[Interview] Game Director- Lim Woo Hyun
1. Please introduce yourself
briefly.
Hello, I’m Game Director of
Puzzle1studio’s COO Staff. I’m Lim
Woo Hyun. Nice to meet you!
2. What do you do and what do you do in
your team?
COO Staff consists of directors by job.
It is composed of experts in tech, art, and
planning to support the overall work of
Puzzle1studio.
As a Game Director,
I am working to improve game and level quality
of major titles in the company, and to grow
the planning profession (level design, game
design).
Periodically check and
manage the quality of new or key titles. In
addition, we are planning to share and
communicate in various ways such as COP,
weekly meetings, 1O1, and slacks so that the
planning job can grow, and ultimately improve
the quality of the game by supporting the
planning job from the core fun of the game to
the work method.
3. I’m curious about the team’s
daily schedule!
Share what you’re going to do
today and get to work with the Daily Scrum.
After that, I mainly carry out tasks
that can be helpful to the planning
profession, such as level quality management
and work for the growth of level/game
designers.
I also answer questions
related to my work whenever I have time.
The planning job group 1O1 is carried
out every quarter, and if necessary, we are
communicating through additional 1O1 or short
hangouts.
4. When did you feel the most rewarding
while working?
I was in charge of the Bubble Shooter
genre, <Bubble Pop Origin!>, from new to
updated, and I felt that the game and I were
growing together.
Last December, I
remember the highest sales ranking among the
same genres.
5. What are your business
challenges?
As I carry out various tasks
simultaneously, there are times when certain
tasks are delayed depending on the priority,
so I am a little worried that it may be
completed later than originally planned.
So, I pay more attention to this part
when I adjust the workload considering the
schedule for next week every Friday.
6. What are you doing to strengthen your
job competency?
I am continuously studying and looking
at game conference materials related to game
director and producer jobs.
Also, I have
to lead and manage the planning position, so I
think I keep looking for related books and
videos.
Recently, I read a book
called “The Birth of a Team
Leader,” which is very similar to the
author’s situation, so I enjoyed reading
it and learned more about management with
various examples.
Afterwards, I was able
to easily prepare questions that could be
helpful from the perspective of IC (Individual
Contributor) while proceeding with 1O1.
7. As a Game Director, would you give
advice to applicants in the planning
profession (level design, game
design)?
I hope you can analyze and think about
the fun and play experience of the game.
I would appreciate it if you could learn
the importance of FTUE (=first user
experience) and learn about it in terms of
level design and game design.
I hope you
play a lot of top-grossing games in the North
American market and puzzle genre.
If you
have experience in data analysis and
data-based decision-making, it will be very
helpful.
8. Who would you like to work with if a new
team member came in?
I hope you like puzzle games and have a
lot of understanding and interest in users and
mobile environment!
9. Why did you choose a game company and
why did you choose Puzzle One Studio among
various game companies?
The best thing was that we focused on
developing mobile puzzle games. The portfolio
I prepared was also a mobile puzzle game, so I
thought I could work based on my experience in
game development.
I expected that it
would be difficult to work as a puzzle genre
because the RPG is strong due to its unique
structure in the domestic market. In contrast,
I liked that Puzzle One Studio aimed at the
global and North American markets.
10. If you have any special know-how to
join Puzzle One Studio, please share it with
us!
I had a lot of experience participating
in projects with my team members. In
particular, the experience of planning and
developing mobile puzzle games as Unity was
the most important.
The experience of
team project experience and even launching
mobile puzzle games helped me a lot when I was
working.
11. What do you want to achieve in
Puzzle1studio?
I joined Puzzle1studio before it was
spun off from Beat Mango, and I’ve been
working with the company for nearly six years
on its explosive growth.
I would like to
improve the curriculum and build materials
that can help the planning staff grow further.
I hope that I can continue to grow with
Puzzle1studio without any brakes!