Five minutes with…Thomas Wendt, co-founder and director of Apparat Gaming

Q. What do you enjoy most about your job?

Having worked for more than 20 years (depending on how you count it), there are a lot of things I enjoy about my job and running my own game studio. This includes being able to make a difference, being faster and more flexible than in a corporation or a large company, as well as being responsible for success or even failure without being able to blame others for it. And, step by step, coming closer to fulfilling my vision instead of just watching from the sidelines. But what I enjoy most is the creative exchange with the people in our team. The people I work with inspire me every day.

Q. If you could give one piece of advice to a co-founder, what would it be?

Never give up! Sometimes there are a thousand good reasons why something doesn’t work but often there is one way to make it happen. You should never stop looking for that breakthrough.

Q. Who would play you in the movie about your life?

Since I believe in the power of one’s own imagination, there would be no film of my life, just a book. The images in your head are always better than any actor. But if you insist, maybe Christoph Waltz – at least the German accent fits.

Q. What’s your karaoke song of choice?

If I really had a choice, I’d rather not sing. And anyone who has ever heard me sing will second that. Otherwise, I tend to sing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody à la Wayne’s World in a packed car.

Q. Which one thing can’t you live without?

I’m still hesitating between music and books. Probably books!

Q. Who would you most like to be stuck in an elevator with?

I prefer the stairs.

Q. Where would you time travel to and why?

Five minutes back in time to not make a stupid comment.

Q. What is your favourite TV programme?

Classic TV? Does that still exist? To be honest I don’t even know if I can receive it on my TV. Streaming: at the moment I’m watching The Peripheral with great enthusiasm, based on a book by an author I hold in high esteem, William Gibson.

Q. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

Wine gums, especially the sour ones.

Q. If you won the lottery, what would you spend the money on?

Definitely our own company, Apparat Gaming – I truly believe in the team and the vision we have for the business. Otherwise I wouldn’t invest so much of my life there. Time is more valuable than money.

Q. Name one place everyone should visit before they die.

Not so much a place as a person; the one you’d most regret not telling something at the moment of your death. And preferably as early as possible.

Thomas Wendt is the co-founder and director of Apparat Gaming. He is an industry heavyweight, having co-founded his first game development studio back in 1993 and selling it 10 years later at the turn of the millennium. Since then, he has held several C-level positions within the German gambling industry, including a six-year stint as managing director of one of the country’s largest slot machine manufacturers, Bally Wulff. He is now a driving force behind Apparat’s mission to develop slots with a German accent.