Hair Nah shows you part of what black women have to deal with every day

The most important thing about Hair Nah is the slap. It’s loud and visceral, almost goofy in how violent it sounds. It’s comedic and cathartic. The game encapsulates something that black women experience constantly: invasions of their privacy and space as people insist on touching their hair. It’s the debut game by designer Momo Pixel — yes, that’s her real name and yes, it’s awesome — and it’s available to play for free on the web. She’s also currently working on an app version.

“I’d say I view it as a therapeutic game more than as a teachable game,” said Pixel in a phone call with GamesBeat. “I made it to be more for black women. I wanted them to be able to play this game and have fun, and also use it as a type of therapy. I don’t think we really get opportunities of joy. We don’t have many video games with that kind of protagonist.”