As Iranian youths protest, cafes filled with board games and D&D provide community

polygon.com:

Iran is known in Western circles primarily for its Islamic fundamentalism and its animosity toward the United States. The historically minded, of course, will hold a great respect for the country’s literature, its poetry, and its cultural history. But vanishingly few outside the Middle East know Iran for its board gaming culture, which is huge.

By huge, I actually mean massive. When you enter Tehran, the capital of Iran, you’ll find it filled with cafes. Many of them are dedicated to board games, and you’ll find people of all ages, genders, and different backgrounds playing with colorful bits and cardboard tokens, exploring everything from heavy Euro-style strategy games to simple deduction puzzles. The world of board games in my home country is extraordinary, rising over the last decade and a half to become a fundamental part of the modern culture of Iran.

To contextualize this phenomenon, we need to take a quick look at history. Iran in the 20th century used to be a Western-backed monarchy with a tyrannical king. That king gained absolute power through a coup d’etat in 1921, only to be toppled by a massive Islamist revolution in 1979.

Due to the strong influences of its religious and other leaders, the revolution turned Iran into yet another dictatorial regime ruled by Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini started a campaign called Cultural Revolution, designed to purge Iran of what he deemed as liberal, communist, socialist, and anti-Islamic influences. The cultural revolution was a devastating event, and its influence is persistently reinforced by the current regime.

“The youth has no fun” is an expression frequently used by many Iranians to describe the lack of entertainment in Iran. Alcoholic beverages are illegal in the