Zain Memon
Zain Memon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Education | High school dropout (12th grade) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Organization(s) | Memesys Culture Lab Department of Lore |
| Known for | Co-founder of Memesys Culture Lab Creator of SHASN and SHASN: AZADI Creator of Macaraccoon Co-creator of the MAYA narrative universe |
Zain Memon is an Indian game designer, writer, and media producer.[1] He is the co-founder of Memesys Culture Lab, a studio and publisher that develops films, board games, literature, and virtual reality (VR) experiences. He is also the co-founder of Department of Lore, a studio that develops narrative projects across film, publishing, and digital media.[2] Memon is the designer of the political strategy board games SHASN and SHASN: AZADI.[3]
He is also the co-creator, alongside filmmaker Anand Gandhi, of MAYA, an expansive narrative universe and transmedia franchise spanning novels, graphic novels, tabletop games, and films.[4]
Early life and background
[edit]Zain grew up in Versova, Mumbai. He left formal education before completing higher secondary school and pursued his interests in science, technology, media, and storytelling.[5][6]
Career
[edit]Mixed media and filmmaking (2015–2018)
[edit]In early 2015, Memon worked on the development of ElseVR, a virtual reality platform focused on documentary storytelling and long-form journalism.[7] Later that year, he co-founded Memesys Culture Lab, a media studio, with filmmaker Anand Gandhi, Khushboo Ranka, Vinay Shukla, Neil Pagedar, and Pooja Shetty.[8][9]
Memon served as creative director for Cost of Coal (2016), a non-fiction virtual reality documentary directed by Faiza Ahmad Khan and produced by Memesys Culture Lab.[10] He also managed the crowdfunding campaign for the political documentary film An Insignificant Man (2016). Memon was later credited as a producer on An Insignificant Man and While We Watched.[11]
Tabletop game design (2019–present)
[edit]In 2019, Memon began designing tabletop games with the release of SHASN,[12] a political strategy board game[13][14] exploring democratic decision-making and electoral politics.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] The game was funded through Kickstarter and later received the Social Impact Award at IndieCade Europe in 2019.[25][26][27]
In 2021, Memon and game designer Abhishek Lamba launched SHASN: AZADI, a standalone sequel to SHASN.[28][29] The game received the Best Board or Tabletop Game for Impact award at the 2023 Games for Change Awards.[30]
In 2025, Memon released Macaraccoon, a tile-drafting board game centred on a competitive baking theme.[31]
Transmedia expansion
[edit]In 2021, Zain Memon, with co-creator Anand Gandhi, began developing MAYA, a transmedia storytelling project.[32] The first novel, MAYA: Seed Takes Root, is scheduled to be published by Authors Equity on 25 August 2026, with distribution by Simon & Schuster.[33][34]
Works
[edit]Board games
[edit]| Release | Game | Publisher | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | SHASN | Memesys Games | A game of politics, ethics, and strategy for 2-5 players designed to teach how modern democracies work. |
| 2021 | SHASN:AZADI | Memesys Games | A semi-cooperative game for 2-5 players designed to teach stories from historical political revolutions. |
| 2025 | Macaraccoon | Memesys Games | A competitive tile-drafting puzzle game centred on baking and resource optimization.[31] |
Literature and transmedia
[edit]- MAYA (2025–present): Co-creator (with Anand Gandhi); an ongoing narrative universe encompassing novels, graphic novels, and interactive media.[35]
- MAYA: Seed Takes Root (2026): Co-author (with Anand Gandhi); published by Authors Equity, distributed by Simon & Schuster.[36]
Further reading
[edit]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.
- ↑ Deep, Aroon (2025-11-08). "Filmmaker Anand Gandhi and game designer Zain Memon on building Maya, a new sci-fi universe". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Adlakha, Abhya (2025-09-10). "Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon on Maya, Creative Evolution, and the Bond That Fuels Their Vision". Esquire India. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Adlakha, Abhya (2025-09-10). "Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon on Maya, Creative Evolution, and the Bond That Fuels Their Vision". Esquire India. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
- ↑ Bhot, Abhishek Mande (2019-07-24). "This new Indian board game, Shasn, wants you to play dirty and think like a politician". GQ India. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
- ↑ Ghosh, Sankhayan (2016-07-22). "Lounge preview: A VR family in Mumbai". mint. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ 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. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ 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. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "G4C Festival 2023". festival.gamesforchange.org. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- 1 2 "Macaraccoon". Boardseyeview. 2025-08-26. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
- ↑ Basu, Mohar (23 August 2025). "Game designer Zain Memon: Real Money Games is just another name for gambling". Mid-day. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
- ↑ Sharma, Riya (2025-11-20). "Anand Gandhi, Zain Memon call Maya world's new mythology and not India's MCU, open up about working with Hugo Weaving". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
- ↑ Chandani, Priyanka (2025-08-02). "Filmmaker Anand Gandhi And Game Designer Zain Memon's 'Maya' Is Where The Old Gods Meet The Algorithms: 'The Future Needs Its Own Mythology'". ETV Bharat News. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
- ↑ Salil Chavan, Sakshi (2025-09-11). "Anand Gandhi & Zain Memon Interview | "MAYA Is A Mythology For The 21st Century"". Outlook India. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (2025-08-01). "India's Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon on Building 'Maya,' Their New Mythology for the Digital Age: 'Every Hero Is Someone Else's Villain'". Variety. Retrieved 2026-07-13.