回顧性 (RETROSPECTIVE)

Everyone remembers their first console. If you’re in your thirties or forties, you’re part of the first generation to have grown up with consoles, witnessing their evolution over time.

E Veryone記得他們的第一個控制臺。 如果您是30或40多歲的人，那么您就是第一代擁有控制臺的人，他們見證了控制臺隨著時間的發展。

What was your first game console?

您的第一個游戲機是什么？

I do remember owning an Atari 2600; I have vague memories of playing it with my siblings and cousins. But the console that stands out the most in my memory was called Sakhr ???. It represented the very best gaming memories from my childhood.

我確實記得擁有Atari 2600； 我與兄弟姐妹和堂兄弟玩游戲時記憶猶新。 但是在我記憶中最突出的控制臺稱為Sakhr??? 。 它代表了我小時候最好的游戲記憶。

Sakhr AX170. Source: msx.org.Sakhr AX170。 資料來源：msx.org。

Sakhr was developed by the Kuwaiti Sakhr Software Company (CEO: Mohammed Al-Sharekh) in the 1980s. Sakhr was an Arabic version of the MSX computers developed by Microsoft for Eastern markets. Sakhr Software Company developed the Arabic Keyboard, which is still used today, as well as converted the Basic language to Arabic. There are many versions of Sakhr Computers. But the most popular version is AX170.

Sakhr由科威特Sakhr軟件公司 (首席執行官：Mohammed Al-Sharekh)在1980年代開發。 Sakhr是Microsoft為東方市場開發的MSX計算機的阿拉伯版本。 Sakhr軟件公司開發了阿拉伯語鍵盤，該語言至今仍在使用，并將基本語言轉換為阿拉伯語。 Sakhr計算機的版本很多。 但是最受歡迎的版本是AX170。

Even though Sakhr and MSX devices are classified as computers, one can argue that they were consoles; you connected them to a TV, they came with two cartridge-slots, one of which was for a game master, and one can connect two controllers to the system for two players. It was an incredible gaming console for the time.

即使Sakhr和MSX設備被歸類為計算機，也可以說它們是控制臺。 您將它們連接到電視后，它們便帶有兩個盒式插槽，其中一個用于游戲主機，一個可以將兩個控制器連接到系統上，供兩名玩家使用。 當時是令人難以置信的游戲機。

Sakhr Software Company released multiple games for the Sakhr computer. Their focus was mainly on educational games, which ranged from English teaching games to trivia, math, and programming. They teamed up with Konami and other game developers from Japan to release some games in Arabic as well.

Sakhr軟件公司為Sakhr計算機發布了多個游戲。 他們的重點主要是教育游戲，從英語教學游戲到瑣事，數學和編程。 他們與Konami和其他日本的游戲開發商合作，還發布了一些阿拉伯語游戲。

Nostalgic Shadow.懷舊陰影 。

MSX and Sakhr Computers had a port to connect a data recorder device, which played cassettes. The cassettes contained video games or software. Games on tapes were cheaper than cartridges. I owned only one game as a cartridge, and the rest of my games were cassettes. To start a game from a cassette, you needed to rewind the cassette and play it from the start — kids today will never understand the effort it took to play video games in the ‘80s.

MSX和Sakhr Computers有一個端口，用于連接播放錄音帶的數據記錄器設備。 卡帶中裝有視頻游戲或軟件。 磁帶上的游戲比盒帶便宜。 我只擁有一個游戲卡帶，其余的游戲都是卡帶。 要從盒式磁帶開始游戲，您需要倒帶并從一開始就玩游戲-今天的孩子們永遠都不會理解80年代玩電子游戲所付出的努力。

Sakhr computers were very popular in the Middle East. More popular, in fact, than even the mighty Nintendo Entertainment System. One reason for this — aside from the obvious effort to localise the hardware and software for the region — was that Sakhr computers were used widely beyond gaming at home. They were also utilised by schools to teach kids Basic, as well as typing. The Sakhr computer became ubiquitous across the Middle East.

Sakhr計算機在中東非常受歡迎。 實際上，甚至比強大的任天堂娛樂系統更受歡迎。 除了在該地區對硬件和軟件進行本地化的明顯努力之外，這樣做的原因之一是Sakhr電腦已廣泛用于家庭游戲之外。 學校還利用它們來教孩子們基礎以及打字。 Sakhr計算機在整個中東無處不在。

Sakhr AX170 — Source: msx.orgSakhr AX170 —來源：msx.org

Sakhr was discontinued in the 1990s. After the first Gulf War, Sakhr Software Company relocated to Egypt — but in doing so, its lost a significant amount of its talent. Sakhr Software’s CEO recently stated in an interview that although Sakhr computers were highly popular with families and schools, numerous companies and governmental offices refused to use the machines for largely bureaucratic reasons. There was, perhaps, an ironic disinterest in purchasing a “home grown” machine. Sakhr Computers’ CEO was often faced with the question “why should we purchase made in Kuwait computers if we can buy the originals?”

Sakhr在1990年代停產。 第一次海灣戰爭之后，Sakhr軟件公司遷至埃及-但這樣做卻損失了大量人才。 Sakhr Software的首席執行官最近在一次采訪中表示，盡管Sakhr計算機在家庭和學校中非常受歡迎，但許多公司和政府機構出于官僚原因拒絕使用這些計算機。 也許有諷刺意味的是，人們對購買“自家種植”的機器不感興趣。 Sakhr Computers的首席執行官經常面臨這樣一個問題：“如果可以購買原件，為什么我們應該購買科威特制造的計算機？”

In the end, Microsoft discontinued the MSX series and switched over to Windows PCs. The Sakhr Software Company stopped developing its Sakhr computers and in doing so, gave up its hardware business entirely to focus exclusively on software. The company is still active today. Their main goal is to continue to build Arabic software and to enrich Arabic content online.

