Love In The Times Of Grepolis

This week, it´s going to be romantic! In the world of online gaming, where creativity and passion fuel our daily lives at InnoGames, unique stories of collaboration and love flourish among the pixels and code. Today, we’re excited to share with you something different: An interview about two very special people – a power couple making waves within our community. For those who would like to work in the gaming industry, this is a story of a family highly touched by our ‘Innoverse’. It shows, how some of our games have helped them create and expand their social circle with friends all over the world, as well as having a family that shares professional values and goals.

Meet Ece, one of our dedicated Community Managers for Grepolis Turkey, who, alongside her husband, contributes to crafting unforgettable experiences for our players. They share not just a life together but a commitment to the InnoGames family and its vision. Join us as we delve into their journey, highly impacted by Grepolis and Tribal Wars,  exploring the dynamics of working in the gaming industry, juggling professional and personal life, and how collaboration can lead to outstanding achievements, both in love and in game development.  

ANNA: Hey Ece, nice to meet you! You and your husband met at work, right? Can you tell me more about it?  

ECE: Sure! My husband and I were both working for another gaming company based in Germany about 12 years ago. We were both on different gaming teams and we met in a common chat room. After chatting online for a long time, he came to visit my mom in the hospital after hearing that she was having a heart surgery. That was the first time we met in person. 

ANNA: That sounds so romantic. You later both switched to InnoGames, right? Did you both decide to work at InnoGames at the same time? 

ECE: About three to four months after we met, we left our jobs at the first gaming company. 

After being away from the gaming industry for a while, I joined InnoGames as the first community manager of Grepolis Turkey. My husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, was not thinking about re-entering the gaming industry, but I asked him to join my team because he has always been a very good game admin. He didn’t break my heart and accepted. 1-2 years later, he found himself as the community manager for Tribal Wars Turkey. 

ANNA: We´re really lucky to have you both in our team. Many people say you should separate work and your private life. What is your opinion on it? Is it maybe even beneficial to work with your partner?  

ECE: It has always been the other way around for us. We have always supported each other in our projects. For example, I am better at translating and he is unrivalled in creating visual content. We usually share work. 

ANNA: That sounds very cool. Sharing work can optimize your workflow so much. What does a typical workday look like for you guys? 

ECE: I have a full-time job where I leave home at 7 in the morning and return home at 8 in the evening. My husband works from home. He works for InnoGames as a community manager and social media coordinator. Apart from working this job, he does all the housework and has almost all the responsibility for our daughter. 

I usually come home to find dinner ready, the house clean and I sit down to do what I need to do for InnoGames. I guess you could say I am a lucky woman. 

ANNA: Wow that sounds intense. You seem to be very lucky but also very busy. Could you maybe explain a little what you do at your job?  

ECE: I am a dubbing artist and audiovisual translator. I translate the dubbing texts and/or subtitles of high-profile and often high-security projects that you see in cinemas and on digital platforms. And of course, I also take part in the dubbing of those projects. 

ANNA: Interesting. And what exactly do you do for InnoGames? Can you maybe share your favourite part about it? 

ECE: I am the Community Manager of Grepolis Turkey at InnoGames since 2012. I was the one who launched the Turkish market, and I haven’t stopped since then. The best part of working at InnoGames is that I have friends from many nationalities. Sometimes some of our friends from the company come to Turkey and we host them. Sometimes we meet in various countries in Europe. I feel like I have a friend wherever I go, which I think is great. 

ANNA:  Having friends all over Europe is definitely something special! You mentioned that you and your husband have a daughter. Does she play games? 

ECE: This new generation prefers to watch people playing games on YouTube instead of playing games. Yeah, I don’t understand it either. 

My daughter plays Sunrise Village, though. She also likes some casual games and robotic coding games.  

ANNA: Robotic coding games? Wow. Do you think your daughter will work in the gaming industry one day? 

ECE: Her father’s dream is for her to be an animation artist and a game designer; she wants to be a ballerina. We will see, I guess. 

ANNA: Most important thing is, that she will be happy. I´m sure she will with such amazing parents. Thank you so much for this interview and giving me an insight of your life as a Community Manager! 

ECE: Sure! It was nice to meet you.  

As you can see in the interview above, the game of life can just be as rewarding and engaging as the games we create. This story reminds us that behind every level, every quest, and every game we develop there are real people with real stories of creativity, passion, and love. Ece and her husband’s journey is the perfect example of our approach towards a good InnoGames community – where teamwork, passion, and personal connections are key to building not just games, but a strong, friendly, and supportive workplace.

We thank Ece for sharing their story and look forward to witnessing more chapters of their adventure together. Whether you’re part of our team, our player community, or just a visitor curious about the world behind your favourite games, we hope this story inspires you to find your own unique path in the universe of gaming.