Adventures of Tsovinar brings Armenian fantasy to gaming

It was throughout an Armenian literature class in Gyumri that Nare Tovmasyan first encountered Tsovinar—actually.

Tsovinar was shiny, highly effective and fearless. Nare was a youngster, nonetheless navigating life’s challenges however already captivated by on-line video games. The Armenian epic Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sassoun) left such an impression that its heroine would later grow to be the central character of Nare’s personal recreation.

“I realized that many of the games I had played followed a very similar logic,” Nare informed the Weekly.

I met Nare in Gyumri, town the place she was born. At simply 16, she appeared older than her years. She grew up in a inventive family: her mom was a painter, her father an actor. Unlike most of her friends, Nare explored the world by means of artwork.

 “With pencil and pen, I was creating what I saw around me. But the turning point came at 7, when I discovered the world of games,” she mentioned.

In her conservative setting, admitting a love of gaming was tough. 

“No other girl was playing games,” Nare defined. “It was considered a boy’s world.” Yet, she dreamed of making her personal on-line recreation, even when it felt not possible. Her household didn’t perceive, and nearly everybody informed her that video games have been about aggression. Still, she promised herself that she would in the future show them fallacious.

For Nare, gaming was by no means nearly play. Games mixed storytelling, artwork and arithmetic—components that started working collectively in concord. 

Everything clicked in ninth grade, when her trainer recounted Tsovinar’s story. Nare noticed the epic as an ideal blueprint for a recreation. Its narrative naturally lent itself to mechanics that might excite gamers whereas honoring the unique textual content.

Tsovinar, sensible and free, turned Nare’s inspiration. At 14, she vowed that irrespective of the place she was born—or the notion that video games have been “a male hobby”—she wouldn’t hand over. 

“Gaming is for everyone. It does not recognize gender or age and it can be very diverse.”

“Tsovinar lived centuries ago, when Armenia was under Arab Caliphate rule, yet she fought against stereotypes for freedom and justice,” Nare added. “That inspired me. I thought, ‘I have to show her strength.’” 

In Adventures of Tsovinar, the heroine is given a second life. She faces challenges alone, overcoming the identical trials depicted within the epic. 

“For me, it is important that Tsovinar—and our epics in general—are recognized worldwide,” Nare mentioned. “Until now, most games about war or epic stories have been told through the eyes of a male character—never a girl or woman.”

Creating the sport was complicated: designing and modeling the world, constructing characters and their psychology—the subtleties that make a recreation immersive.

“The hardest part was staying true to history while ensuring that players were not misinformed about real events,” Nare defined.

After three years of labor, Adventures of Tsovinar has been showcased in Armenia, Switzerland and Belgium. A Swiss recreation creator informed her, “These are not just projects. They are new worlds; bridges that connect cultures and countries.”

Nare is now growing her subsequent mission: a recreation in regards to the Armenian Genocide. Players will expertise the story by means of the eyes of a teenage woman or boy, confronting the psychological struggles and terrifying ambiance of the time. Nare anticipates criticism. 

“This is just another creative way—like literature or art—to show what Armenians endured and explore our emotions, our genetic memory, the fears that remain in our DNA after the genocide,” she mentioned.

Since childhood, Nare has dreamed of changing into an animator. Today, she hopes to review recreation design at a college in Germany. 

I left Nare in colourful Gyumri, believing that her inspiration, Tsovinar, will information her all through life. Gyumri is vibrant due to folks like her—those that are unafraid to suppose, create and dream huge. 

All photographs by Knarik Ghazaryan

Kushane Chobanyan is a journalist and podcaster primarily based in Armenia, with over a decade of expertise overlaying human-centered tales associated to battle, displacement, inclusion and training. She collaborates with UNICEF Armenia and is the sound producer of the Armav AAC academic app, which helps kids with communication challenges. Chobanyan can be the creator of an animated podcast sequence that explores the style recollections of displaced folks, combining storytelling with audio-visual artwork to amplify underrepresented voices.