lauded in Persian poetry.
To summarise just a few of the game-inspiring qualities of jinn:
- Magical creatures made of fire!
- Capable of shapeshifting to hide and deceive
- Possessing wills as wily as the wind
- The ability to haunt and possess humans
- An ancient history of great disasters and interference with humans to unravel
How does this translate to a video game?
I want to give players the opportunity to play as a jinni - to put themselves in their fiery, ethereal shoes.