What if video games were homework? Breshna founder sees a new way to learn

PUBLISHED: October 13, 2026 | www.baltimoresun.com

Video games are often blamed for distracting children, encouraging isolation and consuming hours that might otherwise be spent learning. Mariam Nusrat sees another possibility: Games can become classrooms, laboratories and storytelling platforms.

Nusrat is the founder of Breshna, a no-code platform that allows people to create customized video games without programming or design experience. Born and raised in Pakistan and trained as an economist, she spent years at the World Bank advising governments on education and technology.

She joined the “Front Page Authority” podcast to discuss gaming’s potential to transform education, reach underserved students and help newspapers build lasting relationships with younger readers. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

You grew up in Pakistan. How did that shape you?

Pakistan is home. It is where I was born and raised. Pakistan taught me three P’s: perseverance, passion and purpose.

Throughout my life, I have believed that you show up every day, do things with a fire in your belly and pursue them with purpose. That has become the theme of my life.

If someone asked what you do professionally and how it affects the world, what would you say?

I innovate for good. I believe problems are not merely problems; they are solutions waiting to be uncovered. Whenever I encounter a problem, I ask what I can bring to the table that might move us closer to a solution.

Today, that means unleashing the power of video games for purposeful communication.

Explain Breshna.

Breshna is a no-code gaming platform that empowers people to create their own video games without coding or design skills. The word “Breshna” means lightning in Pashto, my mother tongue, so the concept is video games at lightning speed.

We have removed the traditional barriers of time, cost and technical skill.

I grew up playing games, but I never saw a Pakistani girl who represented me or told my story. If we want more diversity in video games, we must democratize the creation process. Our mission is to empower the next 100 million people to tell their stories through games.

Why do games capture the imagination so powerfully?

Because they are fun, and we should never underestimate the power of enjoyment.

When you watch a movie, you are largely passive. In a video game, you step into another world. You control an avatar, make choices, accept challenges and experience consequences. Games stimulate you, immerse you and allow you to use your imagination.

How can video games make learning more engaging than the traditional classroom?

There is a saying: “Show me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I understand.”

Video games involve students in the learning process. Imagine a game in which a student must catch prime numbers and avoid numbers that are not prime. Every movement requires the student to identify and apply the mathematical concept.

The learning happens almost behind the scenes because the student is also having fun.

What educational skills are best taught through gaming?

Potentially all of them.

Playing games can strengthen creativity, problem-solving, time management and resource management. When curriculum is added, students can also learn mathematics, history, health, climate science or financial literacy.

I grew up playing “SimCity.” Without realizing it, I was learning urban planning. I knew not to place a sewer next to a hospital. I had to manage farms so the city could feed itself. Those were real planning concepts embedded within play.

Can games help children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism or other learning differences?

Games can provide a safe place to experiment, focus and learn from failure. Some children are frightened of making mistakes in real life. A game allows them to take a risk, make the wrong choice, see what happens and try again without facing lasting consequences.

That can help children develop confidence and resilience.

Baltimore continues to struggle with an achievement gap. Many children are not mastering basic mathematics, reading and grammar. Can gaming help close that divide, particularly in underserved communities?

Absolutely. Teachers are pressed for time, and students often do not receive the individual attention they need.

Games allow students to practice difficult concepts repeatedly and proceed at their own pace. But the content must also be relevant. A generic game may engage a student, but a game featuring that student’s neighborhood, culture, music or interests creates a greater sense of ownership.

Students should not only play games; they should create them. Imagine a classroom divided into groups, with students designing games about addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They could exchange the games, challenge one another and evaluate what their classmates created.

How can teachers incorporate games without replacing essential human interaction?

The teacher remains central.

A teacher might begin class with a short game or quiz, teach the full lesson and then ask students to create games based on what they learned. Students could play and evaluate one another’s games as homework.

At no point is the teacher removed. The technology enhances collaboration, competition and discussion.

