Thomas Kronberg

Name: Thomas Kronberg
Born: Germany
Lived in Scotland: Three and a half years

Software engineer, Thomas Kronberg, believes Dundee is one of the best places to work in Scotland. He was lucky enough to be offered a job at game company, Denki, two days after finishing his Master of Science degree.

"I first came to Scotland in September 2005 to do my MSc in Games Technology at the University of Abertay, Dundee. I was working as a software engineer before coming to Scotland, which enabled me to join the course at MSc level," he says.

"After finishing my course I was looking to join the games industry. Dundee has many games companies so it is one of the best places to do so. Dundee has a very strong games development community which makes it a great place to live and work. It is reasonably quiet, not overly crowded and yet very alive."

Thomas is currently involved in the development of an Xbox live game as one of the software engineers. He finds Dundee a very interesting place to work. "Because of the number of games companies here, it is very likely you’ll meet colleagues from other companies wherever you go," he says.

Computer Game Qualifications

Thomas recommends Abertay as the place to gain the right qualifications. "The course I did at Abertay was very interesting and also very flexible. It was a great preparation for moving into the games industry itself. The university has some great people teaching what you need to know in game design and how to make them," he says.

Living in Scotland

The Highlands and Scottish people are the best things about working in Scotland for Thomas. He says, "It is a great country! I like the contrast between the cities and the countryside. From the city it is only a short hop into the Highlands where there are many walks, climbs and things to do. You can be in the middle of nowhere in an hour or two. The other good thing about working here is the friendliness of the people."

"I miss my friends and family back home, but I have friends here too, of course. I go back once or twice every year and it's not much of a problem because Germany is not far away."

The Game Industry in Scotland

Thomas believes that those who want to work within the games industry should come to Scotland. "Simply make the move," he says. "All you have to bring is some knowledge of how to make games and the passion to do so. With that, it should be fairly easy to find a great job here.

"The creative potential in terms of games is great in Scotland. Dundee alone has over six game companies. Some of the best games in gaming history were created here. In terms of creating games, there's no question, Scotland has its place on the map."

Staying in Scotland

Thomas believes he's made the right choice to come to Scotland. He says, "Right now I am very happy staying and working here. Scotland is definitely a good place to build your career and enjoy your life at the same time."

Information correct at June 2009.

Related links

• Getting into the Computer Games Industry (feature from June editorial)
• Read about games company, Real Time Worlds
• Read about the software development company, Welltime Ltd
• More information about the games industry on Talent Scotland