[Dalgemseu] "To Capture Real Fish Vividness, We Painted Each Scale by Hand"

'Fishing God' Item Crafted... Analysis of Fish Worldwide
Thrilled by Users' Praise for Perfect Fish Realization
Over 67 Million Game Downloads with Vivid Content

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] "To vividly reproduce the texture of real fish in the fishing game, we collected and analyzed data on fish from around the world."

Lim Hyo-bin, a 3D developer (34) at Com2uS responsible for the fish content and fishing item production in the mobile game 'Fishing God,' has drawn over 150 species of fish since joining the company in 2017. Lim said, "To bring out the realism of the fish, I hand-painted each fish scale that appears in the game." As an elementary school student, he studied music and dreamed of becoming a pianist, but his physical condition and musical talent were not exceptional. Eventually, he gave up on his dream of becoming a musician and found a new goal through an animation he happened to watch. That goal was to create cartoons that could make people laugh or cry. He said, "I wanted to create works that could move people's hearts." Later, he majored in game content studies at university but, eager to find a job quickly, he joined a regular company. Although he succeeded in getting a job, his passion for creation remained. While working, he self-studied game programming, which he had learned in college. Eventually, he left his job and transitioned to a game developer.

Although he is in charge of developing the fishing game, he does not enjoy fishing himself. He said, "I have fond memories of fishing with my father when I was very young." However, to create content for a fishing game, which has a more dedicated fan base than other genres, he needs to accumulate specialized knowledge about fishing. Lim said, "Just as you need to know about the teams currently in the spotlight when making a soccer game, you need to study fishing consistently, even if not at an expert level. There are many types, shapes, and materials of fishing bait and hooks, so if a game developer arbitrarily creates items, it can lead to parts that do not match the realism that fishing enthusiasts want."

Another form of 'healing' for him is collecting sneakers. He has collected 40 pairs so far. On the day new sneakers are released, he sometimes 'camps' by lining up in front of the store from the night before.

Above all, he feels thrilled when game users praise the perfect implementation of the fish. With realistic fish content and the tactile pleasure that excites fishing enthusiasts, Fishing God has recorded over 67 million cumulative downloads in 191 countries worldwide. Lim expressed his ambition, saying, "Games have a lifespan, so someday I will be in charge of another game, but whatever game I work on, I want to create content that moves people's hearts, just like my childhood dream."