[Dalgemseu] "Burnout is Destiny for Game Developers"

The Commonality Between Soccer and Game Development is 'Team Play'
A Soccer Enthusiast Since High School
Relieving Stress by Solving CSAT Questions

Dalgames is an abbreviation for 'Sweet Stories of Game Developers.' It offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of game developers.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] "Burn-out is like a fate for game developers. The problem is how to overcome burn-out. Shouting freely and kicking a ball on the playground helps a lot in recovering both mind and body."

When you think of game developers, you might picture someone with disheveled hair and a tired face after several nights of all-nighters, wearing a gray hoodie like work clothes. However, Shin Jae-hoon (30), a developer at NCSoft (hereafter NC), rather reminds one of a soccer player. His cheerful expression, agile movements, and sporty attire somehow fit well with the dynamic nature of soccer. Since January 2017, he has been working on the development of Lineage M at NC. He has been a soccer enthusiast ('chukdeok' - soccer fanatic) since high school. Upon joining the company, he immediately joined NC’s soccer club 'FCNC' due to this connection. He revealed, "Whenever I have to fix countless bugs or things don’t go well, I inevitably go to the field. Sweating it out like that sometimes sparks ideas to solve the blocked problems."

The common hardship all game developers complain about is the battle against countless bugs, and when exhausted from this fight, they fall into burn-out. To address this issue, NC operates an in-house hospital called the 'Medical Center' and has a fitness center with exercise prescribers and professional trainers. However, ultimately, overcoming burn-out is something developers must do on their own. Developer Shin chose 'soccer' as his solution.

Soccer and game development share the importance of teamwork. He explained, "No matter how skilled an individual player is, soccer is a game where one cannot do anything alone. If the game planner hands over a well-crafted plan like a midfielder, the developer can produce good results as a forward, and the business team must defend well like defenders to achieve the goal."

Another ingenious way Shin relieves stress is by solving college entrance exam questions. On his desk is a workbook for the social studies section of the Korean College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which he takes out and opens whenever stress builds up. He said, "Sitting quietly and solving CSAT problems helps me erase worries about game development from my mind. At first, I tried workbooks for all subjects, but they were too difficult, so I now focus on the relatively more approachable social studies section."

The Lineage M game he helped develop has held the number one spot in revenue on Google Play for over 28 months since its release in June 2017. Shin shared, "When I first joined the Lineage M development team, I commuted by subway from my home in Mok-dong, Seoul, to the office in Pangyo, and seeing so many passengers enjoying Lineage M made me proud as a developer." He expressed his desire to experience such joy on PC and consoles as well. Shin smiled brightly and said, "We reached number one in mobile with Lineage M, and I want to achieve a triple crown by ranking number one in console and PC games as well."