Why have we not discussed gaming in this educational context more often?

Money.

The gaming industry is heavily oriented toward entertainment because entertainment games can generate enormous profits. If a developer can build a highly profitable commercial game or an educational game for a school with a limited budget, the money frequently pulls that developer toward entertainment.

Should schools take well-designed games as seriously as textbooks?

Yes. Content creation will be an important skill in the age of artificial intelligence. As technology makes creation easier, creativity and judgment become even more valuable.

The challenge is ensuring that students create purposeful content.

Games can also become addictive. Where is the line?

Moderation is important with games, television, social media and every other form of content.

Breshna emphasizes short, “snackable” games designed for five or 10 minutes of engagement not endless play. They can be incorporated into everyday life without taking it over.

Your career included years at the World Bank. What did you see governments and large institutions repeatedly get wrong?

The final challenge is often changing behavior. Institutions can develop a sound solution, but the intended beneficiaries may never adopt it.

Games can deliver repeated messages in an engaging way. Whether the issue is healthy eating, diabetes, maternal health or another public concern, games can communicate information without requiring people to attend formal workshops.

What prevents Breshna from being used to create misinformation, discriminatory content or material targeting vulnerable children?

We automatically moderate content for vulgarity, violence and nudity. Because students and teachers use the platform, we maintain high standards.

Any content that is flagged or discovered to violate those standards is removed. When you lower barriers to creation, you invite tremendous good, but you must also accept the responsibility of supervision.

As artificial intelligence makes game creation almost instantaneous, what happens to human creativity?

AI has opened the floodgates on quantity, and much of that content will be noise. But that also creates an opportunity for genuine human creativity to shine.

People will reward those who add a human story, original music, personal photographs or an authentic point of view. Technology can generate content, but human experience gives it meaning.

Let us bring this home to newspapers. How can games help a publication such as The Baltimore Sun turn occasional visitors into loyal readers?

Games give people a reason to engage and a reason to return. A simple daily game can become part of someone’s morning routine. Streaks, challenges and leaderboards can help establish that habit.

The objective is not to replace journalism, newsletters or podcasts. It is to add another doorway through which readers especially younger readers can enter a newspaper’s world.

Where is the ethical line between establishing a healthy relationship with readers and deliberately engineering an addictive habit?

The ethical distinction depends on the content and the purpose. Opening the news every morning can be a digital habit. Learning a new word every day can be a healthy habit.

Publishers have a responsibility to ensure that the content delivered through games is constructive or, at minimum, does no harm.

What void is Breshna filling?

Three voids: cost, skill and time.

Traditionally, developing a customized game could cost tens of thousands of dollars, require a specialized team and take months. Breshna allows a person to choose a template, add customized characters, locations, music and information, and create a simple game in minutes.

The finished game can be shared through a link, a website, a text message or a QR code.

How could games lead young people toward civic responsibility, morality, discipline and sacrifice?

Games are built around choices. They can simulate the difference between right and wrong, demonstrate the meaning of justice and show how one person’s actions can affect an entire community.

Imagine allowing a young person to see how one decision made today could shape that individual’s life or the country 10 years from now. Games can make long-term consequences visible.

What does building Breshna require from you personally?

It requires time away from my baby, so the work must be meaningful. It requires me to believe, to show up with passion and purpose, and to keep showing up every day.

What opportunity does the future hold that many people do not yet recognize?

The technical barriers have been removed. You no longer need a degree in coding to build a website, design something or create a game.

I want young people to ask what they can create and how they can use technology for good. Look at a problem and ask: What can I do today, with the tools available to me, to help solve it?

What should our audience remember about Breshna?

Video games can be relevant to everyone. You might create a mathematics game, a history game, a health game, a birthday game or a game for your child.

You do not have to be a coder to become a game creator. I want people to imagine the stories they can tell and the good they can accomplish through games.

Armstrong Williams (www.armstrongwilliams.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun.

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