LAHORE – Nashra Balagamwala, a 24-year-old freelance game designer from Karachi, is being talked about for creating an unusual yet super interesting game. Her game involves aunties who are trying to get single girls married off. The girls have to manage to escape the aunties until they are finally caught and married off.
Born and raised in Karachi, Balagamwala studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and has worked at Hasbro, Inc. She has been recognised by BBC, and that is huge for a girl as young as her.
Nashra Balagamwala told MangoBaaz: “I’ve been ‘designing games’ since I was a little girl. My cousin and I would buy several games, throw out the rules and then create our own versions of the game. I never thought it would be a career choice though, until I took a game design class in college, and that’s when I knew it was the perfect medium for me to express my thoughts.”
“I’ve been through experiences very similar to most Pakistani girls. Our parents have raised in us in ways that make us appealing to rishta aunties. We’ve all grown up hearing ‘don’t dress like that, don’t sit like that, everyone’s watching you etc.’ I was tired of being judged by the color of my skin, my ability to cook a perfectly round roti, or make a good cup of chai. So in an effort to vent my anger, I turned it into a board game.”
