Part 4: Oliver Tun
What do you do at Trailmix?
At Trailmix I work as a Game Developer, working hard on keeping Love & Pies stable and fun for all of our players. Whilst I spend most of my time stereotypically deeply focused writing code, at Trailmix we have a really great collaborative and open environment so I also spend a lot of time discussing ideas and solutions with other members of the team and trying to help our designers realise their grandest ideas for the game.
What’s your best memory of making Love & Pies?
When the game went live on the app store for the first time and being able to watch my friends and family play the game I’d been working on for the better part of a year. It was the first time in my career that I’d had multiple people giving me tons of reviews and feedback on something I’d had a hand in creating. I could tell that what we’d made was something quite different and it was amazing to see how engaged all of my friends were, which given their normal gaming habits was something I was not quite expecting.
What’s the most fun thing about working at Trailmix?
The office environment is really friendly and it’s great hanging out with everyone. Just sitting around casually and chatting during lunch hours and after work is really pleasant, but the diverse mix of talents, interests and hobbies is what makes it truly amazing. Also I’m a sucker for a good board game or video game with friends which thankfully there’s a lot of!
What inspires you?
Seeing a highly concentrated amount of talent in one place inspires me to learn and improve my skills to keep up with everyone. I’ve learnt so much within just my one year of working at Trailmix so far and I’m excited to see how much more I can grow in this environment. Whilst it can be daunting at times to see how far the rabbit hole goes, it’s also incredibly motivating.
What would you want someone to know coming into Trailmix?
Be prepared to receive a lot of snacks. Jokes aside, people here like sharing snacks and going for coffee runs for each other a lot, which is honestly great.
What’s been the most challenging part of your role?
Learning to use a new game engine with no prior professional experience working in it. It’s been challenging trying to catch up in knowledge and experience with the other incredibly talented devs on the team, but I’m hopefully getting there. On top of that, telling other members of the team that we can’t implement great ideas because we don’t have the time is difficult for me, but I feel it’s a deeply important part of keeping everyone’s work-life balance and expectations in check.
Who’s your favourite character in Love & Pies, and why?
Yuka, because she has the best expressions and animations in the game. It’s a delight to see her any time she appears on screen and her lightning fast zooms in and out of camera are simply the best.
What did you learn from another role that helped you in your current role?
Admittedly I’ve only worked as a game developer, so a lot of the skills from my previous roles have been transferrable into my current one. But I guess I learnt a lot about how OTHER roles worked at previous jobs, which really helped me with my interactions and ability to work with them at Trailmix.
What do you do to unwind?
I spend a large amount of time playing video games, casually and competitively, whether it be solo or with friends. I’m a big fan of fighting games and used to host tournaments for Super Smash Bros. during my university days! But I also find a lot of enjoyment in trying out indie games and seeing the creativity of people in the industry is really inspiring. Other than that, I’ve recently become obsessed with indoor climbing and bouldering which works great as physical fitness but is also really fun. The feeling when you finish a hard route is so incredibly satisfying, and the deep focus you have whilst on the wall works as a great way to help clear my mind. And it’s also a great social activity to do with others!
