Pakistani game developers create game about visa rejection

Bisma and Anum were denied US visa to attend the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco

Two young Pakistani game developers who were denied US visa to attend the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco have made a game about their experience.

Bisma Zia and Anum Sajid were awarded scholarships by International Game Developers Association Foundation(IGDA) to attend the conference.

#VisaRejected - Pakistan's @IGDAFoundation scholarship awardees for @Official_GDC 2020 Anum and @Doldydo made #ReadyToFly at @IGDA_Pakistan #ggj2020 - a game about repairing the visa process after their visa applications were rejected -Play it at https://t.co/8JOg38n6bI #gamedev pic.twitter.com/j96UEfpL37

— IGDA Pakistan (@IGDA_Pakistan) February 4, 2020

Attending the GDC is an opportunity for these budding artists to receive exclusive local studio tours, one-on-one mentorship from industry veterans, and participate in special Q&A sessions with some of the most influential developers in the industry.

Honored to be a part of the Scholarship awardees for #IGDA #Velocity 2020! Not sure I'll be able to attend #GDC though, cause of Visa restrictions, but it's an honor none the less https://t.co/1cvLCbThbF

— Bisma 🍉🍉 (@Doldydo) February 4, 2020

Zia and Sajid developed ‘Trying to Fly’ following their visa trial. The game was created for The Global Game Jam 2020 which ran from January 31 to February 2.



With ‘Trying to Fly’ they wanted to highlight their (and others) experience at the Visa interview process, and how such measures can directly have an effect on their future careers and lives.



The bird represents the applicants' dreams and aspirations for the future.

Zia and Sajid became victims of Trump's 2017 travel ban. While Pakistanis aren't restricted from travelling to the US, visa approvals for the Pakistanis have seen a decline following the ban.