Enrico Rossomando game and web developer

New Level Unlocked: Gram Games

Remember what I said last time?

We were about to leave England, our jobs and our normal lives. Our visas were about to expire, and we felt we had no other options. There have been so many attempts that haven’t worked. The ending felt like it had already been decided.

But as in any good game, there is always room for a twist. For a new level.

But then I met the Gram Games team. It was one of those coincidences that seem to come straight out of a good film script: aware of our situation, with our days numbered before returning to Italy, they decided to speed up the bureaucratic process and, above all, they demonstrated something that is not easily found – humanity.

Today, I can officially say that I’m on board.

I’m not usually one for sentimental words, but I’m really thankful to be part of this team. It’s small but powerful, practical and full of passion. I would also like to thank Ben Seck, Owen Mills, Sedef E., Benjamin Kingham and all the team for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself.

What do I expect from this new chapter?

I want to do my best in my current job. I enjoy it, I love it, and it makes me want to get up and run to work every day (literally).

I want to explore new technologies, especially AI. I think it’s a really important skill for my job and I want to study it in my free time. I’ve been working for 20 years, so I know how important it is to keep up to date.

I want to keep growing as a professional and as a person. I’ve had a lot of determination and good luck so far, and I want to keep that up.

I would also say that this new chapter is happening in a place that I am really excited about. London is a unique city, full of stimulation, where it is impossible to get bored. I love the beauty I can find in this city every day.

If you are going through a difficult time, know that sometimes all it takes is a door that opens unexpectedly to change everything.

To everyone who has supported me recently, thank you.

Special thanks go to my best power-up of my life Clelia Ragosta

If you’re curious about the outcome, feel free to write to me. I’d be glad to chat about it.

If you like happy endings, stay tuned.

My Personal Brexit

In the past two years, my life has taken a turn worthy of a video game, unfortunately, without a “Restart from checkpoint” button.

It all began with the job of my dreams: breaking into the world of video games, contributing to creating unique experiences for players around the globe, and building a life with my family in beautiful (and rainy) England.

But, like in every good game, there’s a plot twist: this October, the company I worked for, NaturalMotion Games / Zynga, decided to close its Birmingham office. It’s the end of the level. “Game over?” Not yet!

We had three months before our visa expired. Three months to decide our future, with a two-year-old daughter who had already mastered “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and adored her English nursery.

In a frenzy, yet full of optimism, I attempted to secure the famous “Global Talent Visa.” Well, let’s just say it didn’t go as planned – not for a lack of skills, but for a reason that feels almost surreal: I didn’t have enough online interviews. (Note to self: if you see me in a supermarket with a microphone, I’m just boosting my notoriety evidence.)

And so, here we are: my family and I are on the verge of leaving a country we hoped to call home long-term. It’s been a chaotic, emotionally intense period, but also profoundly educational.

What have I learned from this adventure?

Pause and breathe: When everything feels like it’s falling apart, it’s crucial to take a moment to recalibrate priorities.
Appreciate your support network: In times of crisis, you truly discover who stands by you. The people who helped us along this journey have made all the difference.
Accept the inevitable: Not everything is under our control. I can work hard, improve, and adapt, but some rules (like those governing UK visas) are beyond my reach.

This isn’t the ending we had envisioned, but as in every game, I’m trying to see it as the start of a new adventure. Italy awaits us, along with new opportunities, new challenges, and, why not, lots of pizza (thankfully, that doesn’t require a visa).

I’d like to thank everyone who supported me in preparing for the Global Talent Visa application. Special thanks for the time and effort put into the reference letters. I’m also grateful to my colleagues and recruiters I’ve connected with, relationships cut short only by companies’ inability to sponsor a work visa, the main obstacle to our life in England.

If you’ve gone through a similar experience, or if you simply have advice or an encouraging word, let me know in the comments on LinkedIn. And if there’s a recruiter out there looking for someone with ironclad resilience and multitasking superpowers (managing a toddler, a move, and deadlines simultaneously is an art), you know where to find me!

Source: LinkedIn

Database dei comuni italiani gratis in SQL (MySQL)

Ogni programmatore, almeno una volta nella vita, si trova ad affrontare l’annosa questione del Codice Fiscale italiano. Non voglio intraprendere una discussione sui bug progettuali di questo sistema (millenium bug e omocodie a.k.a. “omonimi di codice”), ma quando si ha a che fare con i Codici Fiscali si deve necessariamente lavorare con la lista dei comuni e il loro “codice catastale”.

Vediamo come scaricare gratuitamente il file con tutti i comuni italiani aggiornati, con il codice catastale, e convertirlo in query SQL per popolare il nostro database.