泥中蟠龍's Game愛歌
[A love song for games of the dragon waiting for an opportunity]
Dreaming of making Legend Heroes in the gaming world
March 3, 2016, when I'm writing this column, is a very meaningful day for me. It's a general back-to-school day for students and entrance-into-a school day for new students. Plus, it's the beginning of spring and my niece's birthday. Above all things, Legend Hero, a domestic Tokusatsu (special filming)—a Japanese term for live-action film or television drama that makes heavy use of special effects—which hasn't been produced for a long time, premiered on Mar. 3. Some readers might think about what the big deal is. However, I like Tokusatsu a whole lot. In particular, till quite recently before I become so busy, I used to look forward to Kamen Rider Series every year. Of course, besides the home-grown special filming, there are other reasons that Legend Heroes is very meaningful to me.
In 2008, a promotion video clip was shown online about a new Tokusatsu in the making. The video made me get excited because it showed better-than-expected local special effects. I eagerly looked forward to domestic special filming on par with Japanese Tokusatsu, however, the project was suspended because of its funding failure. It was SF X Fantasy Rayforce. And, recently, the project that was forgotten for almost a decade appeared in front of me who is not a viewer but an investor. A team planned the project in the past was trying to attracting investment for a new project named Legend Hero which I noted in the beginning. While I listened to a detailed explanation, I had a gut feeling that this would be good because of its higher-quality planning and meticulous preparation. But insiders of my company was not happy with the project. Because home-made special effects movies have never made any good performances and never been a highly profitable business. Some raised a question about a story of Records of the Three Kingdoms saying that it seems too difficult for children. The others examined the business potential worrying about the disruption of the project due to a lack of 7 billion won worth of funds. I had persuaded them persistently for about six months explaining various secondary markets earnings and toy-market expansion, and, to demonstrate the teammates' ability, showing a video clip made by the team compared to recent Japanese ones. I finally won their approval in reward for my effort; they may have given up their right to oppose. Luckily, I funded the project in May last year.
The much-troubled Legend Heroes was aired today. I do not know the result. Viewer reactions are yet to be known. However, I believe that the team's endeavor and patience will pay off. I think the chemistry between the investor and the project is very important. I could accept suffering and kept trying to progress investment since it was my home ground. I have seen many times discontinued game development projects due to a lack of funds since last year. Despite previous failures, developers would require the knowhow to make a video game. I expect that those hidden treasures can see the light of the world again.
※ This is from Kyunghyang Games column by 泥中蟠龍 since September 2013.
(http://www.khgames.co.kr)
Translation by Kim Ki-hui
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