Gala Games just won the Web3 Gam3rs’ Choice Award for Studio of the Year, alongside 3 nominated Gala Games titles.
A few members of the Gala Games team recently had the pleasure of attending the prestigious Web3 Gam3rs’ Choice Awards in Miami. It was an awesome event, attended by the biggest names in crypto gaming, as well as some of our favorite community supporters.
Look what we’re bringing home for Gala Games…
People are talking a lot about Gala Games. The hype is real, the games are live, and we’re just getting started.
Naturally, we want to thank our incredible community for this achievement. Without you, there would be no one to love our games, no one to bask in our rewards and no one to enjoy true player empowerment. You all made this possible; thank you.
If you’re not part of the active community in Discord, you’re missing out.
Other Nominations
We’re proud to mention that each of our live platform games was also nominated for awards in the following categories…
Spider Tanks — Gam3rs’ Choice Best Esport Nomination
Superior — Gam3rs’ Choice Best Action Game Nomination
Town Star — Gam3rs’ Choice Best Casual Game Nomination
The Web3 Gam3rs’ Choice Awards is one of the first of many live awards ceremonies celebrating the best in blockchain gaming, and Gala Games expects to be a key player in all of them. We make these games for you.
Here we are, back with yet another close-up on the Gala Games team!
Gala Games brings together great minds from all across the world. Both in the community and behind the scenes, the best and brightest are here to build tomorrow together. The quality of the future we forge together is down to us. We’re very fortunate to have unparalleled expertise on this journey with us, so that we know we can create a brighter tomorrow.
Innovating and creating can change the world, but it can also attract the worst of humanity– those who will burn down the future for a chance at personal gain today. As we build this new frontier, there are those that must protect our community and innovate even faster than the villains who seek to assail our dream of a decentralized tomorrow.
Today, we focus on one of the faithful watchers on the wall of the Web3 world. A brilliant and unique professional, he creates new solutions and safeguards even faster than the shadows who try to take that which they haven’t earned. Under the safety of his guard, we can forge a better world together despite those that stand in our way.
He approaches his task with total dedication. He’s watched your back and you haven’t even known he was there. Today, hopefully you enjoy a chance to get to know Thijs!
What is your role at Gala Games?
Rogue of Cyber Resilience, leading the way on cybersecurity at Gala Games.
Why did you choose your Galaxian Title?
I’m supporting our community and fellow Galaxians with their security questions and raising their security awareness, thereby increasing our joint security resilience.
Favorite book?
Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar, by Andy Greenberg.
Favorite part of the Gala Games community?
The enthusiasm when we leak teasers or when we share news, that’s a huge boost for us to keep pushing the boundaries.
Turtle or Tortoise?
Turtle, as it was amazing to swim with sea turtles in Curaçao two years ago!
What are your favorite games?
RTS like StarCraft (the original 😉) and Warcraft or shooters like Quake, CS, Halo or CoD.
Its graphics may feel very 25 years ago, but we’re ALWAYS down to nerd out on some Brood War any day!
Favorite music?
I mostly listen to electro like Soulwax, The Subs, Weval and Dominik Eurlberg, and some heavy metal from time to time to stay true to my childhood playlist logged on Last.fm.
Cool hobbies and interests?
I like to play field hockey (which is a big sport in the Netherlands), build my own furniture and tinker with hardware– like flashing it to use for hobby projects like my own DIY wifi sniffer.
Ninja or Pirate?
Yarr, a pirate’s life for me 🏴☠️🎵
Pirates definitely have more fun.
Proudest gaming moment ever?
Ionce took part in a Doom 3 competition at a big games convent and out of a couple 100 people ended up in the semi finals with a game I’ve never played before…
Favorite Food?
Pizza any day of the week 😉
Which Spider Tanks Prop best represents you?
The Alienware head to pear with my flamethrower, to let my opponents gaze at the alien head before wreaking havoc and killing them with fire 🔥
Favorite Movie?
The Matrix. Had to watch it multiple times to understand the depth of the story, it’s truely from a different dimension.
He’s beginning to believe!
Blue or Red?
Red 💊. Dive into the unknown and be surprised by all kinds of new truths and experiences that will cross my path.
Skydiving or spa day?
Skydiving! Sitting still and relaxing is definitely not my thing 😅
Sitting still is waaaaaay overrated.
Which Town Star character could you replace, if only given the opportunity?
The Lumberjack, nice to work out in the woods and work with an axe and chainsaw 💪🏻
What’s the best super-obscure advice you have for the community?
