Two Pakistani game devs were denied a travel visa while attempting to visit the GDC (Game Developers Conference) in San Fransisco, so they made a free game about dealing with the United States’ ban on travel from several Muslim-predominant countries. The GDC and other elements of the gaming industry have been hit by the travel ban several times in recent years, with would-be attendees from Iran, Syria, and other countries – so much so that the Entertainment Software Association spoke out in opposition to the policy.
U.S. President Donald Trump enacted a ban on travel from five Muslim-majority nations shortly after he was elected via an executive order he labels Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry. Countries from which travel is banned initially included Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen as well as North Korea and Venezuela. Later, the Trump administration added Chad, Iraq, and Sudan and more recently moved into the continent of Africa. Two of the people affected by these restrictive policies are Bisma Zia and Anam Sajid of Pakistan after their experience trying to attend the GDC.
Both Zia and Sajid were awarded scholarships by the Independent Game Developers Association (IGDA) and were invited to attend the GDC, Polygon reports. But they encountered problems when making arrangements to visit the United States. They applied for travel visas to visit the GDC in March, but were denied. So they made Trying to Fly, a game about their experience.
The game was created for the Global Game Jam with the help of Ali Hazma and is intended to show not only the difficulties the ban creates for everyday people, but the negative impact it has on the careers of the game’s creators and others – like being prevented from attending a gaming conference like the GDC. The bird in the image above represents the women’s hopes and dreams, which are impeded by the interview process and regulations blocking them from entering the country for a simple gaming conference.
President Trump’s travel ban has been called everything from racist to discriminatory, with few outside the administration willing to defend it. It threatens the health care industry, more than 20 percent of which is made up of immigrants. And it hurts the gaming industry as the GDC demonstrates by slamming the door shut on talent that happens to be from one of the nations included in it, preventing two promising talents from being able to grow in an environment tailor-made to do just that.
