Get to know TribePlay 7

On August 18, 2011, in Company, HR, by Jenny
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Today i am interviewing Isaac from from Shotton, in North Wales, (a country to the West of England). Shotton is a small town with around 9,000 residents, and used to be known for its steel factory. Now people know Shotton because of its 900-year-old Ewloe castle. Isaac is a backend developer at TribePlay, working on TribePlay‘s new project, Cube Galaxy. He also helped the company do some research on HTML5. Learning new technology and tapping the talent are part of his daily life.

Isaac, why did you come to Chengdu?

I came first to Sichuan in 2007. Many UK high school graduates take a gap year, where they work or travel before starting university. I used this gap year to teach English in Deyang, though most weekends me and my friends would go to Chengdu to hang out. I experienced Chinese culture and Chengdu’s fun and relaxing lifestyle. When TribePlay offered me an internship here, I decided to come back.

How do you experience work in TribePlay, is it different from previous companies?

TribePlay is the 9th job on my working list. If you asked a Chinese university student, you can hardly get a list as follow.

I worked as:

1st job: Clothes shop assistant, TK Maxx
2nd job: Elementary school, Supervisor (looking after the kids before their parents came to collect them)
3rd job: Teaching English in China
4th job: Cleaner at a high school
5th job:Selling credit card insurance at a call center
6th job: Agency worker (sent to factories to clean or work on the line)
7th job: Bin man
8th job: English teacher for Italian students in the UK
9th job: Backend programmer in TribePlay, Chengdu, China

Though there were only 3 months in TribePlay, this is the first job that made me feel excited to come to office every day. I think working as a programmer was very different from my previous working experience. You are not just doing what the manager tells you to do. You have more responsibility and freedom.

Isaac

Isaac


Which colleague impressed you most here? Why?

Gregor’s efficiency and hardworking gave me a deep impression. Every time when he came to my direction, I closed all non-work-related windows.
Lukasz gave me lots of advice about life and relationships.

What do you like to do at your spare time?

If I’m not tired, I’d like go out and party with friends. If I’m tired, I’d prefer reading the science ficton novels.

What do you want to do in 5 years?

I want to live in China, and have my own IT Company.

Do you like traveling and where do you mostly want to go?

I love traveling. Outside of Europe and China, I’ve been to India and the Philippines and will visit Malaysia in 2 weeks. Where would I most like to go? Space…

Could you tell me of one your achievement as a programmer?

In 2009, I decided to teach myself web programming at my first year of university. After that, I made a small online game by myself which is my most popular project to date. This game had 600 players and earned me 200 GBP.

Have you ever felt regret for anything?

I felt regret every time I left China.

Thank you Isaac for your time! Also everyone check out his homepage. If you interested in the other employees join us again in our blog with another interview from time to time. TribePlay is also always looking for new talents and we offer internships in every field of game development. Check out our Chengdu Job Opportunities or contact me directly jenny -at- tribeplay -dot- com!

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Get to know the people of TribePlay 5

On June 22, 2011, in Chengdu, Company, HR, by Jenny
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It is time again for introducing our employees to you. This week I had the change to talk to Max, Senior Frontend Programmer at TribePlay. Max is working for us now for one year and mainly is focus on own IP development. Soon TribePlay will release a new own Game and Max is the main programmer of this. But later more.

Where are you come from? Why do you work at Chengdu?

I come from Zigong which is famous for its beauty, salt, dinosaur fossils and cold spicy rabbit. I went to Xi’an for university education. Many of my friends stayed in Chengdu, so I visited them a lot. After graduating, I worked in Shenzhen for 2 years. Shenzhen is a city of migrants. It’s hard to take a deep root and no rich atmosphere of life. Chengdu offers people a comfortable life. I have started my family here.

What are you doing at TribePlay?

I like coding. I’m a flash/flex game developer at TribePlay.

Max in Danba

Max out in the wild in Danba


How TribePlay is different from other companies

TribePlay is in a fast-paced working environment. We have lots of western colleagues here. We sit next to each other and work together every day. We have a young team. We love to share ideas and experience.

What do you like to do at your spare time?