You can write down your complex passwords and store them in a secure place, or you can combine 4 random words to create an easy to remember secret, unique and long password. It’s even better to reset your password when it’s so complex that you can’t remember it after a while.
A wise man once told me security is a behavior, not a department. That’s why we need you as a community to support us with keeping Gala Games safe and secure. More on that soon to follow 😉
Ready to defend.
A big thanks to Thijs for taking part in this interview. His work behind the scenes is essential to our Gala Games community staying safe, and we hope that everyone appreciates his typically unseen work. If you see him around, throw him a big thank you!
We love giving you these small windows into the people that make Gala Games what it is. We’re not even close to done yet. There’s so many great professionals to feature and only so many weeks in the year! We’ll keep at it, however. Look for us back here in a couple weeks with another spotlight into the Gala team!
Just need to know more and can’t wait for next time!? Feel free to check out some of our most recent Galaxian Highlights below!
Let’s take a moment and get to know a little more about a critical member of the Gala Games team who’s also a keystone pillar of the community.
Decentralization is a little paradoxical– disconnecting our digital infrastructure from centralized authorities seems to inherently bring more connection between individuals. As the Web3 world grows, we see communities form all over this frontier. Here at Gala Games, we’re lucky to have an amazing community and team with diverse viewpoints and a robust supply of brilliance across many disciplines.
Few people stand as paragons of this rich tapestry of wonderful people that have rallied around the idea of empowering gamers more than the multi-talented expert we feature today. Dual wielding art and science seems to come naturally to him, without any of the drawbacks your typical dilettante faces. He is a jack of all trades and a master of more than you could know.
Many from Discord will know how helpful he is addressing problems or welcoming new users, but those who talk with him a little more will soon find a wealth of knowledge in the nuances of crafting and creating– whether it be creative and clever coding or musical composition and recording.
We’re of course talking about Michael, who some of you may know as Tarrega!
I’m doing great Michael! Thanks for asking!
What is your role at Gala Games?
I’m on the QA Team!
I didn’t know he could do that! All I got was a stupid contract!
Why did you choose your Galaxian title?
I like the sound of Artificers because they’re coupling creativity and practicality into their profession.
What’s your favorite book?
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I had randomly picked it out on a shelf years ago, scanned through it to see if I liked the writing style, and immediately picked it up and went home to read it. It has been a really nice surprise the series is getting so much love in Gala Games.
What’s your favorite part of the Gala Games community?
It has a ton of my favorite kinds of people, gamers and creative types! Everyone I’ve met is pouring themselves into their work and cares a lot about what we’re doing here.
Turtle or Tortoise?
Tortle.
What are your favorite games?
I’ve spent a number of hours that I’d like to not speak out loud on XCOM 2. It got to the point where the Legendary difficulty was getting to be too easy so I had to throw in extra enemies with mods.
Modded Skyrim is a blast too- go play the Requiem mod if you want a challenge.
If you were on a deserted island and could only have 1 game, what would it be?
Something with the most replay value, or something with realistic characters so I’d feel some type of human connection despite being alone on an island. You know, think Wilson from Castaway but less volleyball and more NPC that knows some good jokes.
Favorite music?
Lately it’s Louis Cole but I grew up listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. Then I listened to a lot of metal, like Dream Theater and Tyr.
The real lyrics are dead to me. These are the words now.
For old composers it’s got to be Chopin and Bach.
I mean, who isn’t?
Biggest role models?
I think I try to take a bit of the best from everyone- everyone has something to teach.
Cool hobbies and interests?
I like music theory a lot — there’s some really cool stuff you can do with harmony. I’m writing a program that lets you input notes and it displays the chord those notes make, what keys it’s in, the functions it plays in those keys, and some other cool stuff.
Proudest gaming moment ever?
Hard to choose, but probably beating XCOM 2 on Legendary for the first time. The process of getting to that point is ROUGH, but you eventually learn what not to do and when to take risks.
Favorite Food?
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese.
Least favorite food?
Spaghetti.
Which Spider Tanks Prop best represents you?
The duck! Ducks are useful for weighing things and determining if someone turned you into a newt or not.
Ninja or Pirate?
Pirates because I like ships, but I do think Ninjas would probably be nicer to just hang out with- you know, there’d be less insistence on drinking rum all the time with ninjas.
Which EoE Faction would you be aligned with?
The Arbeiters!
Skydiving or spa day?
Skydiving, but I do like relaxing too.
