Game Director from Hell

Chapter 94: Possession (1)

Suddenly, I thought that establishing criteria for ‘fun’ is quite ambiguous when I realized that. Defining the mechanism by which humans experience pleasure is too subjective, and even if it’s possible to explain, I lack the evidence to support the claim.

After all, I am a game developer not a neuroscientist.

I found myself contemplating unexpected responses from an unusual perspective.

‘A harvesting and cultivation system…’

To explain, in the game’s identity, there are numerous crafting contents beyond harvesting and cultivation. From mining or animal husbandry to processing materials through skills like sewing or tanning, it aimed to realize the proposition that users could create their characters in a fairly broad sense.

Of course, I didn’t delve too deeply.

I considered Identity as a linearly progressing game through narrative devices, and in actual development, the most emphasized aspects were the protagonist’s abilities and narrative execution.

The surprising part was the reason for this.

‘The experience of growing plants must be minimal. At this stage, the cultivation system is implemented as just stretching a polygon.’

In other words, the QA department employees find joy in watching a single polygon elongate on a white background.

It might sound strange, but on the flip side, it becomes a statement that even such simple content can be enjoyable.

It was a response that couldn’t be ignored.

I have experience and knowledge.

When a developer’s intention differs from user experience, nine out of ten times, the user’s instinct-based judgment tends to yield a more positive outcome.

So, there was one thing to think about.

‘Why?’

Why is there such a reaction?

Do QA department members like farming?

‘No.’

Judging by the key, it wasn’t because they liked farming.

Saying that they enjoyed simply growing polygon-shaped data implies more that they found interest in the system itself, ‘collecting and cultivating.’

In fact, there are games of this kind.

Games that caused a stir in the industry with inexplicable impact.

Thinking about it now, there are at least two examples.

Games like ‘Becoming a farmer and getting married under a kind grandfather’ or ‘Starting as a debtor and becoming a farmer.’

The potential of life content is undeniable.

Then, how far can this be expanded?

No, how much stake does this take in determining the direction of the game?

I shuffled through documents several times.

And I felt the need for more data.

“Mr. Jiseok.”

“Yes?”

“Bring some QA department play footage. Oh, and call Myungkyu as well. There are a few simple tests to be done.”

“Oh, okay!”

So, I called Myungkyu and observed the QA department’s play footage with him.

“How is it?”

I asked Myungkyu.

“It’s interesting. Especially stopping the game progress and farming on the street is fun.”

Just as Myungkyu said.

One of the QA department employees, the moment the cultivation content was unlocked, stopped everything they were doing and started farming on the street, creating a field. And for 7 hours, throughout the work hours, he only farmed on that land.

Without taking a break for even a moment.

I said to him, “Life content seems to have a better response than expected. So, I need some data to verify it.”

“If you’re going to validate something, how would it be?”

“Whether it’s just a response limited to farming or not.”

If it’s the latter, there was a direction that came to mind.

“From today, stop all other tasks and implement the life content first. The planning team will cancel the level design schedule. Let’s collaborate on this.”

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“Um, got it!”

Due to the overflowing ideas, my head became heated.

A kind of anticipation. Also, impatience rose.

***

The QA department at Rewind was quite secluded from other departments within the company.

It was inevitable due to the nature of their work.

Fundamentally, the testing work meant that, apart from result notifications and feedback, they rarely interacted with other departments. Moreover, if they didn’t leave their department office, which was located in a soundproof booth, they wouldn’t even come face to face with anyone.

As a result, the QA department occasionally became the subject of various rumours within the company.

For example:

“Did you hear that? The QA department jumps into every wall in the game until they find a bug.”

“There’s Team Leader Park Sungchul in QA. They say he even jumps into walls in real life.”

“Maybe… it could be because the workload is too much and they’ve gone crazy.”

“Yeah, our CEO…”

“Since he give them so much work…”

Of course, these were just fabrications.

The reason QA department characters jump into walls is because bugs related to object collisions are common in the game. And Team Leader jumping into walls in real life is due to a hangover from heavy drinking the night before.

Anyway, the conclusion was that the QA department was somewhat isolated from other departments, and one characteristic of such a department was its internal cohesion.

