10 Unbelievable Inspirations Behind Your Favourite Video Games

Spearheaded by Jordan Mechner, Prince of Persia was heavily inspired by the One Thousand and One Nights – a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian myths and legends, compiled in Arabic between the 8th and 13th Centuries – which served as the primary basis for the game.

Rather than simply referencing the source material, Prince of Persia aimed to recapture the spirit of the stories, the protagonist inspired by the likes of Sinbad the Sailor and Ali Baba, the leader of the forty thieves. Additionally, Mechner took significant influence from Shāhnāmé – also known as The Book of Kings, an epic poem documenting the history of the Persian Empire, written by the Iranian poet, Abu ʾl-Qasim Ferdowsi Tusi.

In both cases, Prince of Persia uses 1001 Nights and The Book of Kings as tonal reference points, capturing the spirit of the stories without plagiarising their content.

With that being said, there are numerous parallels between the two – including the repetition of dualism as an important theme, as well as constant emphasis on concepts such as water and time.

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