“Relaxing”
Which Town Star character could you replace, if only given the opportunity?
Are we talking about one that I would replace with myself? If that were the case I’d take the role of builder- she seems to have the most varied type of job. Lots of different types of architecture to work on.
Which Exemplar best embodies you?
The first ones I bought were the Seafarer and the Rider of the North. I think there’s something about the freedom of swift travel that suits me.
Silly Michael… in his defense though, this was originally scheduled on a Thursday. For 21 months ago, that’s pretty dang insightful!
We’re so glad that Michael had the time to share a little about himself with the community today. We love having the chance to feature some of the team in these articles, and we hope everyone in the community enjoys them too.
Do you think that’s all we’ve got? Stay tuned for yet another Galaxian Highlights coming at you in a little while. If you just can’t wait to learn more about the team, feel free to check out some recent Galaxian Highlights below!
We’re back with yet another spotlight on a dedicated Web3 professional working to bring you the future of entertainment
The decentralized world is forming around us, thanks in no small part to the innovative professionals who constantly push the bleeding edge of progress. Often these experts practice their craft in relative obscurity, though countless masses will eventually benefit from the fruits of their labor. As always, we’re here to help pull back the curtain on our Web3 workshop and let you peek inside to give you a chance to know the passionate people working tirelessly behind the scenes.
While Gala Games is US based, our team hails from all around the world. We believe different walks of life converge to bolster context, understanding and innovation. While many of us in this one, small part of the world begin to shiver from the winter’s cold, the professional we’re speaking with today is soaking up some sun and getting ready for summer fun. While we gather for some turkey with our families, he’s still hard at work making sure Gala Games is for each and every one of you.
Connection and communication are what bind us together and how we learn about each other to establish a better world for all. The man we spotlight today loves keeping the community in the loop and getting to know all of you who make Gala Games great.
You may have seen him gaming or in Discord as Tazcat… today, we’re spotlighting TAYLOR!
True facts.
What is your role at Gala Games?
I am the Diamond-Tongued Bard, commonly known as the Social Media Manager.
Why did you choose your Galaxian Title?
Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret… I didn’t. It was listed as the Galaxian Title when I applied for the job. I considered changing it, but I just felt as though that was the perfect title for what my role in Gala Games is all about — singing its praise to the broader masses!
Found in the encyclopedia under “Diamond-Tongued Bard”
Favorite book?
I would probably say a toss-up between Temple/Contest by Matthew Reilly or Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I love Reilly’s pacing in his writing and I feel like he captures action really well, and the subject matter of Temple and Contest just excites me. And for Ready Player One, need I say more?
Favorite part of the Gala Games community?
It’s strange — Gala Games is my first venture into the world of web3 and I can’t say I’ve seen anything like it. The community is amazing and it feels like even though I’ve never met some of these people in real life, I still feel connected to them, you know?
The other part I love about being a part of Gala Games is seeing people really engage with our accounts. Whether it’s medieval Mirandus or sassy Spider Tanks, my favorite part of my day is talking to you guys.
Turtle or Tortoise?
Gotta be tortoise. Which reminds me, I am in dire need of a Tortoise tank.
What are your favorite games?
I grew up mostly playing shooter games and have been really into Rocket League the past few years. But nowadays, I’m really getting into open-world RPGs, JRPGs and smaller indie titles. There’s so much artistry in the lesser-known games, and I’m loving exploring that. One of my recent favorites has been Omno — solo developer and a beautiful soundtrack.
Favorite music?
I’m a little eclectic, I’ll head bop/two-step/get absolutely down to pretty much anything. But I do have a soft spot for pop-punk. It was just a perfect high school genre. And yes, high school Taylor DID have a ridiculous fringe. It was… a choice, and I made it.
Awwww, baby Taylor is so cute!
Cool hobbies and interests?
Obviously other than gaming, I play football (gridiron and soccer).
I love to snowboard and I dabble in music production. Oh, and I used to DJ back in the day. I’ve hung up the headphones for now, but that was a fun time in life!
Ninja or Pirate?
The anime nerd in me has to go with ninja. Plus I used to do martial arts when I was younger.
Proudest gaming moment ever?
Back in my Call of Duty days, hitting a quadruple collateral sniper shot. None of my friends were in the game, and they all thought I was lying when I told them about it afterwards. Unfortunately recording gameplay wasn’t available to me back then. But my jaw instantly fell to the floor. Truly a “Did I just do that?” moment.
Favorite Food?
