Zain Memon is a game designer and entrepreneur based in Goa, India.[1] He is the co-founder of Memesys Culture Lab, a studio that works on films, board games, and virtual reality.[2]
Early life
editZain grew up in Versova, Mumbai. He dropped out of the 12th grade to pursue his interests in science, technology, and media.[3]
Career
editIn early 2015, Zain was on the team that created ElseVR, India's first Virtual Reality platform enabling filmmakers to tell “extraordinary and urgent stories” in the VR format accompanied by a piece of long-form journalism.[4]
In late 2015, Zain co-founded Memesys Culture Lab with Anand Gandhi, Khushboo Ranka, Vinay Shukla, Neil Pagedar, and Pooja Shetty.[5]
Memon was the creative director the 2016 film Cost of Coal by Faiza Ahmad Khan, the first Indian narrative non-fiction film in Virtual Reality, and which was produced by the Memesys Culture Lab.[6][7] Memon also led the crowdfunding for the documentary film An Insignificant Man, the most successful crowdfunding campaign in India.[8]
Memon is also a ludologist.[9] In mid 2019, Memon successfully crowdfunded,[10][11] and created SHASN, a political strategy board game exploring ideas of democracy and governance.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] In late 2019, SHASN won the Social Impact Award at IndieCade Europe[22] -- a festival that has been called “the Sundance” of the industry.[23] With the success of Shasn, Memon was recognized as a leading figure in Indian game design.[24]
In October 2021, Zain and Abhishek Lamba co-created SHASN:AZADI, a sequel to SHASN.[25][26] SHASN:AZADI has a more cooperative element than the original. Players start by trying to overcome a common enemy, and if they succeed they then have to complete against each other. It won the title of ‘Best Board or Tabletop Game for Impact’ at the 2023 Games for Change Awards.[27]
Games
edit| Release | Game | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | SHASN | A game of politics, ethics, and strategy for 2-5 players designed to teach how modern democracies work. |
| 2021 | SHASN:AZADI | A semi-cooperative game for 2-5 players designed to teach stories from historical political revolutions. |
References
edit- ^ "People Profiles Archive". INK Talks. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ "These Indian board game designers are distilling Indian politics into an immersive, gaming experience". GQ India. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ "Anand Gandhi set to launch India's first mega virtual reality lab". Mid-day. 2016-05-22. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ Ghosh, Sankhayan (2016-07-22). "Lounge preview: A VR family in Mumbai". mint. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ "Filmmaker Anand Gandhi forays into virtual reality with new documentary". Mid-day. 2016-07-19. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ "Cinema that really takes you places". The Hindu. 2016-08-06. Archived from the original on 2023-05-21. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Singh, Radika (2016-12-04). "Cost of Coal: The Mind's Eye". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Bhavani, Divya Kala (2018-04-12). "TTTI International Storytelling Festival: a mosaic of moments". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Malik, Ektaa (2019-07-24). "A new political strategy game is trying to make politics and policy-making trendy for the apolitical". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Bhatt, Shephali (2019-06-30). "How India caught on the new-age board game culture of the west to create an ecosystem of cafes & communities back home". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Majumdar, Rahul (2021-09-20). "Shasn: Azadi Creator Zain Memon on the Journey From VR and Feature Films to Board Games and Esports in India". IGN. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Balasubramanian, Malavika (2019-07-12). "When politics on celluloid spills over to a board game. After 'An Insgnificant Man', filmmaker Anand Gandhi teams up with tech enthusiast and partner at Memsys Culture Lab, Zain Memon, for their newest venture 'SHASN', a political strategy board game". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Khandelwal, Heena (2019-07-12). "SHASN: New board game by Anand Gandhi's Memesys Culture Lab aims to put you in the shoes of politicians". Indulge Express. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Laghate, Gaurav (2019-07-22). "Memesys Culture Lab raises Rs 20 lakh via crowd funding for political board game". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Bhot, Abhishek Mande (2019-07-24). "This new Indian board game, Shasn, wants you to play dirty and think like a politician". GQ. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Devidayal, Namita (2019-07-26). "This new board game lets you play politics". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Iyer, Aishwarya (2019-09-28). "Forget Ludo: Boardgames are tackling power and politics". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Banerjee, Chandrima (2020-08-11). "How game developers are getting fund projects". The Times of India. ProQuest 2432095702. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Lakshmanan, Remya; Aggarwal, Aarushi (2021-01-10). "India plays: Time to realise domestic potential of boardgames". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Riaz, Azmia (2021-03-05). "Elections with Shasn: This board game allows people to talk politics, minus hostility and violence". EdexLive. The New Indian Express Group. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Chaturvedi, Swati (2021-09-13). "Bored millennials get hooked to Shasn, the newest modern board game". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "2019 AWARDS". IndieCade. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ Fritz, Ben (2009-10-01). "Gaming's got the indie spirit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ Sharma, Priyanka, ed. (2021-09-09). "Filmmakers Anand Gandhi & Zain Memon Announce Sequel To SHASN, The Blockbuster Board Game". Newsx. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "Anand Gandhi announces new board game Azadi, designed by Zain Memon". Firstpost. 2021-09-08. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "Your turn...: New Indian board games are playing on climate, ecology, politics". Hindustan Times. 2024-01-05. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "G4C Festival 2023". festival.gamesforchange.org. Retrieved 2023-12-06.