Ho Chi Minh: The Videogame

History repeats itself first as tragedy, then as farce.

Too bad Karl Marx didnt live to see the advent of video games. His addendum to that most famous of his lines would probably have been a zinger.

Vietnam is an emerging market with a large, educated population, a vibrant economy -and a taste for technology. Like many countries, it is hoping that its human and intellectual capital can be converted into financial capital despite its late start as a global economic force. It is a sign of the bold nature of that economy's ambition that Ho Chi Minh, its most revered and iconic figure, victorious war time leader and nation builder is now the leading character in a shoot-em-up video game.

There is a certain amount of hubris in anticipating the popularity of such a game in the US, the nation who Ho was most famous for stymying. But then Electronic Arts and other game makers have had plenty of success selling games based on World War II German blitzkrieg tactics, so the manufacturer may be on to something. And most gamers, if they think of Vietnam at all, do so in history class, where it is taught as a war in which their grandfathers may have fought.

The game's owners' larger purpose is in drawing attention to Vietnam as a source of tech talent. We suspect they may succeed, given the boldness of their vision and historical reference. We have trouble imagining George Washington getting quite the same treatment in the US. JL

James Hookway reports in the Wall Street Journal:

Anybody with a computer can slay virtual terrorists, storm troopers or kamikaze pilots.

Now videogamers can play the role of Ho Chi Minh's communist forces as they rout French colonists in a blood-spattered shoot'em-up. Developed by Hanoi-based Emobi Games, "7554" is an example of how Vietnamese entrepreneurs are setting their sights on creating their own brands, instead of doing piece work for foreign companies.
That can help them avoid falling into the so-called middle-income trap afflicting many emerging-market businesses.

While many of Asia's emerging economies are growing faster than those in the West, that isn't always reflected in stock prices. The MSCI Asia-Pacific index dropped 18% last year, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 5.5%. One reason is that Western companies excel at developing high-value products, while firms in, say, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand generally drive profits by relying on inexpensive labor. While not exactly poor, such countries haven't succeeded at emulating South Korea, with prominent companies such as Samsung Electronics Co.

Vietnam risks also falling into the trap. So far, its economic boom has been fueled by hosting lower wages than China. But as inflation flirts with the 20% mark, that calculus is changing. Vietnamese companies have adopted a new mantra: branding.

Vietnam's Kinh Do Foods Corp. and Nam An Group's Pho 24 noodle chain developed easily identifiable logos and built nationwide networks before Western fast food brands began infiltrating the fast-growing market. The Vietnamese companies' executives bet that creating brand names would give them a better chance of staving off Yum Brands Inc.'s KFC restaurants and other Western imports. Some domestic brands have even become international hits. Pho 24 operates across Asia and Australia and recently attracted investment from Philippines-based Jollibee Foods Corp.

Enter Emobi's "7554, which is based around Vietnam's most famous battle, the victory against former French colonial forces on the 7th of May, 1954, at Dien Bien Phu.

Vietnamese are enthusiastic gamers. Titles such as Activision Blizzard Inc.'s "Call of Duty" series are hits in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. So worried are the country's communist leaders that excessive play will hurt teenagers' grades, that authorities recently set a 10 p.m. curfew for street-side videogame arcades.

Emobi developer Nguyen Tuan Huy and his team decided to capitalize on the obsession by plowing two years and $850,000 into "7554," hoping to establish a name in the world's $65 billion-a-year videogame industry. Analysts say that, especially given Vietnam's relatively low wages, the budget indicates a dedication to producing a high-quality game.

At first glance, the personal-computer game might seem a little obscure for a broad audience. The decisive battle of Dien Bien Phu ultimately forced France to retreat from its Indochina colonies and rang in an era in which many other countries shook off European imperialism.

"We're proud of Dien Bien Phu, so we want people around the world to know about it, not just Vietnamese," says Mr. Huy, Emobi's 32-year-old director of videogames.

Industry analysts say the growing popularity of downloading games, instead of buying them in stores, makes it easier for hits like "7554" to come out of the blue. Barriers to entry also are reduced because downloadable games for computers or phones aren't tethered to expensive consoles. Rovio Entertainment Ltd., for example, was a small game developer in Finland before it came up with "Angry Birds" for Apple Inc.'s iPhone in 2009. The game has since spawned a world-wide franchising bonanza.

"Games are like movies, in that they really can go viral," says Brian Blau, a research director at technology consulting firm Gartner Inc. "Small developers can make a game, put it out, and transform the market."

Success doesn't come easy, however. The industry still is dominated by Activision, Electronic Arts Inc. and a few others. Piracy also is a problem, especially in Vietnam, where bootlegged games are sold openly on the streets.

But for Mr. Huy, "7554" is a way for Emobi to establish its own name instead of doing contract work, as many other Asia-based developers do.

To create the game, the developers drew on Vietnam's wartime history and fused it with the most realistic scenes they could muster. They enlisted Germany's xaitment GmbH for artificial-intelligence programming to help create believable character behavior.

"7554" was released this month in the U.S. for $12.

The game casts players as guerrillas who face a more technologically sophisticated enemy, just as forces led by Ho Chi Minh and Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap did nearly sixty years ago. The rebels lack ammunition, weapons and air support. Yet they must find a way to defeat the French at their Dien Bien Phu mountain base, sneaking along trench fortifications, shooting or slashing enemies along the way.

Mr. Huy says he isn't concerned that the plot might seem distant to Western gamers. What matters most is game play—how quickly and smoothly the characters respond to players' moves.

"We in Vietnam aren't that familiar with World War II but we still enjoy the 'Call of Duty' games," he says. "Anybody can enjoy any game, as long as it's fun and rewarding."