You can’t make me choose just one. I am a sucker for a good rack of ribs though. And despite the ongoing battle in the Discord, I love pizza AND sandwiches. Yeah, I said it. *mic drop*
So delicious. Also, as homegrown Australian as emus, dingoes and drop bears.
Which Spider Tanks Prop best represents you?
Rubber ducky. Why? That’s for me to know and you never to find out.
Which EoE Faction would you be aligned with?
It’s The Royals for me. 👑
Skydiving or spa day?
How about skydiving THEN spa day? That sounds like my kind of day.
This guy brought his own memes to an interview! How prepared do you think he is when he shows up to a party!? 🥳
Which Town Star character could you replace, if only given the opportunity?
I wouldn’t say replace, but that Nicole Tesla has got a look on her face like she knows something the rest of us don’t. And that weirds me out.
Which Exemplar best embodies you?
OOOH, good question. I think I’m going to go with the Longsongs. I would definitely say I thrive on music and rhythm. Whether that’s a good boogie or not-so-guiltily belting out some Adele, music is a big part of who I am!
What’s the best super-obscure advice you have for the community?
Expect the unexpected. ✨
Was that unexpected enough?
Many, many thanks to Taylor for sharing a window into his brilliant insanity with everyone! We hope that you enjoy getting to know the Gala Games team in these articles, and– especially this week– we want you to know that we are thankful for each and every member of the Gala community!
14 down, countless more to go! Stay tuned for yet another Galaxian Highlights coming at you in a few weeks. If you just can’t wait to learn more about the team, you can check out some recent Galaxian Highlights below!
We’re back with another spotlight on a Web3 pro working behind the scenes to make magic happen.
The digital frontier at the bleeding edge of the new technological revolution is full of big dreams, but it takes the spark of brilliance to make those manifest in decentralized reality. A spark isn’t enough though, and so many dedicated professionals work underneath the fabric of this new world to bring visions of a better future into pragmatic reality.
The engineers developing solutions and innovations every day are practitioners of an art unfathomable to our forebears. Their craft may seem modest in a narrow frame of reference, but the wider effect of their efforts come together to create tools, experiences and solutions that define our daily life and the very nature of tomorrow.
Today we celebrate one of these magicians of modern technology– a man passionate about collaborating to craft amazing games, and packing the technical tools to make better gaming experiences possible. Today we’re spotlighting a talented engineer working hard every day to push the world of Web3 entertainment forward– Kevin!
What is your role at Gala Games?
Full-stack Engineer for Town Star
What inspired you to do what you do for a living?
My love for playing video games
Favorite book?
Something about JavaScript
Favorite part of the Gala Games community?
The wide selection of games and excitement around all of them. Also, really love what we’re doing with Music / Film (Web 3 baybeee 😎)
Turtle or Tortoise?
Turtle
What are your favorite games?
Anything with Zelda in the name. RuneScape, World of Warcraft, Dark Souls 3, Town Star, Mirandus.
If you were on a deserted island and could only have 1 game, what would it be?
RuneScape
Fun fact: If you look closely in any screenshot of Runescape, you’ll find Kevin somewhere.
Favorite music?
EDM
Biggest role models?
Eric Scheirmeyer, Raheel Yawar, Jason Dunn
Cool hobbies and interests?
I can dance pretty good lol
He’s not lying about those skills on the dance floor. Dab well earned.
Proudest gaming moment ever?
Beating Dark Souls 3
I don’t have a clever caption for this. The hood just fit too well to pass up.
Favorite Food?
Chicken Nuggets
Least favorite food?
Peas
Ninja or Pirate?
Ninja
Which EoE Faction would you be aligned with?
The Arbeiters
Skydiving or spa day?
Both, in that order.
Which Town Star character could you replace, if only given the opportunity?
Honestly, none. I really like them all.
Kevin is over modest. He’d be a superior version of any worker around Town.
Which Exemplar best embodies you?
Darksun Elf (because I rarely see the sun anymore)
Can’t imagine why none of those rays are getting to you…😉Always good advice
A big thanks to Kevin for giving everyone in the community a chance to get to know him better, and for reminding us to dust off our own cloaks and go for a stroll!
It’s great to have a chance in this series to get to show off some of the talented professionals that make Gala Games the great community that it is, and we hope you’re ready for a lot more! We’ll be back soon with yet another Galaxian Highlight to feature another dedicated Web3 professional working hard to make decentralized dreams come true.
Want to learn about more members of the Gala Games team and just can’t wait for the next issue? Check out the last few Galaxian Highlights below!
