What it's like to start a new job during lockdown

With almost 20 years in the games industry, he joined the team from Berlin games studio Voodoo.

His appointment will build on the success of MAG Interactive as a leading mobile developer and publisher of casual mobile games played by millions around the world.

Wes left his job in Berlin and moved to Brighton against the backdrop of a global pandemic.

He said: "It definitely added an interesting layer of challenges to my move.

"I was travelling as the pandemic worsened, to Australia and then back to Berlin. I became very used to reminding myself to avoid touching my face and to wash my hands. As a lot of services such as travel and companies that help you move home, were gradually shutting down or were increasingly understaffed,

"I had to wait a while for my things to arrive, which is understandable. That said, I’m healthy and have a roof over my head, so I have little to complain about."

Wes brings with him experience of building and running live games, having joined Kixeye's ambitious new Brisbane studio as one of its first hires, where he worked on the MMORTS VEGA Conflict. At Gram Games he went on to help to create the first version of Merge Town.

David Amor, chief business development officer at MAG Interactive, said: "It's a privilege to welcome someone of Wes' calibre to MAG's Brighton studio. He brings an experience of decades of hit games and will be a turbo boost addition for the team that's created our hit game Wordzee."

Clarke’s role will involve supporting the Wordzee team, engaging with potential hires and helping to set the technical strategy for the game, as well as helping with other titles in development. Clarke discovered his love for games when his parents brought home a SEGA SC-3000, an obscure computer in the Australian market with 32k of memory.

He said: ”Talking to MAG Interactive was one of the most pleasant hiring processes that I had experienced in my career. Everyone was very friendly, open and honest about the company and the projects. I also really enjoyed playing Wordzee which is the project I will be working on.

”MAG likes to empower their teams to really drive a project. There's an element of trust here between the company and game teams. Making a successful game is hard, and MAG understands that games stand the best chance of success when the team feels a sense of ownership and direction on a product.”

He started his job remotely and uses video conference services such as Google Hangouts and Zoom, as well as chat app Slack to keep in touch with his colleagues.

"Everyone is available to call if you want to chat about work or socialise. Aside from that we also have yoga, home workouts and after work drinks too - all online of course.

"Working remotely has been good. I think it helps that everyone at MAG has adapted to working remotely so well. Everyone is helpful and always available to jump on a call. Overall, I think MAG has adapted very well to the change in working environment. Personally, I’ve also worked remotely before many times, so that helps."

He added: "MAG helped find accommodation and supplied tools I need to make working from home easier and more comfortable. I’d say MAG has done a great job to help during these unusual circumstances. It helps that everyone is very friendly and welcoming too."

MAG Interactive plans to expand the team further this year. To find out more visit maginteractive.com/career

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