Welcome to MobilityWare’s Employee Spotlight, where we sit down with our talented team members to find out what it takes to create some of mobile gaming’s most popular and enduring titles. Recently we sat down with Senior Software Engineer Hayrettin Yucel to ask him about his storied career in gaming.
1) What motivated you to pursue a career in gaming? How did you begin working in the industry?I grew up as a gamer but never thought I would have the opportunity to pursue a career in gaming. I first came to the United States from my native Turkey for graduate school. After completing my degree, I created a web portal for Microsoft to help improve their sales process. My work on this project sparked my interest in mobile app development. This curiosity led me to start developing mobile apps in my free time. Eventually, I started an app development company with a close friend of mine. We launched a wide variety of successful apps encompassing everything from education to fitness. The success I experienced from developing these apps finally gave me the confidence I needed to take my career to the next level and pursue a career in mobile gaming. This led me to discover MobilityWare and the rest is history.
2) What is your job at MobilityWare? How would you describe your role?
I am a Sr. Software Engineer. Prior to joining MobilityWare, I had extensive experience in native app development but my role here has provided me the tools to also become an expert in Unity. I utilize both skillsets to help create some of our most beloved game titles. One of my favorite things about working at MobilityWare is that I am not only allowed to but also encouraged to pursue aspects of game development which are not strictly a part of my role. From marketing to monetization, design to art, we are encouraged to follow our passion and become an even more well-rounded team member.
3) What game titles have you worked on at MobilityWare?At MobilityWare my first project was Jigsaw Puzzle. From there I transitioned to a Software Engineering role on Destination Solitaire. I am currently working on Word Wiz, Word Search, and some titles that are still too early in development to disclose. I can’t wait until I can discuss them in greater detail.
[Word Wiz, one of Hayrettin favorite titles to work on]
4) What do you like to do in your free time?
I love sports; I play tennis, soccer, basketball, and softball in my free time. In fact, when I was in high school I won a gold medal in ping pong in a competition back in Turkey. I am also a curious person and always looking to better myself. I would call myself an electronics hobbyist with a focus on developing IoT (Internet of Things) products. I created a Bluetooth enabled garage door opener that was funded by a campaign on Indie GoGo. The device pairs with an app on your mobile device. I am now working on a wifi capable smart garage opener. My family is also incredibly important to me. As soon as I had my eldest daughter, I knew that I wanted to be an involved parent. Now that she is in school, I was eager to play a role in her education. I serve on the PTA and make sure to attend all of her events. I know these are the moments in life that you can never get back and I plan on doing the same when my younger daughter starts school.
5) What has been the highlight so far of your career at MobilityWare?
Our motto at MobilityWare is “bringing players joy one game at a time” and I get to live this mantra every day. In everything I do both inside and outside of the office, I am passionate about bringing value and happiness to others. The amazing thing about mobile gaming is that we receive immediate gratification from the positive feedback we get from our players. I have the privilege of witnessing first-hand the joy we bring to others. What makes this experience even more profound is that our games go beyond the physical and demographic borders of my own personal experience; many of our players may have different interests and backgrounds than I do but we get to share in this amazing journey together.
[Screenshots from Jigsaw Puzzle, one of MobilityWare’s most popular titles]
[The release of Jigsaw Puzzle is one of the highlights of Hayrettin’s career]
