At KassaiLaw we consider ourselves lucky to love our jobs, but everything comes at a price: it can result in forgetting to eat or even stand up for long hours at a time, or to make space for free-time activities. We have to be more conscious than ever before about taking care of ourselves and setting boundaries because failing to do so can eventually lead to burnout. Because of the increasing challenges lately to work-life balance, we wanted to show you that we also spare time for things other than work.

Our third interviewee is Dora Kadar, our Nordic assignee. You saw how versatile Eszter and Andras were, I can assure you, Dora is no different. Enjoy reading about us once more.

• Do you remember your first encounter with a computer?

I don’t think I could recall my very first time, I was just a child when we bought our first computer – for the whole family. It was a very different time then: you had to choose between using the internet or using the phone, you couldn’t do both of these things at the same time. 

My father worked abroad a lot, so the best, and sometimes the only way we could keep in contact with him was through emails and video calls. I certainly remember though, how, even as a kid, working the computer felt very natural to me. And one of my best memories from that time is when we were having a Skype call with my dad and also got to play around with the emojis in the chat window, telling part of the stories using them – it sounds silly now, but it was really fun at the time.

• What was the first game you fell in love with?

It’s called AirXonix. Actually, it was probably the very first game I ever played, back in the early 2000s. I’ve just recently learned that it is actually a 3D remake of an even older game. You control a flying helicopter-like device over a field with several different balls and the objective is to occupy as much field as possible, cutting away the spare field from the balls. It is super fun and super addictive, we used to keep trying to break each other’s records. 

• What does gaming give to you? 

In short: an escape to another world. I usually play games that require deep concentration and you have to be constantly alert. My current favourite is Overwatch, which is a very fast-paced game in which you need to keep track of a lot of things at the same time. This doesn’t leave room for anything else, your brain is fully occupied by the game. After a particularly eventful and stressful day at work, when the thoughts keep rushing through my brain and there seems to be no way of stopping them, playing a few rounds is the best way for me to wind down. It is almost a full-proof way of emptying all those thoughts—and of course, a great way to let off steam. 

Beside that, gaming has been also proven to help with decision-making skills and makes better leaders and team-players, all of which is essential in my work. So it is a perfect circle. 

• Which game are you waiting for or want to try?

It is really hard to choose, there are so many I have not tried yet, and so many coming out soon. A few weeks ago I talked to one of my old friends who plays Apex Legends and recommended that to me, as well as an alternative to Overwatch. There’s a good chance that we will organize a virtual get-together soon and I’ll try that one. 

As for the upcoming games, as a big Harry Potter fan, I’m really curious about and waiting for Hogwarts Legacy, announced for 2022. 

• Do you have any old-school favourites?

The “Snake”! Give me any version of that game and I can play it for hours. An interesting thing is that when the original version of Snake came out on Nokia, I didn’t have a mobile phone yet, so I didn’t know that version initially (later on, of course, I got to try that as well). My first time playing was with a different version of the game, by the same company as AirXonix, it’s called Axysnake. I must be honest, I have now downloaded the game again, and besides it bringing back a lot of memories, it is still super fun to play.

• How do you keep some quality time for yourself outside work? Do you have any resolutions for the future?

I try to not work at the weekends and spend time in nature instead. Going out among the hills or the fields somewhere in the countryside without taking my laptop is a bullet-proof way to ensure that I don’t even have the slightest chance of whipping out the laptop and working “just a little bit”, which would probably turn into several hours, as I tend to really get immersed in it once I start. Rest is essential and for me it is best to combine it with nature. As for the future, I do want to find more time for my other passion: dancing. As a former competitive dancer, I must get out of my chair occasionally  to get some exercise, so I’m trying to fit that into my daily routine as well.