I become a father this year, so life has a big change. Basically, I help my wife to look after our baby or clean dishes which takes most of my spare time. Being a dad won’t be easy though.

Before the baby arrived, I liked cooking. Potatoes, barbecued spareribs and fried rabbit are one of my specialties. Games and movies (war movies especially) took many wonderful nights. I highly recommend Forrest Gump. Badminton and swimming are good activities for weekends. Now, you can tell how much you need to give up for raising a child.

Which colleague impressed you most here? Why?

Fenix and I played CS and zombie games during Friday happy hours. We like to talk about the new trend of games.

What’s your long-term plan for your future career?

I want to have my own software company. My dream is to produce software or a website which would change people’s life.

Thank you Max for your time! If you interested in the other employees join us again in two weeks with another interview. TribePlay is also always looking for new talents and we offer internships in every field of game development. Check out our Chengdu Job Opportunities or contact me directly jenny@tribeplay.com!

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Get to know TribePlay 4

On June 9, 2011, in Chengdu, Company, HR, The team, by Jenny
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I already introduced people from our Design and Programming team. Today I have interviewed Fair, member of the game testing team at TribePlay Game Development. Fair joined TribePlay Game Development this April and is mainly focusing on testing for Eccky.

Where is your hometown? Can you introduce us to what is special about your hometown?

My hometown, Luzhou, is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Tuojiang River and is famous for its Luzhou Old Cellar and Lang wine, hence the title of “Liquor City”. The famous local products here are Litchi and Longan.

Why are you staying in Chengdu?

I came to Chengdu for a university education. I thought about work in Shanghai before. I didn’t go because most of my friends are here and I don’t want to be far from them.

What are you good at? What do you do for TribePlay?

I’m a tester. My job is playing games every day. What a wonderful job, isn’t it? It’s not that simple. I need to find out the imbalanced parts and bugs of games. Programmers will fix the imperfect parts. That’s how the game gets better and better.

How do you experience working for TribePlay, is it different from previous companies?

I feel both relaxed and pressured. An atmosphere of openness and relaxation makes me work more productively. People here have a high standard for this work.

Fair at his workplace

Fair at his workplace

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Enjoying the different food is my favorite thing to do in my spare time. I like BBQ, dry pot, and spicy food such as “Tian Fu Tofu Flower” and “Stir fry chicken with hot chilli”.
Playing games is another hobby. Warcraft and Starcraft are on my top list of games.

What do you want to do in the future?

For now, I want to get better at what I’m doing right now. Then I will learn more about game design. My dream is designing my own game.
I hope I will have my own team one day and be a game engineer.

Which colleague impressed you most here? Why?

Ethan, TribePlay tester- He guided me to start working as a tester. That’s very important to me.
Fenix, TribePlay programmer- I always see him very busy. It seems like there is no end to his work. Poor, Fenix.

Do you have any travel plans?

Hai nan is a very beautiful place to go. Some of my friends and classmates will go together. I’m looking forward to travel there and feel the different air.

Thank you Fair for your time! If you interested in the other employees join us again next week with another interview. TribePlay is also always looking for new talents and we offer internships in every field of game development. Check out our Chengdu Job Opportunities!

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Get to know the people behind TribePlay 3

On June 3, 2011, in Chengdu, Company, HR, by Jenny
1

This week we had to re-schedule the interview a little bit, because everyone at TribePlay Game Development was busy in working on Eccky Portal. But now two days later it is finally time for our weekly TribePlay employee interview.

Today I interviewed Derrick, who is currently doing an Internship at TribePlay and has been in our team for around only one month.

Derrick, Where are you from?

I am a real local Sichuanese. I haven’t been out of Sichuan yet! After I graduated from school, I thought about working in some other cities, but in the end I didn’t do it because I didn’t want to leave my father alone at home. I’m a family man!

If there is a chance, I’d love to travel to Australia. I heard they have amazing food. Chengdu people love different foods, my favorite is hot pot – of course :)

What are you good at? What do you do for TribePlay?

I’m good at 3D modeling of scenes, characters and actions. I’m a 3D modeler here at the company.

