Meet The Team Monday: Doug Banks

Meet the Team Monday is a great way for us to spotlight an employee at Booyah. We've done a few of these in the past and we feel it's one of the best ways for you guys to get to know us a little better. 

This week we'd like to introduce Doug Banks, one of our Software Engineers!

We might as well call Doug "Mr. Community" here at Booyah. He's the one who's always organizing our board game days or lunch excursions, and is constantly trying to foster a greater sense of togetherness in the office.

Prior to Booyah, Doug was a High School Geometry teacher at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, where he helped shape the young minds of our future. Before becoming a teacher, Doug was an employee at Google.

What do you do at Booyah?
I'm a software engineer on Nightclub City

How’d you get into programming?
I was getting a Math degree and I realized that when I solved a tricky problem, most of my friends couldn't really appreciate the experience because the problem itself was so obtuse.  I realized that software engineering uses the same parts of the brain, but the end result is something even a kid can enjoy (particularly if you are making games!)

Current favorite apps?
Sudoku and Hitori on my Android.

What games have you played recently?
Heroes of Might and Magic V
Any puzzle games I can get my hands on.
Plants vs Zombies

What do you do in your freetime?
Cook.  Beach volleyball.  Read fantasy.  Improv (performing and teaching).  Play board games.  Various spiritual pursuits.  And I sing!!!

What’s in your recently played list?
Airplanes
Breakeven
Give me your Eyes
This American Life

What cool things are you working on right now?
Trying to get a video player into Nightclub City.
Trying to get my team to go out to lunch.

Any quirky/funny things about yourself that you don't mind having shared w/ the entire interwebs.
I appeared in a clip on Oprah about Google.  They used a quote that makes me sound like the laziest employee ever.  Possibly true. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDA65zCSm-g around 1:45.

Comments

[Chris]

I can attest that Doug was the laziest employee at Google. Just kidding - I am his big sister and that adorable nephew he has on his shoulders is my son.

[asics]

Thank you for this sort of a great blog. Exactly where else could a single get this sort of details written in these kinds of an incite full way? I have a presentation that I am just now working on, and I have been searching for this sort of information.

[Brad G]

Can you make it so that I can collect rent for each property by clicking one button, not collecting each rent amount - takes WAY too much time. I've got tons of rent $$ sitting there but not enough time to collect it all.

[Randy smith]

Can you please make some of the items in my town "move" just a little like in farmville like
a special stamp like a firework that would be so neat please try thanks