泥中蟠龍's Game愛歌 _ Video game development and investment

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 to make a game in general. The process includes game design, development, and graphic art, etc. Even a very simple game takes at least 3~4 months from designing to publishing, up to 5~6 years. Of course, I don't mean that it takes 5~6 years to implement investment. But, on the contrary to this, it absolutely cannot be done in 1~2 weeks.

When it comes to investment in a video game, a venture capitalist (VC) decides to invest money after examining a developer, the production team, and its business condition etc. in 1~2 weeks to a few months and additionally looking into a difficulty in an external problem, a legal issue, the accuracy of the data from the company etc. And the investor should discuss the details about the condition of investment with the investee and perform the basic administrative procedure. It takes 2~3 months to 1 year for the whole process.

Let's go back to the story of the game studio in the beginning. When I had the meeting with the representative, the developer was in a sticky situation where employees weren't being paid regularly and the leader came to me after doing everything he could. I felt sorry as I told him frankly, however, investment to the developer is actually quite challenging. Because there is a possibility of causing troubles within a few months while going over issues related to the investment; talented staffs might move to other companies due to unpaid salaries and the investor might find other debt which he/she didn't catch. What I want to talk about is that the investee should come to ask the investor at least 6 months before actually he/she needs the extra money. That way VC is able to have enough time for a proper review of the data from the developer and also have affection for the company. And, last but not least, it is human nature to want to do someone a favor whom I've been watching for a long time. So I hope that many representatives of video game makers which want to attract investment go over the expense plan and get things ready early in advance. The investment process cannot be done in 1~2 weeks like as if a new game cannot come into the world in such a short time. Failure to provide an opportunity for the potential firm is personally very sad and heart-breaking.

※ This is from Kyunghyang Games column by 泥中蟠龍 since September 2013.

   (http://www.khgames.co.kr)

    Translation by Kim Ki-hui

泥中蟠龍's Game愛歌 _ Hang in there, Korean games!

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 culture. Of course, I don't mean that it's wrong. But it's not easy to inspire consumers from other cultures with items produced based on different cultural backgrounds. Although, in my opinion, there is no big universal-emotion barrier or cardinal-values gap, cultural items especially express delicate emotions of the member sharing the same culture so that outsiders cannot be able to share the same experience with them. Therefore, it's hard to export content. Sure, the only exception is North American content which is already universal and beloved around the world.

When it comes to a video game, it is a totally different story. Game content already maintains a certain level of an international universality and domestic video games are not much different from European or North American ones. Because an internationally common method of the user interface or delivering a message are used and there are many game stories set in the medieval ages or fantasy world and based on Records of the Three Kingdoms—most Asians, not focusing on something traditional or Koreans only can share, easily understand. These subjects of the game stories are one of the forces for the universality. Besides, a game story, unlike videos such as films dealing with delicate feelings and subtle emotions, just needs the smooth flow of stories covering all over the game, which relatively easier to appeal to users in different cultures.

The video game as a cultural product is already the key Korean export. And it shows stronger overseas performance than any other content. Com2uS has grown with a market value of over W1 trillion thanks to good results of Sumonnor's war: Sky Arena in the overseas market. There were local games like Lineage, Dungeon Fighter Online, and CrossFire in the past. And numerous local games are making good performances in the overseas market.

This is what I wanted to talk about to some people who call for restrictions on online games for video game addiction. Last but not least, a film, when it was first created, was criticized because it was harmful to teenagers. I finish this column hoping that the video game won't be another victim of the funny story.

※ This is from Kyunghyang Games column by 泥中蟠龍 since September 2013.

   (http://www.khgames.co.kr)

    Translation by Kim Ki-hui

泥中蟠龍's Game愛歌 _ Conflict in a video game

泥中蟠龍's Game愛歌

[A love song for games of the dragon waiting for an opportunity]

 

Conflict in a video game

 

I have talked about what I think about the video games industry through my columns. Although I mentioned a game itself a couple of times, there was always the games market at the heart of it. But I want to talk about another topic today.

When it comes to content, there should be a message which connects between a creator and a consumer. It is usually called a narrative or subject. If that is the case, how can the creator deliver the message to the user? When the creator frames a story, he/she generally uses the conflict. Today I'd like to deal with the conflict in a video game.

The conflict can be divided up with many different types of categories. I especially sort it as following: a conflict between +(plus) and +(plus), a conflict between +(plus) and –(minus), and conflict between –(minus) and –(minus).

Firstly, (+)(+) conflict is based on opportunity cost. For example, you choose either the mountain or the sea where you go on holiday. This is the matter that you should pick one out of the two options. In the game, a user makes a decision to choose to level up or collect an item when he/she cannot perform the two mission at the same time. This is the most accessible type of conflict in the game and a game designer makes good use of it to provide strategic fun for players. User's autonomous decision-making skills greatly influence the outcome of the gameplay.

Secondly, (+)(–) conflict is about causation. For instance, you don't want to get fat although you crave something delicious. This type of conflict is progressed by putting at a disadvantage. In the game, a player needs 'heart' to play the game and the number of hearts will be decreased on each round of the game. The gamer having fun thinks about the way to overcome the handicap. At first, the in-app purchase was the standard for a user to be getting out of difficulty. Recently, however, to prevent players from being tired or bored before having fun, game designers use other ways to make consumers return to the game to stop them from migrating to other games.

Lastly, there is (–)(–) conflict, which is about a choice between two obligations. You would neither like to clean a room nor stay in the filthy space. In the game, for example, a user doesn't want to lose the game and to take the same action multiple times on each stage, either. If this happens, a game designer needs to suggest how players get obstacles out of the way, which is the latest type of in-app purchase.

Conflict, the greatly important element in the game, is used for gameplay as well as the storyline. This column shows only a superficial understanding of the conflict in the game, however, I wish it beginning of active and vibrant research on various elements of the game.

※ This is from Kyunghyang Games column by 泥中蟠龍 since September 2013.

   (http://www.khgames.co.kr)

    Translation by Kim Ki-hui