The Creator of Worlds: Vahit Saygin’s Architecture of Kindness
“Kindness is planting trees in whose shade you know you will never sit.” – D. Elton Trueblood
Vahit Saygin is a 22-year-old developer who thinks like an architect and feels like an artist. Currently finishing his degree in Independent Game Production at Howest in Belgium, Vahit’s path to Spring ACT wasn’t a straight line. It began in the rigid, technical world of architecture school, where he quickly realized he was missing the “soul” of the craft.
“I was fascinated by architecture and art,” Vahit recalls, “but it became too technical. I was missing the art side of it all.” This led him to game design, a medium he describes as the ultimate bridge between the technical and the emotional. But Vahit isn’t interested in just any games; he is interested in the weight of the human experience.
Before joining Spring ACT, Vahit had already built games for the Belgian government to help children experiencing domestic violence. When he saw the listing for the Comeback CatZ project on his school website for internship, the connection was instant. He sent a “personal and lengthy” email to Spring ACT founder Riana Spring, feeling that the mission to combat sexual harassment was a noble extension of his life’s work.
In the studio, Vahit is the technical engine to Sophia De Pauw’s artistic vision, handling the coding that brings their shared concepts to life. Yet, for Vahit, the code is just a means to an end. He views game designers through the lens of a writer in The Sims 4, as “Creators of Worlds.”
“It is letting your soul go through different worlds that your body can never reach,” he explains. “I remember so many moments in games where I was just left speechless, saddened, or excited. It is a powerful tool to make people experience something they might otherwise never understand.”
I asked Vahit what keeps him grounded when the subject matter, domestic violence and sexism, gets heavy. His answer was rooted in humility. He reminded me that as a developer, you never truly experience your own game the way a player does. You are building it for them. “It’s a humbling experience,” he says. “You have to collaborate with psychologists and experts because we aren’t the experts on these struggles. We are just the ones building the house for the stories to live in.”
Outside of the digital world, Vahit is driven by a restless need to stay connected to life. He is passionate about health and the outdoors, admitting he feels a pull to be “with the world” whenever he’s been inside too long. That same empathy extends to his worldview, where he dreams of a world without the “absurdity” of borders, a place where human connection isn’t dictated by a piece of paper. But for him, this isn’t just a dream; it’s a conviction that borders on the sacrificial.
When asked where he would be if he could be anywhere in the world, his mind didn’t go to a vacation spot, but to the frontlines of human suffering.
“I would like to be in Palestine,” he says, his voice carrying a sudden, heavy clarity. “I want to help with the delivery of aid. I’m ready to risk it all to let others have a chance at this life that I would like to have no borders in. I would be happy if I could move just a little rock for them if it meant making their life easier.”
Vahit’s motivation is simple: impact. “Seeing these apps being used and actually having an impact… I am personally very happy to receive those emails from people we’ve helped.” He is a creator of worlds, but his heart is firmly planted in making this one a little kinder.
To explore the technical and narrative depth of Vahit’s work, you can visit his portfolio at avavago26.github.io/portfolio/.
NewsBytes: The Heart Behind the Code
In this edition of NewsBytes, we introduce the technical mind helping us gamify social change. Meet Vahit Saygin, a developer who believes that technology is only as good as the empathy it delivers.
Sometimes, a shared cause can create extraordinary connections. Such is the case with Vahit Saygin, a Game Design Intern at Spring ACT, who joined our mission driven by his previous experience building digital tools for children facing domestic violence.
Saygin studied architecture before transitioning to Independent Game Production in Belgium. Now, as a key developer on our CatZ project, he uses his technical expertise to ensure our tools for fighting sexism are as impactful as they are innovative.
How has your time studying game design shaped the way you look at your craft?
“It has taught me that loving to play games won’t make you excel, you have to love making them. It is a humbling experience because you never truly experience your own game as a player; you are planting trees in whose shade you know you will not sit. You are doing it for others.”
What is your personal “why” when it comes to working on a project like Comeback CatZ?
“Game design is a very strong tool to show, teach, and make people experience something. We live in a technological era, and using technology to reach people where they are is key to achieving our goals. I want to use the current technology we have to find the best possible way to deliver messages that actually help people.”
If you could change one thing about the world overnight, what would it be?
“I would want a world where there are no borders. We are all humans on this one planet, and it feels absurd that we have so many restrictions on movement and culture. I would like to contribute to solving the problems of this planet, to be where aid is needed and to make life easier for those whose lives are currently restricted.”
– Written by Mustapha Lawal in Lagos, Nigeria, for Spring ACT
