Meet Kobe Shimoyama

Meet the VivaTeam’s newest member, Kobe Shimoyama, who works as Vivacity’s Brand and Marketing Designer. Kobe works with the Marketing team to build stunning visuals and responsive and easy-to-use websites for Vivacity and VivaCitadel. Kobe is a Co-op student in his third year of a Bachelor in Computing Science Degree at Thompson Rivers University. In Kobe’s time at TRU, he has made the Dean’s List multiple times, and undertaken a wide array of impressive projects ranging from web and app development to creating a computer game with procedural dungeon generation. Prior to joining the Vivacity team, Kobe was a long-term volunteer and employee at the downtown Kamloops YMCA, spending some time in child care and more recently working the reception desks and helping build regular communications for guests.

At Vivacity, Kobe has had the opportunity to explore new things and continue to strengthen the skill sets he is developing in his program. He is thriving in the team environment, knowing he has support from all members of the team, that his thoughts, opinions, and ideas are valued, and that he can step out of his comfort zone to grow in a safe space. Kobe feels inspired to be proactive and start new projects on his own knowing that if he feels stuck or needs advice, his team is there to support and guide him.

Outside of work, you’re most likely to find Kobe being a homebody, starting a new niche game or building his own. If you’re looking for a good recommendation, his favourite games of late have been Celeste, Rain World, and Cadence of Hyrule. If he’s not at home, you’ll find Kobe in a local cafe trying to find the best new loose leaf teas and breakfast sandwiches, or on a patio soaking up the sun with a good smoothie. (P.S. The answer is the Vic's Japanese cherry sencha, long island strawberry, and raspberry rooibos teas. You’re welcome 😉) When it comes to movies or music, Kobe has eclectic tastes ranging from Japanese pop and future funk to sci-fi and stylized animation. He loves when film makers try to approach the question of “what is out there?” from a unique approach that sparks his imagination.

If you would like to chat more about game development, tea recommendations, or niche games and movies, you can reach out to Kobe on LinkedIn!