How do you experience working for TribePlay, is it different from previous companies?

TribePlay is a very quiet company. Here, quiet means people don’t talk a lot when they are working. They do a lot and say little.
We have some foreign colleagues here, only one of them can speak Chinese. It’s hard for me to communicate with the non-Chinese speakers.

Derrick is celebrating his Birthday at TribePlay

Derrick (on the right) is enjoying his Birthday Cake together with Cherry at TribePlay


What do you like to do in your spare time?

I’m working in a game company, so of course I love games, especially web games, such as World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Ragnarok Online etc.
I also spend time on fictions. Fairy Inverse 《仙逆》 and 《凡人修仙转》 are my recommendation.

Will you tell me who impressed you most here? Why?

Leo, he is also a 3D Modeler here. We sit next to each other. We both like chatting and laughing together.

What do you want to do in 5 years?

Running my own web game company is my dream. I know it’s a distant dream and I’ll work hard on it!

Thank you Derrick for your time! If you interested in the other employees join us again next Wednesday with another interview. TribePlay is also always looking for new talents and we offer internships in every field of game development. Check out our Chengdu Job Opportunities!

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Get to know the people behind TribePlay

On May 25, 2011, in Chengdu, Company, HR, by Jenny
3

Every Wednesday I will do an interview with a different employee of TribePlay Game Development to introduce our company.

Today I will interview Lei, who is our lead designer at TribePlay and has been in our team for around two years.

Lei, from where do you come? Why did you come here?

I come from Xi Chang which is famous for the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Center. My hometown has the best BBQ and fruits. Xi Chang has very good weather which makes the fruits sweet and juicy.

I went Chengdu Academy of Fine Art for Higher Education. After graduation, I worked in Beijing for a while. My family thought Beijing was too far from them, so I came back to Chengdu and worked here. Chengdu is only 10 hours train distance from my hometown.

What is your specialty? What do you actually do for TribePlay in simple words?

I like painting. When I was young, I loved Japanese comics which is also called Manga. I started to draw my own comic at primary school. I decided to make a living off it during my university life. Currently I’m doing concept art at TribePlay.

Lei, how she sees herself - Superwoman!

Lei, how she sees herself - Superwoman!


How do you experience work in TribePlay, is it different from previous companies?

TribePlay has a clear target and integrated planning for the projects. Our working hours have been used efficiently. Simply, I’m busy most of my working time which also brings me more satisfaction from my work. I didn’t use lots of flash and animations before, and I use it all the time now.

When not working what is the thing you most like to do?

I am a good Ma Jiang player and win a lot. I also like hiking and travelling around. I have an oven and I love to bake some cupcakes in my spare time.

Will you tell me what impressed you most here? Why?

Sai is our new system administrator. He refused to eat breakfast and lunch to keep fit for a few years. This shows his super strong willpower which is not usual.

Where will you be in 5 years?

I hope my life will be settled down in five years. I want 2 children, and then they won’t feel lonely by themselves. I’d love to make some short animation cartoons and paint some Chinese paintings.

Thank you Lei for your time! If you interested in the other employees join us again next Wednesday with another interview. TribePlay is also always looking for new talents. Check out our Chengdu Job Opportunities!

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Get to know the people behind TribePlay Game Development 1

On May 18, 2011, in HR, The team, by Jenny
2

In the following weeks TribePlay Game Development is going to introduce you a member of our team every Wednesday. I am doing a small interview with all our employees to introduce them. We at TribePlay Game Development believe that our employees are our most important asset and we want you to get to know them more.

Today I will start with a interview with Leon, who is flash programmer at TribePlay and has been in our team for more than two years.

Leon, from where do you come? Why did you come here?

I come from Da Zhou which is a city at Northeast of Sichuan Province. Chengdu is a big city which has more work opportunities compared to my home town.

Do you like Chengdu? Why?

Chengdu is a very laid back city. There are lots of small shops everywhere which is convenient for me. I don’t like Chengdu’s weather though, too cloudy and not a lot of sun.

Leon TribePlay Flash Programmer was to shy for a picture

Leon, was to shy for a picture, but this one comes close to the original ;)


What is your specialty? What do you actually do for TribePlay in simple words?

