Games, the Contents and the Economy in Korea

泥中蟠龍 's Game 愛歌 [A love song for games of the dragon waiting for an opportunity]   Looking back on 10 years in the mobile gaming industry   I have worked in the gaming industry since a cold winter day in January 2002. Looking back, writing a column related to a game, it seems as if ages had passed since then when I was an amateur gamer who had no background in the field. The reason I give a long-winded explanation is to mention what I felt during a recent meeting for investment with a developer about the constraints of a mobile device for a mobile game. The developer, who has played an online game for a long time, talked about mobile computer device bringing about inconvenience: small screen, low specification, and difficulty of customization due to various devices. Listening to him, it brought back the moment when I just set foot in the gaming industry, which made me be lost in the old memories. Mobile phones featuring color displays, one of the technolog...

泥中蟠龍 's Game 愛歌 [A love song for games of the dragon waiting for an opportunity]   Video game development and investment   I have serially written a column about the video gaming market and video game development over a period of time. But this time, I'd like to talk about a game developer which I, as a venture capitalist, invest in. I don't intend to whine about it. The reason I chose this topic because of what I went through recently. This column is actually for game developers which attract investment on the borrower's side. The recent experience made me feel bad is quite simple. A cash-strapped game studio having developed a good game asked me to make an investment and I couldn't help but turn down the suggestion after thorough consideration. Some readers might think that what the problem is if there is a good game. Besides, the majority of leaders of game developers actually do think so. It takes a long time and effort for a developer t...

泥中蟠龍 's Game 愛歌 [A love song for games of the dragon waiting for an opportunity]   Hang in there, Korean games!   The Admiral: Roaring Currents, a South Korean naval war film, has recently smashed the nation's box office records. Summing up for people who haven't watched the movie, it's a story of the historical Battle of Myeongnyang in which Korean naval commander Yi Sun-sin, who were seriously defeated in the Battle of Chilcheollyang, led the only 12 ships remaining in his command to a great victory against an invading Japanese fleet of 333 vessels. The number of viewers crossed the 16 million mark as of August 2014. Of course, I don't want to talk about the film. Actually, I'd like to write about the question below:   Is it possible for The Admiral doing well on foreign markets?   Cultural products, which are generally called 'content', are appealing to the member of a particular group or society sharing the same cul...