James Hannam "probably'' wouldn't be living in Dunedin were it not for GigCity.
Mr Hannam is a programmer at the RocketWerkz gaming studio launched by Dean Hall, which is growing steadily on Dunedin's waterfront.
The company was lured to Dunedin in part by the city's gigabit internet and was now recruiting staff from near and far.
That included Mr Hannam, originally of Auckland, who took up his new role in Dunedin after being recruited by RocketWerkz late last year.
He first moved to Dunedin earlier last year and worked as an intern for another gaming studio, Runaway, but returned to Auckland when the internship finished.
He had expected to find work in Auckland or Christchurch, but was flown back to Dunedin by RocketWerkz and eventually agreed to stay.
Mr Hannam was renting with co-workers and enjoyed "unreasonably fast'' Gigabit internet speeds at home and work, as well as the lower accommodation costs and commute times Dunedin offered.
The service was ‘‘almost essential'' for RocketWerkz and could provide a real boost to the city, he believed.
"If gigabit is going to help bring more businesses to Dunedin, as it did with RocketWerkz, then it's massive,'' he said.
