As in Hollywood films , Muslims are often stereotypically portrayed as the "bad guy" in many popular video games. From "Counter-Strike" to "Call of Duty," Muslim characters have been transformed into cliche villains, relentlessly yelling out "Allahu akbar" after carrying out a villainous deed.
To counteract this, the Turkish government has launched its own "counterstrike" against Islamophobic video games with a new database that essentially creates a database of games with problematic Muslim portrayals.
One example is "Muslim Massacre" – a game released online for free in 2008. The objective? You're an "American hero" working to “wipe out the Muslim race."
Turkey's Deputy Sports and Youth Minister Abdurrahim Boynukalin, whose ministry is spearheading the new website, compared the problematic portrayals to anti-semitism.
He told TRT World that the site initially only listed the names of 12 video games but that has grown significantly in a short time.
"In just a few days we have received 320 complaints about 25 other games. People are taking interest and that's what we wanted achieve. We want to create awareness," Boynukalin said.
The website's goal is to raise awareness about Islamophobia and isn't an attempt to suppress gamers or ban any games.
"We have no plans to ban these games. In a way we are just trying to counter the propaganda," Boynukalin said.
"This is in not an attack on freedom of speech. We have every right to create awareness."
Tense relations between the United States and the Muslim world make Arabs and Muslims an easy target for western game developers, portraying them as the enemy.
"Muslim blood is cheap. We are probably the cheapest blood on earth right now in the media," Rami Ismail, the developer behind the game Nuclear Throne, said at the Game Developers Conference earlier this year.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has previously said that "studies of children exposed to violent media have shown that they may become numb to violence, imitate the violence, and show more aggressive behavior."
It also noted that many of the most popular video games "promote racial and gender stereotypes."
Experts and gamers have pointed to a lack of diversity in the gaming industry as a main factor behind routine Islamophobic and racist portrayals of minorities. Until that changes, Turkey wants people to be more aware about the content they are consuming.