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Sadia Bashir

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Sadia Bashir
سعدیہ بشیر
Born
Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
EducationMSc Computer Science
Alma materCOMSATS University
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, game developer
Notable workFounder of PixelArt Games Academy

Sadia Bashir (Punjabi and Urdu: سعدیہ بشیر) is a Pakistani computer scientist, game developer, and entrepreneur.[1][2] She is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of PixelArt Games Academy, Pakistan's first game development academy.[3][4]

Biography

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Early life and education

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Sadia Bashir was born into a family where women's education was not prioritised.[5] Determined to study at an English-medium school, she self-funded her education through tutoring and stitching clothes.[6][7] After enrolling, she struggled to adjust due to her family's socio-economic background and sought refuge in the school library, where she independently explored graphic design, computer science, and gaming.[8] Her interest in gaming began during childhood while playing video games with her brother's friends.[9]

By age 13, Bashir had started designing her own games.[8][10] She continued working part-time to finance her university education,[11] eventually earning a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.[12] She later completed a Master's degree in Computer Science with specialisations in Artificial intelligence and Software Engineering, as well as a certification in Video Game Production Processes from COMSATS University Islamabad.[13][14][15]

Career

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Bashir began her career as a programmer before transitioning to game development. With financial backing from a mentor, she and a colleague established a small basement studio to create games.[16][17] Over seven years in the gaming industry,[18][19] she grew disillusioned by the lack of innovation and minimal female representation in Pakistan's sector, prompting her to launch initiatives to address these gaps.[20][21] She organised meetups, conferences, and university workshops to connect local developers with global experts like Ken Levine (founder of Ghost Story Games, creative director of BioShock), Rami Ismail (co-founder of Vlambeer), Brie Code (founder of Tru Luv Media), and Jonathon Chey (co-founder of Irrational Games), who now serve on PixelArt Games Academy's advisory board.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]

In 2016, Bashir founded PixelArt Games Academy, Pakistan's first institution dedicated to game development training, research, and industry collaboration.[30][31] The academy mandates at least 33% female participation in its programs[32][33] and offers scholarships exclusively for women to bridge the gender gap in Pakistan's tech sector.[34][35]

Achievements

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Sadia Bashir received the "Women Can Do" Award from the US Embassy at the 2016 Women Entrepreneurs Summit, recognising her contributions as a Pakistani woman entrepreneur.[36][37] In 2017, she was part of the winning team at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit[38][39] and became the first Pakistani speaker at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco.[40][41] She was later appointed to the Prime Minister's Youth Council, an initiative launched by then-Prime Minister Imran Khan to engage young leaders in policymaking.[42][43]

In 2018, Bashir was listed in Forbes 30 under 30 Asia under the Enterprise Technology category for her impact on Pakistan's gaming industry.[44][45][46][47][48] The same year, Facebook Gaming honoured her as a Global Gaming Citizen at The Game Awards in Los Angeles, highlighting her efforts to promote diversity in gaming.[49][50][51] She remains the first Pakistani to present at the Game Developer's Conference, a milestone in the country's tech sector.[52]

