BEntrepreneur Magazine sat down with Saba Saleem Warsi of the Stories Studio to talk about gaming, a passion for change, and giving back to the world.

Please tell us more about the Stories Studio and what inspired you to create the business?

There were two main factors that resulted in the founding of The Stories Studio:

1. My passion for games. I have been playing video games since I was a little girl.

2. My trip to Turkey in 2014, where I saw many refugee children, and I wanted to tell their stories.

I am trying to think of the exact moment when the ideation happened. But to be honest, it was a lot of things. One of the main drivers though was my trip to Turkey in 2014, where I saw many refugee children in the streets. I wondered if there was a way to tell their stories. At the same time, I was learning game development. I never thought that a game would create a big impact to refugees. The connection happened once I created a prototype and people who tested it talked about what an impact it could make. I then looked at other games that are about causes, and how much they affect people, and that’s when I decided that I could combine my passion of games and social impact and make a business out of it.

You are using creativity in order to inspire change in the world. Why do you think this is important at this time?

My firm belief is that every art form has a responsibility to document history, to create awareness, start conversations and even start revolutions. Games, for me are the ultimate holistic art form, as we have an added layer of interaction as compared to other art forms. Video games are a prevailing art from of our generation and therefore have so much potential to spread positive ideas, knowledge and information. We can have a great time, while making a difference. Everything has its purpose.

Can you tell us about some of your products and how they create awareness and empathy for your audience?

An eight-year old based in the US, who recently played our game about plastic pollution refused a plastic straw at a cafe, calling them evil. He played our game, “Deep Blue Dump” which is a simple mobile game about ocean plastic pollution and saving a baby turtle from plastic garbage. We were thrilled to learn of this incident. This is our purpose and it is being fulfilled. If we can change the perception of even one person, man, woman or child to contribute positively to the world, then our work is done.

What’s next for The Stories Studio? We aim to promote Deep Blue Dump to as many people as possible, as well as work with a global mobile publisher for our next game release. We aim to continue working and creating art for change. There are many other cause-based games, that we have in the pipeline, including games on mental health, PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder), abuse, Alzheimer’s and the refugee crisis.

What advice can you give to social entrepreneurs?

There are many challenges when starting your own business, and a lot of legwork that comes with it. Sometimes you’ll be doing things that the business requires instead of working on what you actually love. It is normal to sometimes feel like you are not making a difference or enough of a difference. In those times, I recommend self-care. Take care of yourself first and do not be afraid to be a profitable business. I see a lot of people who think that making money while creating an impact, is not right. My thoughts are quite the opposite. I think having a sustainable profitable business that can pay you and your team allows you to expand your impact. There is nothing wrong with being commercially or financially successful, as this just allows you more time, flexibility and peace of mind to better others’ situation.

Also, don’t be afraid to share your work with the world, and never let anyone tell you that you cannot do something.

For more information:
www.thestoriesstudio.com
+973 3351 2707