Tag Games is full of some incredibly talented people and in our Meet the Manager series we take a look at the people who lead and inspire the team’s development and growth.
Next up, is Brek Carr, our Head of Design.
What do you do at Tag?
As Head of Design, I help to define the design processes we use, support and maintain the well-being of our design team and spread design awareness throughout the studio.
How did you get into Games?
Waaay back in early childhood with the Spectrum ZX and BBCB Micro. I’d spend hours on end rummaging through boxes of cassette tapes, popping them into the tape recorder, pressing play and listening to the screech of the tape as it slowly loaded the splash art line by line… fingers crossed in the fervent hope that it’d actually work this time.
Then along came cartridge consoles like the NES and AMIGA computers with their discs. Load times were reduced from an uncertain 5-15mins depending on how much fluff was on the tape to seconds. I was hooked!
Fast forward to 18 years old and choosing my University course. As I was filling out my application form in the front room for Computer Science degrees, I saw the Queen opening the first video games course at Abertay in Dundee on the TV. After a hurried alteration to my application, I got in and it has been games ever since.
Favourite thing about working at Tag?
The people! The work! The passion! Everyone cares about making amazing games.
What about your work at Tag do you find particularly rewarding?
When a design just feels “right” and you see the player’s faces light up as they play. I look at the faces of my designers smiling at the player’s response. It’s great to see people’s pride in that.
And what about the more challenging parts of your work? What really pushes you?
One of the more challenging parts of work I find can be to convince others of the importance of the small things in design. Things that are hard to quantify but are important, especially when it's several of these seemingly small things that combine to build a more cohesive experience.
It's compounded by there not being a standard way of communicating these things. Meaning there isn’t a common understanding or a common consensus on the importance.
Someone once said… Trifles make perfection, but perfection is no trifle.
Also… Trifle is delicious!
Favourite thing about Dundee?
It's big enough to have a variety of things going on and small enough to be able to walk to most places you need.
What game character do you think you’re most like?
Taz the Tasmanian devil (he’s starred in several games). Why? Because I have a tendency to get over-excited when talking about design and descend into using hand motions and sound effects.
Kirby because I’m pink and inhale cakes!
Jigglypuff because my singing voice is considered a weapon!