References

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  1. ^ "Pakistanis glow in the Forbes '30 under 30' 2018 list". Daily Times. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  2. ^ "Pakistanis shine in Forbes Asia's '30 Under 30' list for 2018 - Pakistan". Dunya News. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  3. ^ "Sadia Bashir – PixelArt Game Academy". Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  4. ^ HeySummit. "Global Pakistan Tech Summit". Global Pakistan Tech Summit. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  5. ^ News Desk (2018-03-28). "Nine Pakistanis featured in Forbes Asia '30 Under 30' list". Global Village Space. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  6. ^ "Sadia Bashir An entrepreneur and a tech professional". MizLink Pakistan. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  7. ^ Cross, Katherine (28 February 2017). "Train Jam perfectly captures the magic of both traveling and game dev". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  8. ^ a b "Female game designer on a mission for change | Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  9. ^ "In Pakistan, some gaming studios have made gender equity a priority". america.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  10. ^ Yousuf, Faiza (2019-03-18). "Episode 1: Incredible Pakistani Women In Technology You Must Follow". WomenInTechPK. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  11. ^ "Sadia Bashir: Her Story! – PixelArt Game Academy". Archived from the original on 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  12. ^ ilmkidunya.com. "Sadia Bashir is a young video game entrepreneur and a part of a select team from Pakistan for those who are completely self-made". ilmkidunya.com. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  13. ^ "Pakistan female game designer on a mission for change". BBC News. 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  14. ^ "TEDxSZABIST | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  15. ^ "Nine Pakistanis Make Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia". Arab News PK. 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  16. ^ "Pakistani entrepreneur Sadia Bashir featured as Global Gaming Citizen at Facebook Game Awards". Times of Islamabad. 2018-12-07. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  17. ^ Fawad, Saman (2016-07-24). "Meet Sadia Bashir: A Game Guru Promoting Video Game Industry in Pakistan - #HerStory". Be Your Own Boss - Entrepreneurship and Technology News. Archived from the original on 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  18. ^ "فوربز کی فہرست میں شامل پاکستانی کون ہیں؟". BBC News اردو (in Urdu). Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  19. ^ "Startup Grind with Sadia Bashir (Founder @ PixelArt Game Academy)". Meetup (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  20. ^ "ND2C – National Digital Design Conference". www.nd2c.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  21. ^ "South Asians on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 List". DESIblitz. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  22. ^ "Sadia Bashir". Global Game Jam Online. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  23. ^ "Momina Mustehsan and 8 other Pakistanis make it to Forbes' 30 under 30 Asia list". Something Haute. 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  24. ^ "Sadia Bashir-The Geeky Gamer | StartupDotPK". www.startup.pk. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  25. ^ Syed, Rizwan. "Women are winning in Pakistan's gaming industry". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  26. ^ Yameen, Ahsan (2016-07-21). "Sadia Bashir: An Inspirational Story Of Pakistani Video Game Guru". Pakistan Technology Magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  27. ^ "Nine Pakistanis make it to Forbes Asia's '30 Under 30'". The Express Tribune. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  28. ^ ShareAmerica (2016-01-22). "Guiding Pakistan's future game developers". ShareAmerica. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  29. ^ "StartUp Academy Graduate | How One Women Leads Pakistan's Future Game Developers". GriffinWorx. 2016-01-25. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  30. ^ Sachwani, Anusha (27 March 2018). "9 Pakistanis Make it to Forbes Asia's '30 Under 30′ List! | Brandsynario". Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  31. ^ Daur, Naya (2020-04-20). "Pakistani Student On Forbes' List Of 30 Of Asia's Brightest Millennials". Naya Daur. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  32. ^ "BBC News: Pakistan female game designer on a mission for change". Arab News. 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  33. ^ "Nine Pakistani innovators recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30 lists". MIT Technology Review Pakistan. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  34. ^ "Sadia Bashir". TechWomen. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  35. ^ "Sadia-bashir-in-forbes". Pakistan Shining. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  36. ^ "These 7 Pakistanis made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List". TechJuice. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  37. ^ usembassy. "entrepreneurship 2018" (PDF).
  38. ^ Maitreyi, M. l melly (2017-11-30). "Pak team makes it to GES 2017, overcoming visa issues". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  39. ^ Webdesk (2019-04-20). "PGA Founder Sadia Bashir Wins Global Gaming Citizen Award by Facebook -". Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  40. ^ "Sadia Bashir (Founder @ PixelArt Game Academy) | Startup Grind". www.startupgrind.com. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  41. ^ Desk, Monitoring (2018-03-28). "Nine Pakistanis make it to Forbes '30 Under 30' Asia list". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-11-29. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  42. ^ "Meet the members of PM Khan's National Youth Council". The Current. 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  43. ^ "Pakistani Universities come together in favour of Sustainable Development Goals at COMSATS Platform – COMSATS Secretariat". 9 July 2018. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  44. ^ "9 Pakistanis Featured in Forbes Asia's '30 Under 30' list". RS News. 2018-03-27. Archived from the original on 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  45. ^ "Nine Pakistanis feature on Forbes '30 under 30' Asia list". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  46. ^ Desk, H. I. P. (2018-03-27). "Pakistanis who Made it to the Forbes' '30 Under 30 Asia 2018' List". HIP. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-11-29. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  47. ^ "Sadia Bashir". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  48. ^ "Forbes '30 under 30' Asia list features nine Pakistanis | Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  49. ^ propakistani (18 October 2017). "Pakistani women win 3000 dollar grant".
  50. ^ "Sadia Bashir – Game Dev Days Graz". Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  51. ^ "The Game Awards 2019: Recognizing this year's global gaming citizens". Facebook Technology. 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  52. ^ "Nine Pakistanis Make It To Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List | Focus - MAG THE WEEKLY". magtheweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
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