Transforming game feature ideas into a reality that our players enjoy

Time for talent with Jaime Perez

Meet Jaime Perez 👋 A web developer turned game programmer, currently working on our newest game, Makeover Match. We’ve asked him to share more about what he does at Tactile, what are the most rewarding parts of his work and what are his top tips for aspiring game programmers.

Tactile: Hi Jaime, could you tell us a bit more about what you do at Tactile?

Jaime: I would like to think that I transform ideas into reality by implementing features in our games that players can enjoy. Working closely with a multidisciplinary team of fellow game programmers, artists, testers, designers and producers, I am coding new systems that adhere to solid and clean principles, which can be reused in several of the games we have.

Tactile: What was your journey to becoming a Game Programmer?

Jaime: I guess the journey started by being a passionate gamer and programmer. For a long time these two things did not go hand in hand since I mainly worked in web development – which is how I started at Tactile, as a Backend developer. Thanks to the development talks we have periodically, I took the courage to evoke my desire to transition into a Game Programmer role and I received the support to pursue that dream.

Tactile: What do you like the most about the team you’re working with?

Jaime: There are plenty of things to mention, but one of them is the knowledge level of people around me. I feel that everyone has an area of expertise that I can rely on, and it makes me feel inspired and motivated to learn.

Tactile: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Jaime: For me, it’s being able to create something from scratch. I find it both challenging and exiting to get into a kick-off meeting where a new feature design is presented. I can already then start thinking about how to create a system where players can interact, trying to come up with ideas on what is possible and what systems we already have (& we have a lot!) that can be used to support the new feature.

Tactile: For people who would like to start their career, what do you think are the most important qualities that every programmer should have?

Jaime: Being transparent and honest with what you know and what you don’t has helped me a lot. Not being afraid to ask questions or to ask for help when you need it is an opportunity to learn and improve, so that later on we can help back. Also being professional and communicating clearly the expectations and progress, so the team can prepare accordingly. Having the capacity of thinking out of the box and visualising how to solve problems, where often the simplest solutions are the ones that last the longest.

Tactile: When you’re not at work, you are …

Jaime: Most likely playing video games! But well, I also have other hobbies like playing bass guitar, and when possible, I also like to travel. And there are a couple of hobbies that I got into from colleagues at Tactile like D&D, playing board games or even Warhammer 40K, which if you asked me 5 years ago when I started at Tactile, I would have not imagined being interested in.