Greg Montgomery
Videogame Developer
What I do
I am TechMonkey at MiniMonos. I have the stunning job of bringing virtual monkeys to life on a fun island in the heart of the Bermuda triangle. I get to run a hugely creative team and code games.
How I got my job
I love challenges, so whenever I have an opportunity to become part of a team that ignores the rules and wants to build something new and fresh on the web, I have to be part of it. So when I was asked to get involved in MiniMonos, I had to say yes!
What I love about my job
I love taking great art and seeing it come to life as the team and I put together code that turns it into a game or a team challenge between pirates and ninjas. Every day brings fresh challenges as we create a company that is trying to be different and help give something back, whether that’s creating the UK’s first eco-friendly game cards or putting the finishing touches to a special virtual lion costume for the Born Free Foundation big cat project on our site.
What’s difficult about my job
In any new adventure (which my job definitely is) there are always challenges. I have to make sure I keep up with the latest mobile/touch/gaming technology and trends. I also spend a lot of time travelling to make sure the people we work with and our players around the world enjoy the great content we produce every week. It’s really hard being away from my family so much. MiniMonos runs 24/7, so sometimes I have to work in the middle of the night to make sure everything is going okay!
Where to start?
I always loved creating stuff, so whenever I could I would learn how something worked. So, every day, if something interests you, see if you can pull it apart in your mind and put it together again. Think about how you could do it differently and what you could do to make it better. LEGO is great for this.
I started coding by writing programs on paper, since I didn’t have a computer at home. Nowadays, all you need to get started coding is Google (to answer questions), a browser (to run your creations) and a text editor to build your code. So get creating and challenge the norm!
You can pick up MiniMonos eco-friendly membership cards at WHSmith or Sainsbury’s. Visit www.minimonos.com to take part in the monkey-rific fun!
