Jobs in Games: Carry1st’s Spencer Ma on how to get a career in games growth

• Spencer previously worked in the media and entertainment industry at NBCUniversal before joining Carry1st

Stay Informed

Behind every game is a team of creative developers making it happen. In our Jobs in Games series, we highlight some of the individuals working in the games industry, whether they are veteran developers with big hits under their belts or entirely new to the industry.

We ask how they broke into the sector and their advice for others on making a career in games.

In this interview, we caught up with Carry1st growth lead Spencer Ma to discuss his entry into games, alternative career paths, and advice for people looking to break into the industry.

PocketGamer.biz: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? How did you initially get into the games industry?

Spencer Ma: I got into the games industry quite recently, only about two years ago when I joined Carry1st. I was working in the media and entertainment industry at NBCUniversal before I got connected with Lucy and Cordel, the co-founders of Carry1st.

I was still living in New York City at the time but became fascinated with Carry1st as a company through my conversations with them. So, when the opportunity arose to join Carry1st and lead a partnership with Activision to grow Call of Duty: Mobile in South Africa, I took it.

How did you land the role of growth lead at Carry1st?

The role came at an opportune moment – Carry1st had just partnered with Activision to launch a full-scale marketing campaign in South Africa to grow Call of Duty: Mobile, and they needed someone to lead the project.

I had already been talking with Lucy at the time, so I was able to apply and interview for the role.

Why a career in games? And if not games, what would you have been doing?

I grew up playing tons of games – Runescape and League of Legends were particular favourites – and I have always wanted to work in the media and entertainment industry. If I wasn’t working in games, I would probably be in some other sector of entertainment like film or TV.

After working at NBCUniversal for two years, I wanted to go into a more dynamic and fast-growing sector of entertainment and found gaming to be the perfect option, combining both my personal and professional interests. 

How has the past year been for you? Have you had any highlights? And what would you like to achieve in the coming year?

The past year has been incredible. We’ve been able to achieve a lot at Carry1st. We launched our payments product, Pay1st, which allows game developers to enable local payment methods in Africa and substantially increase their revenue.

We’ve been able to partner with Activision, EA, Supercell, and Riot Games, and we hope to partner with more in the coming year to help more game developers realise their revenue potential in Africa.

What’s your day-to-day like at Carry1st? Do you have any go-to ritual before stepping into the office?

The day-to-day is so different, especially at a startup like Carry1st. It mostly consists of working with teammates across our Growth and Product teams to drive commercial growth and product innovation for Pay1st.

I don’t have a specific go-to ritual before stepping into the office, but I do make an effort to read the latest gaming news on PocketGamers.biz or GamesIndustry.biz while having a morning cup of coffee.

What do you enjoy most about working in the games industry?

I love being able to talk and connect with gamers – particularly gamers here in Africa. They are incredibly passionate and dedicated to the games that they play, and I really enjoy being in a position to support the local gaming community, whether it’s through launching local servers or enabling local payment methods. 

What’s been your most memorable, funny or unexpected experience you’ve had while working on a game? 

I hosted a Call of Duty: Mobile tournament in Johannesburg with Nasty C, South Africa’s top rapper and artist. 

It was great working with him and his team to host the event, which brought in 500 or so people and turned into a full-on music festival with other prominent South African artists. It was a ton of fun!

If you could play one video game for the rest of your life, what game would it be and why? 

Hmm, this is a tough question. But it would probably be Runescape – old school, not RS3. I used to play it a lot when I was growing up, and it’s a game where you can play for thousands of hours and still find new things to do and explore.

It also still has a thriving community some 20+ years after it was first introduced and still has consistent content updates to keep the game fresh and forward-moving today.

Do you have any tips for anyone wanting to work in growth, as well as any advice for people laid off or struggling with work?

The ‘growth’ function is very vague and encapsulates many different activities, so I can’t point to one specific tip about being a growth lead. 

I would recommend being well-versed in the industry at large and familiarising yourself with basic growth principles. There are some great courses on Reforge or YouTube for this. 

There are some great resources out there for those looking for opportunities. You can find directories of gaming jobs on various platforms/sites or on LinkedIn. a16z also maintains a directory of jobs at its portfolio gaming companies (including ours) and usually posts about new opportunities.

Lastly, I know it’s hard to sometimes, but stay positive! Gaming is a fast-growing industry, and there will be more job openings as time goes on.

What are you working on right now? Are there any upcoming projects you’re particularly excited about?

I’m currently working on a couple of projects to help grow revenue in Africa for our Pay1st partners, such as Activision and EA. One project I’m particularly excited about is our Carry1st Africa Cup, a continent-wide Call of Duty: Mobile tournament that we’re hosting.