K-Content News
- February 24, 2021
Making fun meaningful
Minseok Do, CEO of Impact Games Studio GamBridzy
Q. What does an impact game mean?
A. It literally means a game that can bring a large social, cultural impact. Previously, games were just seen as a fun activity, but now, it is used to improve academic achievement – there’s even a new term called “gamification”. There is a new movement to create games that can inspire people and influence society just as films and novels do.
Q. How are healing games and impact games similar and different?
A. In my opinion, they both positively influence society. Healing games offer visual, auditory, and emotional beauty to bring comfort. On the other hand, impact games directly or indirectly deal with social issues and can be presented in different genres including horror, adventure, and strategy simulation. The theme “healing” is successful, constructing a bond of sympathy, away from the usual concepts of games like competition and action. I think impact games should also pursue that.
Q. What is the message you would live to convey through Wednesday?
A. The first public testimony of the victims of the Japanese “comfort women” was given on a Wednesday, August 14, 1991. Thanks to that testimony, August 14 was designated as a memorial day for comfort women, and the opportunity to restore and guarantee the human rights of sexual assault victims all over the world was opened. To commemorate this day, I developed a game where people can make efforts to solve related problems, and we decided to call it “Wednesday”. I hope the players not only in Korea but also in other countries would play the game and learn what “Wednesday” means here.
Q. What was the beginning of Wednesday like?
A. When I first decided to create Wednesday, I knew hardships and difficulties were ahead of us. I was afraid because it seemed like a crisis was coming from unexpected external factors. But thanks to everyone who has supported our cause, the number of supporters for the crowdfunding project we launched in the first quarter of this year reached, which is the highest number of supporters in the history of Korean games. During the closed beta test, we received good feedback regarding the scenario and the direction of the game. We are looking forward to good results after the release. Without KOCCA’s serious game support program, we could not have started Wednesday. It’s hard to get private investment with a theme like this, and we weren’t perfectly ready. So it was tough running around to raise money for the production costs. KOCCA was the first to recognize our potential, and the opportunity was very precious. With financial support, it has boosted our ego. We were able to hire more 3D graphic designers, which made us a team of 16 people. Also, once the news went around, people who are interested in impact game development reached out to us.
Q. It must be difficult to incorporate fun and a social message in the game at the same time.
A. Since we don’t have much experience, we underwent trial and error while working on our new game Wednesday. We will have to lay our foundation in the next couple of years, and I believe the only way to do so is to continue with our development and find our style. Game development is a field that incorporates different areas including digital technology, music and art, and scenario. For example, we wrote our story with the writing style of a poet who studied creative writing instead of a professional game scenario writer. I think a good game is created when people from different fields put their skills together and cooperate.
Q. How did you solve conflicts and differences of opinion?
A. In other cultural content developers and large game developers, the producers tend to have absolute power. Since we don’t have anyone with extensive experience or career backgrounds, there is no one with absolute power nor is it possible to follow the opinion of a few people. So the experts in each part make suggestions and they negotiate to apply the best opinion in Wednesday. Before we started Wednesday, a lot of people were concerned about the theme of the game and the business direction. Controversies and conflicts are inevitable when creating good content. The key is in how harmoniously we can put them together and shape them into a great outcome.
Q. What do you have planned for the future?
A. The PC version of Wednesday will be released on November 30, and the mobile version will become available around June next month. In fact, Wednesday directly communicates a specific social issue, so there was a big risk in the development and business aspects. I’m trying to make the new game in a style that contains more metaphors in terms of images and stories. Instead of the package download type where you no longer need to play once you reach the ending, I’m thinking of a live service type where you can continue to play. We will continue releasing games with social messages that can be casually enjoyed one after another, and my goal for the future is to create console or PC action-adventure games.