I like play all kinds of games, especially football games. At Tribe Play I’m a flash developer of the frontend team. In general, I’m programming games!

Why do you choose to programming flash as a career?

I like programming. Flash is a kind of programming which is audio-visual and interesting.

How do you experience work at TribePlay, is it different from previous companies?

TribePlay is a detail oriented company. I work together with the western programmers, who bring the different ideas of programming. These different ideas open my mind to a broader perspective.

Will you tell me what impressed you most here? Why?

Fenix impressed me most because of his famous bread. He buys a loaf of bread every afternoon. We’d like to flatten his bread ;-)

When not working what is the thing you most like to do?

I am a total couch potato! Mostly I am studying programs, playing games and watching movies at home. I prefer action movies and Hollywood blockbuster – The Shawshank Redemption is my favorite movie!

Where will you be in 5 years?

I might lead a team to develop my favorite games.

Thank you Leon for your time! If you interested in the other employees join us again next Wednesday with another interview. TribePlay is also always looking for new talents. Check out our Chengdu Job Opportunities!

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Chengdu Jobs Java Web Application Developer

On May 10, 2011, in Chengdu, Company, HR, by Gregor
0

Currently TribePlay is looking for a Java Web Application Developer to be responsible for full development lifecycle from analysis, design and implementation to testing and deployment.

Tasks and responsibilities overview
1. Develop and maintain web-applications in Java/J2EE and related technologies.
2. To be responsible for full development lifecycle from analysis, design and implementation to testing and deployment.

Your Profile
1. Good understanding of OOP and Core/Advanced Java concepts
2. Skilled in XHTML/CSS/JavaScript/AJAX
3. Knowledge of MySQL, Linux
4. Knowledge of JavaScript frameworks, like JQuery/Prototype
5. Experience with JAVA
6. Experience with user interaction design
7. Having good communications skills in English

TribePlay Offers
1. A competitive salary
2. Good Secondary Working Conditions in an international atmosphere
3. Fast personal career paths & Self development
4.Experience in working in an international company with international clients, Western business methodologies and mindsets
5. Education and training possibilities
6. Professional, flexible, open and fun working atmosphere
7. Unique insights in the fast growing area of Western China

Please contact us now. For more information refer to the TribePlay Game Development Homepage. Thank you.

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TribePlay Event Karaoke HR in China 2

On April 29, 2011, in Company, HR, by Thijs
2

When I first entered China I had barely heard of the karaoke concept. To a Dutch person it sounds pretty strange to go to a place where you can hear each other sing. During my first times of karaoke I even felt embarrassed since I felt uncomfortable with the fact that other people are forced to listen to my terrible singing.

Then I found that this is really not what it is about and that it is actually kind of fun experience. Lucky that it headed this way because little did I know that when I started TribePlay in China that it would be our employees’ preferred activity for our 2 monthly company event.

Starting with a dinner at a fancy Chinese Restaurant

Starting with a dinner at a fancy Chinese Restaurant


Many people wonder why it is that Asian people like karaoke so much. Although I cannot be sure it could be because it gives people the chance to really express themselves and let go, something that that they cannot that easily do in daily Asian society life. Other people say it is about the music that Asian people are more open-minded to all kinds of music.
Besides that it is fun it will help your company as well. During and after these karaoke nights the team bond seems to have gotten stronger! The funny thing is that (so I hear) each time right after I leave the party really starts! People will still feel a bit uncomfortable with the boss around ;)

So if you are planning on starting a company in China, better start practicing your vocals and be sure to leave early ;)

Europeans learning Chinese drinking games

Europeans learning Chinese drinking games

Lily singing Madonna

Lily singing Madonna

Lily singing Madonna

The TribePlay Crew

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TribePlay Jobs Chengdu

On March 14, 2011, in Chengdu, Company, HR, by Thijs
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TribePlay is looking for new people. We are a fast growing game development company and have free job vacancies in different kind of fields available. TribePlay Chengdu is also always offering internships. Currently we are looking for the following jobs:

TribePlay offers you

  • A competitive salary
  • Good Secondary Working Conditions in an international atmosphere
  • Fast personal career paths & Self development
  • Experience in working in an international company with international clients, Western business methodologies and mindsets
  • Education and training possibilities
  • Professional, flexible, open and fun working atmosphere
  • Unique insights in the fast growing area of Western China


For more information please contact us at hr – at – tribeplay – dot – com or check out the TribePlay Job Page.

