This is how they game in Afghanistan

Photojournalist Iason Athanasiadis has documented something amazing. It’s an arcade in Kabul, Afganhistan, and for the kids and young adults who go there to play it’s one of their only escapes. Most of the children who show up at the arcades are street urchins who may support their entire family by begging. If gaming has ever been an escape from the real world for you, imagine what it means to these kids.

The arcades are scattered around the city, but the one Athansiadis shot in had no sign outside and nothing special inside. All that was there were two rows of arcade machines, some of which were simply computers hooked up to large monitors. And yet one of the children describes the decidedly outdated games like Mortal Kombat as “beatuiful,” and another says ““I don’t want this game to finish, I want to keep on playing forever.”

You can check out the photos over at Tiny Cartridge. And take a second to appreciate how good you’ve got it, if you will.

Escaping war zone at the video arcade [Christian Science Monitor, via Tiny Cartridge]