It was quite peculiar.

Considering the frequent job changes in the industry, there was generally less time for employees to become close. However, given Rewind’s low turnover rate, this was particularly true for QA.

The high salary generally increased employee loyalty.

Anyway,

“Hey, guys! The new version has arrived.”

“Wow! What’s been added?”

“Mining and animal husbandry! Also, tailoring and blacksmithing… even a butchering skill.”

The employees cheered at the words of QA Team Leader Park Sungchul.

Unlike other teams that slowly die out during the development period, the atmosphere here was quite lively.

Basically, the work was playing the game, and the employees were hardcore gamers passionate about playing. It was only natural.

More than anything, the QA department had a significant advantage internally.

“I hope it’s not boring.”

“Me too. I love it when I can write ‘boring’ in the feedback.”

QA is the only department in the company where it’s okay to curse at the CEO!

Moreover, since Yeonho actively accepts such feedback, the stress in the QA department is even less.

Park Sungchul, with extensive practical experience even within the QA department, was chosen as the team leader. Despite being in the field of programming, he chose QA for a reason.

When he judged himself, he realized that he was exceptionally good at improving something rather than creating it from scratch.

So, he had pride.

The reason he wanted to do more work was also due to the sense of achievement that came from that pride.

He was truly a workaholic in the company.

“Alright, everyone! Let’s get to work!”

Clap, clap!

As they applauded, the employees started downloading the new version and began playing.

Immediately delving into the newly added life content, the employees pounded their tablets with lost souls.

It was their way of expressing some enjoyment.

Lately, it had been like this.

For some reason, Yeonho stopped all other content development and immersed himself in life content development like crazy. And QA continued until the polygonal form of the content was thoroughly tested.

“Jiseok, turn on the recording equipment, we need to do this.”

“Oh, yes.”

Recording gameplay had become a more emphasized aspect recently.

This recording was sent directly to Yeonho, as it documented the moments when the gameplay changed—when something was unlocked or achieved.

It was a time when such things were in full swing.

“Wow, it’s already been six hours.”

In response to a comment from one of the employees, the others replied.

“What? I’ve been mining fiber all day.”

“I’ve been collecting 2,000 iron ores.”

The QA employees, discussing their achievements with faces full of excitement, seemed quite proud.

Even though it was a repetitive task, and even the items they obtained were not properly implemented in the game, they found joy in their work.

They didn’t think about the reasons themselves.

Determining why it was fun was the job of the planners, not the QA team.

However, one thing they could clearly say was that the sense of accomplishment from repetitive labor was somehow related to the satisfaction of looking at a warehouse filled to the brim.

“I can’t write ‘no fun.’”

“Yeah, but we still need more content. It would be great if they added a little more.”

“But I found two bugs. If you mine while soaking in light and swinging the pickaxe, the motion gets messed up, and if you mine an ore in the shape of a donut, it bounces.”

“But why is it in the shape of a donut?”

“I don’t know. Oh, did you know that if you plant wheat and push it into the ground, a calf corpse is launched like a rocket?”

As they chatted away, Park Sungchul stood up.

“This is a trash game, seriously, nothing to do.”

He said, and then left for the bathroom. On his monitor, there was a screen with a pile of 2,000 iron ores, fiber, and 500 leather.

“Wow!”

“As expected of the team leader! The grind level is on another level!”

At that moment, they became like elementary school students looking at the status window of a high-level character left on by a hardcore gamer in the PC room.

***

The QA reports and videos arrived.

After checking all the videos over the course of about a day, there was a conclusion.

“As expected…”

It was just as expected.

“It’s not because it’s farming that the QA department finds it enjoyable.”

The reason QA employees found charm in the life content was not because it was farming.

It was the sensation of ‘ownership’ itself that captured their interest.

The overall play pattern was like that.

After throwing a few contents at them, the employees superficially licked them and then started playing one of them.

Initially, there was a slow pace with breaks in between, but as the supply of materials through gathering ended and the concentration increased with the ability to make items from those materials, their focus heightened even more.

In the short term, it was purpose.

