A YORKSHIRE gaming company founded by Harrogate ‘coder’ Tom Rymer is helping people realise the importance of play.

The Secret City, as the company is called, has been transforming practical urban spaces into places of leisure.

Tom, who attended Harrogate Grammar School, moved into gaming after studying mechanical engineering at Loughborough University.

The 29-year-old has friends who were into games, which involved secret passageways and routes in towns and cities.

Tom said: “I started out making games for my friends. It was our way of unwinding after work. As soon as we were out the office door, we would be playing.

“It was like tours and treasure hunts and it just snowballed from there.

“Now we’re making them all over the world for the likes of Unilever, Facebook and Google. It’s pinch yourself stuff really!”

Taking inspiration from escape rooms, over five years they turned the streets of New York, Sydney, London and more into interactive, puzzle-filled games, playable from any phone. And this all began in Yorkshire.

Tom made his first games in Harrogate. A coder, he combined his technical know-how with a love of buildings, statues and local legends to create cryptic clues to guide his friends through his favourite parts of the city. Encouraged by their enthusiastic responses, he experimented with games further afield.

After Harrogate, came York, and Sheffield, and now, five years later, the company has games all over the world and is showing no signs of slowing in its expansion.

It only has four staff, who work remotely, but Tom says this has allowed it to attract talent from all over the UK, helping ensure its success.

The company is developing games for more UK towns as well as overseas.

Tom explained: “For me, the best part is still getting to know a new city’s secrets, inside and out, and then coming up with fun ways to share them with people.

“Everywhere you go is so unique, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of coming up with new ways for people to have fun in their cities.”

For more about the The Secret City go to: https://thesecret.city/