Hi! My name is Defne (she/her pronouns). I grew up in Istanbul, Turkey, love to cook, and am a victim of the tech bro -> coffee freak pipeline.
My favourite board game growing up was Risk. I’d always play it when I visited my dad, stepmother and brother in Cyprus (where they live) and it was one of the games we loved to play as a family. I think I’ve always been into international politics and geography, so being strategic about areas to “invade” was always fun for me. I also find that Risk emulates some aspects of real life, especially since every player has their own goals that other players need to infer, and partnerships are built on a mix of strategy and good faith.
Recently, I’ve been enjoying Monument Valley, which is an iOS game. It’s a puzzle game based on optical illusions in which the player tries to guide a princess across each level by moving, twisting, and turning aspects of her parkour. The player can turn knobs, rotate stairs, or press buttons to make the canvas move in mysterious ways. I like this game for its beautiful interface design and its subtle message that everything is not always as it seems, and that seemingly impossible moves can sometimes guide us to victory. It’s more a puzzle than anything, but beautifully designed with a story to tell.
