AAPI Heritage month gives us a fantastic opportunity to introduce you to more developers who make the magic happen. Viet Truong joined the Lab in January of 2020, a fresh start in what would become a tough year for the world. Through it all, Viet has been an incredible team member, and we’re excited to spotlight him here, in his own words:
What do you do at the Lab?
I’m a Senior UI Engineer. Basically I work with our awesome team of UI/UX designers and artists to put colors and feelings into pretty rectangles for players to interact with!
What’s your boba order?
I used to like a basic milk tea, but recently I like just tea by itself, maybe with some flavoring. Wintermelon green tea is great. Add boba, 50% sugar, less ice, *chef’s kiss*. Also do you have popcorn chicken?
What’s your favorite thing about working in games?
I get to work with so many cool people. We’ll be talking and someone will casually mention that they worked on this game that I love, and internally I’ll start freaking out and fanboying.I was so intimidated when I first joined the Lab – there’s so much talent here and I’m just some dude who’s never even made a game before unless you count a college semester project. Fortunately we have some pretty awesome people here who make me feel appreciated!
What does your Asian heritage mean to you?
A little while ago my younger cousin called me to ask about what it’s like to work in games. As a child of immigrants, I never had that kind of guidance. Don’t get me wrong, my parents worked their asses off and gave me a great upbringing, but they just didn’t have the experience when it came to career choices. I never realized how few Vietnamese people I got to work with until a couple jobs ago, when I was paired with another Viet engineer. I was super excited, and after work we went out to get pho. It made me realized how important representation is.I felt very encouraged after my call with my cousin. It doesn’t matter if he ends up going into games or not (the important thing is he’s happy and fulfilled); rather, there’s a whole new generation of Vietnamese/Asian storytellers out there.
Any shout outs you want to make?
There’s this amazing Vietnamese coffee shop in Seattle called Coffeeholic House. I go there so much they recognize me even with my mask on. The other day I saw someone order a bac siu and felt a weird sense of pride. It’s like, my mom really likes to drink this, and now everyone else is starting to catch on! Anyways if you’re in the area you should give them your support!
Thank you Viet, we are so happy you’re a part of Undead Labs. Follow him on Twitter for the occasional tweet about JavaScript.