I am looking forward to meet you ! Thijs

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Human Resources in China

On February 24, 2011, in Company, HR, Insights, by Thijs
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As an entrepreneur you basically have to take care of everything so it is all about priorities. HR is definitely one of them. In any company the people are your main assets. You need good smart people that are not only able to develop your product but also able to transfer their knowledge to others and help you scale the organization.

HR costs time, lots of time but what you put in you will get out. In gaming this is essential. To be able to produce a quality game you need top people from a variety of disciplines such as frontend programming, backend programming, system operations, 2D art, 3D art, UI design, interaction design and game concept design to name a few. All positions must be filled by high level people which makes starting and operating a game company quite hard. First to find them, hire them and then keep them (luckily it also is much fun so it gets compensated).

At TribePlay we are continuously on the lookout for people. Our HR strategy is both domestically and internationally orientated. Naturally there are cultural differences but here are a few principles and guidelines we uphold to when it comes to finding good people:

Our Staff at TribePlay: X-Mas Dinner last year

Website
It all starts with the website. Make sure your website represents who you are and looks appealing to potential job applicants. Also make sure all job listings are put there and it is easy for applicants to contact you. In case you are in China, make sure you have both an English and Chinese language version, works the best

Online profile
The website is not the only thing that counts anymore. Be sure to make attractive profiles on SNs sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook! It will make your company look more dynamic and it helps you to get in touch with people.

SEO
  • Although with networks like LinkedIn and facebook SEO gets less important it is still a great way to make yourself found by potential applicants. We could write a dedicated blogpost on SEO but here are some basic tips:
  • Determine on which keywords you want to be found (Try Google AdWords)
  • Make your site search engine friendly (not too much flash, much text, sitemap etc)
  • Make use of the page title! Extremely important and Google takes that seriously!
  • Get external links to your website (you can start yourself with LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook)
  • Start a blog!
  • Make online profiles for your company on international jobsites and link back
  • Don’t forget Baidu when you are in China!
  • Check out this great post on SEO by Ewout from Ijo Technologies
Linkedin
Great tool for finding people outside of China (good news is that more and more people here use it as well) You can find anyone there and add them to your network. Invaluable!

Job Websites
Here in China we use 51job.com. Be sure that only simply putting a job post online is not enough. Place yourself in the applicant shoes and think how they will be navigating the site. Make sure they end up with your posting because there are many competitors!

What can you offer?
Think about what you can offer employees. It goes beyond salary and a working space. Think about second benefits such as training and company events. Also present them with a career growth plan within your company. Make sure to communicate this upfront so your company will stand out.

Referrals
The best people are often found through referrals. Ask all employees in your company to refer friends and people they know and reward them for it. Furthermore get to know more people in the industry and spread the word you are looking for people. Always works!

Pro active
Don’t always wait for employees to contact you. You can also contact them first. There are many online resumes to be found and again, LinkedIn works perfectly for this!

Recruiters
If you cannot find people yourself (can happen with senior positions) call for the help of a recruiter. They might get you the person you want. Be aware to pay a higher price and do a background check. Be sure not to commit too soon and have a legal agreement that you will only pay them after the candidate is onboard!

Be creative
If steps above do not help you to find the people you are looking for be creative! There are always ways to find people. Think about places and ways beyond the traditional job websites and LinkedIn. Join online bulletin board and chat forums. Or even make a branded online flash game that promotes your company to your future employees!

Do not underestimate HR
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is underestimate recruitment work. People are the key to your business and that is where it all starts. Spend lots of time on it right from the start of your company and when you grow bigger bring in dedicated recruitment managers!

This post emphasizes mostly on how to get people. At least as important is how to make them stay.
More about that in our next posts! Good luck! Thijs!
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