The proposition that the supply of materials for making the top-tier gathering tools was inherently established, and after that was completed, the focus shifted to filling the warehouse with items, and then they continued gathering tirelessly.

Even though it was a meaningless repetitive task, the reason for doing it was the obsession with ‘ownership’ itself.

How could one ignore the fundamental desire rooted in human psychology?

It was a very meaningful result.

However, besides discovering the motivation they felt, I was able to complete a concept that would shake the core of the game through this result.

‘Gathering is enjoyable. But exploration for gathering is boring.’

Even though finding an ore vein was enjoyable, there was still the tedium of searching for it.

Also, after digging up one vein, there was a burden for the next exploration.

‘Making items through gathered materials is genuinely fun. But the shortage of items is continually being highlighted as an issue.’

If you find enjoyment in the game, it is undoubtedly the catharsis that comes from achieving something.

Appropriate rewards must be presented for each action, whether it’s combat, life, or adventure.

How to resolve that.

Above all, there was a challenge that had to be solved for the inevitable gap that would arise when expanding the life content in the existing game.

‘If you engage in life content, you can’t progress through the game’s story.’

E-40 is a wanderer by setting.

Traveling to many places, meeting numerous people, and helping them regain the smiles they lost—this is the content of the game.

However, if life content is pursued, that becomes impossible.

Just looking at the QA results, when employees focus on life, doesn’t the main progression come to a halt?

If that’s the case, there’s only one solution.

‘Build a village.’

In other words, establish a base.

A teleportation point that allows movement anytime, anywhere.

“That way, you can progress both the main storyline and life content simultaneously. Plus, you can incorporate narrative devices.”

Before my rebirth, the game did not shed light on what happened to the people who regained their smiles later on.

Even though smiles were stigmatized as a heinous crime within the narrative.

They accepted it for gameplay reasons, but doubts would surely arise.

This time, it’s about resolving that.

For example, starting with a farmer.

“Thanks! Thanks to you, I can do what I love freely! As a token of gratitude, I’ll help you out! If you ever need assistance with agriculture, feel free to come by!”

The mere fact that I can continuously witness the happy future of the person I rescued provides a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Furthermore, if we can complete that as something not just an object but as something that helps me, we can enhance the focus on the narrative by meeting a new NPC in the chapter, helping him, and perceiving the process as ‘finding workers for my village.’

It strengthens the organic connectivity.

But that’s not all.

“What if we make new crafting methods, unlock crafting routes through the story, and make it possible to obtain gathering seeds?”

It allows control over the gameplay pattern that gets absorbed in gathering and crafting.

To create something beyond a certain level, you have to progress the main story to acquire recipes, thus reinforcing the sense of purpose in the game’s progression itself.

In conclusion, yes.

“If the point is to enjoy ownership…”

Everything leads to possession.

The progression of the story is ownership, NPCs are ownership, collected items are ownership, crafted items are ownership, and the village created by all of these is also ownership.

The “me” playing the game aims to make everything I desire possible within the village.

Now, let’s give a name to this.

“A village of those who regained lost smiles but have nowhere to go. A village where everyone laughs and does their own work.”

And the result of the achievements accomplished by the “me” in the game.

In other words, a trophy exhibition.

So, there can only be one name for it.

“Miso Village.”

The happiest place in the world I created.

“If there’s something you want, just have it.”

If it’s fun, the director’s role is to make it happen in the game.

Ending this conception leads to a result entirely different from my past life.

One, it not only makes me uneasy but also brings refreshing clarity penetrating through my mind.

“It changes.”

It’s a bit more of an evolution.

Accept the fact that I’ve changed with joy.

If the past life game contained my personal conceit, this time it’s about containing something even bigger.

Identity.

As the name suggests, whether you’re a farmer, miner, blacksmith, adventurer, or maintaining the stance of a wanderer.

It’s about creating a game where everyone playing desires to become the person they want to be.

We were all born for that reason.

I immediately told the planning team.

“Mr. Jiseok, Ms. Hosu.”

“Yes.”

“Did you call us?”

“We’re going into a planning meeting. Please come to the conference room.”

It was time for the concretization of ideas.

In other words, the power of collective intelligence was needed.