最后，Microsoft停止了MSX系列，并切換到Windows PC。 Sakhr軟件公司停止了Sakhr計算機的開發，而放棄了其硬件業務，而完全專注于軟件。 該公司今天仍然活躍。 他們的主要目標是繼續開發阿拉伯語軟件并在線豐富阿拉伯語內容。

Now that you have some context around the machine and the company that manufactured it, let’s look at the games. Here are just a few of the games I really loved — it’s been a good 30 years since I’ve played some of them, but I still fondly remember them.

既然您已經了解了機器和制造機器的公司，那么讓我們看一下游戲。 這只是我真正喜歡的一些游戲-自從我玩了一些游戲已有30年了，但是我仍然深情地記得它們。

Nostalgic Shadow.懷舊陰影 。

Knightmare (1986): was a vertical scrolling shooter. The player played as a knight on his way to defeat Hudnos. The game was released by Konami and was considered very sophisticated for its time with its top-dow view. Konami later re-released the title as a mobile game.

Knightmare(1986)：是垂直滾動射擊游戲。 玩家在擊敗哈德諾斯的路上扮演了騎士的角色。 該游戲由Konami發行，并以其最高俯視圖視圖被認為非常精致。 Konami隨后將其標題重新發布為手機游戲。

Penguin Adventur. Source: http://opcodegames.com/.企鵝冒險。 資料來源： http : //opcodegames.com/ 。

Penguin Adventure (1986): Another game by Konami, this was considered the best Sakhr game at the time. This action-adventure platform video game was the first game that Hideo Kojima worked on. It has been re-released on many platforms later on, including PlayStation and Sega Saturn.

企鵝冒險(1986)： Konami的另一款游戲，被認為是當時最好的Sakhr游戲。 這個動作冒險平臺視頻游戲是小島秀夫開發的第一款游戲。 后來它在包括PlayStation和Sega Saturn在內的許多平臺上重新發布。

King’s Valley. Source: generation-msx.nl.國王谷。 資料來源：generation-msx.nl。

King’s Valley (1985): Is another game released by Konami for the MSX and, therefore, also for the Sakhr computers. King’s Valley is a platform game that takes place in Egyptian pyramids. The goal is to collect multiple gems while running away from mummies. The puzzles in this game were challenging. I used to play this with my cousins as well; we tried collectively to solve the levels.

國王谷(1985)：是Konami為MSX發行的另一款游戲，因此也為Sakhr計算機發行。 國王谷是一款在埃及金字塔中進行的平臺游戲。 目標是在逃離木乃伊的同時收集多個寶石。 在這個游戲中的難題是具有挑戰性的。 我以前也和我的表兄弟一起玩。 我們共同嘗試解決這些問題。

You might be wondering where Middle Eastern gamers went after Sakhr computers disappeared from store shelves. Many people switched either to the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis in North America), the Super Nintendo, or a bootlegged NES. Video games were slowly gaining greater popularity, but without Sakhr, gaming in the Middle East lost a degree of its stability. One reason for this is because, across the board, most products like TVs and VHS players were based on the PAL format (like Europe, China/SE Asia, much of Africa, Australia, and New Zealand). However, game consoles available in the Middle East were not always PAL format — they could be either PAL or NTSC. It wasn’t until the arrival of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox that the sector saw greater standardisation across the region.

您可能想知道Sakhr計算機從商店貨架上消失后中東游戲玩家去了哪里。 許多人選擇了Sega Mega Drive(北美的Genesis)，Super Nintendo或盜版的NES。 電子游戲正逐漸普及，但沒有薩赫爾，中東的游戲就失去了一定程度的穩定性。 原因之一是，總體而言，大多數產品(例如電視和VHS播放器)都是基于PAL格式的(例如歐洲，中國/東南亞，非洲大部分地區，澳大利亞和新西蘭)。 但是，中東可用的游戲機并不總是PAL格式的-它們可以是PAL或NTSC。 直到PlayStation 2和Xbox出現，該行業才在整個地區實現了更高的標準化。

When we look back at gaming history, we tend to think of the big names from Japan, Europe, and North America. But let’s not forget Sakhr Software Company, and its incredibly influential Sakhr computer range. This was the company — and the device — that brought gaming to the Middle East well before the NES (or any other device) could. Sakhr allowed gaming culture to flourish across the region. And it will always remain my favourite console (albe it a machine that played video games from cassettes that I had to rewind first…)

當我們回顧游戲歷史時，往往會想到來自日本，歐洲和北美的知名人士。 但是，不要忘了Sakhr軟件公司及其極具影響力的Sakhr計算機系列。 這是一家將游戲帶入中東的公司(以及設備)，早于NES(或任何其他設備)就可以了。 Sakhr使得游戲文化在整個地區蓬勃發展。 而且它將始終是我最喜歡的控制臺(盡管它是一臺播放我不得不先倒帶的盒式磁帶中的視頻游戲的機器……)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

關于作者

Walid Al Otaibi -WAO- works at an engineering company in Germany as a Project Manager. He manages mainly sustainable energy projects. Connect with WAO via Twitter or Instagram.

Walid Al Otaibi- WAO-在德國的一家工程公司擔任項目經理。 他主要管理可持續能源項目。 通過Twitter或Instagram與WAO連接。

翻譯自: https://medium.com/super-jump/a-console-youve-never-heard-of-kickstarted-gaming-in-the-middle-east-c9b8dbc07bbe

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