gvoice_vol24_en by gamania gvoice

2010/MAY

HOW WE CREATE ONLINE GAMES 8 860282 269 166

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Gamania's Big Leap in R&D internationalized and multi-themed contents. This demonstrates that Gamania has made its great leap in its research and development capability. After years of accrued market experience, Gamania's operation and R&D strength have fully matured. The next important step is to examine the result. Gamania will show the world its proud creation of second generation product in this year's Tokyo Game Show and target the global market. There goes without saying the importance of R&D. But as a Gamania, how well do you know about R&D? Do you know which people constitute R&D unit? And how do you produce a game from scratch? To clarify these questions, and bring you closer to R&D, this edition of G!Voice will guide you through the process of game development step by step. A feature interview with our "Operation Megatron" who received 20.6 months monstrously amount of bonus and the producer of "Lineage", a conversation too awesome to miss. All this and more, only in G!Voice!

Editing Department

● Publisher: Albert Liu ● Editorial Desk: Eric Chen ● Editor-in-chief: Yoyo Dai ● Creative Desk: Kiwi Chang/Betty Wang ● Art Editor: Brandon Huang ● Web Planner: Kenji Lin ● Web Designer: Snow Wang ● Publishing: Gamania Brand Center

Contents Features

04 06 08 16 18 20 24

R&D In Gamania Will Never Die Merry Making Plant The Real Game Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;How it all starts COO of Red Gate -Jack:

A Memorable Game is a Good Game GHQ-CRO- Alan Kuo:

Experience life is the key to producing great games! Operation V.S. R&D:With constructive feedbacks comes greater game We Are All Paranoiacs

Column

32 34

Mika, internet marketing observer

Gamers, let's save the world! gamaniabrandcenterďź&#x161;

Undercover: Fashion, Less but Better

Events

36 38

Winner of Fiercest Operation Team Award for February is: "Elsword" Operational Team IP Policy & Marketing Campaign Officially Kicks Off!

GAMANIA

Features

R&D

In GAMAN

WillNE

Before officially altered its name to Gamania Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd., Gamania went through three predecessors, Fujin Software Laboratory, Fuyo Software and FullSoft. During this time, Gamania's primary focus was to produce products for game console. Strategies of the Warring States, and Convenient Sto re were launched during this period. It was not until late FullSoft era did the company evolve from a simple R&D company to major game distributor, becoming an online game brand that focuses on both production and agency. Despite the ups and downs in the road of R&D, we have managed to shape up a stronger R&D team over the years and delivered the 1st generation of game products. This year, we've prepared to launch the more powerful 2nd generation of self-produced game to showcase our R&D strength. Frankly speaking, producing a game requires great deal of time and effort. It requires a group of professional technicians to brainstorm and race with time to deliver the best game with excellent quality in time. In this edition of G!Voice, we chose the R&D theme for two reasons, one is to let every Gamanian know the painstaking and passion of our R&Ders and the other, wi the coming of 2nd generation game, we'd like to dedicate our highest respect to all the Gung-ho R&Ders.

NIA

EVER DIE 05

GAMANIA

Features

Merry Making Plant To create a moving and well-received game, in addition to having enormous passion, you need to have a sturdy R&D team and the know-how as solid back-up. Gamania's R&D organization is divided into three sections: R&D, CDD and Support and each has its own subordinate units corresponding to its strategy. Four subsidiaries, Fantasy Fish, Playcoo, Seedo Games and Red Gate Games design different styles of games according to their R&D attributes. Technical Support, Marketing Research, Q.A and Lab were four divisions under CRO. CDD is in charge of providing subsidiaries with support such as system technology, market information and R&D resource. When people think of fun places, they usually think of amusement parks. Gamania's R&D center positions itself as "Merry Making Plant" which means to provide endless "power" for players and continue to bring pleasant surprises to the market. It also conveys a kind of energy that flows between partners. You may find this kind of concept in the lightening logo shared by four subsidiaries, Playcoo, Fantasy Fish, Seedo and Red Gates.

R&D

Shanghai R&D

RedGate

Playcoo

Seedoo

Fantasy Fish

ORGANIZATION CHART OF GROUP R&D

CRO

Consolidate policy and resource of product R&D

CDD

Support

Marketing Research

Lab

Tech. Supporting

Q.A.

Joint Development

GAMANIA

Features

The Real Game WorldHow it all starts For people who play games but have never created one, it would be hard to imagine the process of making a game: an online game starting from scratch, from research, development to operation. The magnitude and complexity of such process is truly a daunting task. It usually takes hundreds of people who spend 2 to 3 years to complete. Thousands of million players enjoy playing the games, but little do they know about the setting behind the storyline, a piece of clothes, an instance etc, all of which are the result of a hard working team. So what exactly is the process of making a game? And what are some of the bittersweet stories behind the scene? Let's hear it from our R&D team!

R&D FLOW STEP1 IDEA inspired from life, market and trends

STEP2 PROPOSAL propose plans with market value

STEP3 PROTOTYPE develop and verify the core system of a game

STEP4 PRODUCTION ďŹ nish the estimated content of the game

STEP5 ALPHA test the main functions and system pressure of the game, rectify and modify accordingly

STEP6 BETA collaborate with operational partners and adjust the content based on market demands

STEP7 CLOSE BETA open for limited players for trail run and rectify problems/issues in the game

STEP8 OPEN BETA open for general players for trial run and modify direction based on the feedback

STEP9 RELEASE maximize the value of the game and increase s life cycle sustainability of gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Robin Chenďź&#x161;

Good Ideas Come from Good Habits Dept: Joint Development Title: Production Assistant

STEP1: IDEA How do you trigger creative process for a new game? Robin said, "Life is game. As a game R&Der, this is the attitude you should have. There is no special way to seek inspiration. The best way is to live your life with a playful attitude." Robin brought up an example, "From the first cup of coffee you have in the morning, watching the twirl of the milk and coffee, you may think, 'could we make a game out of the twirl of a drink?' Or when you take the bus, you wonder how many Gamanians you might run into today and you're thinking new way to play hide and seek." Robin said it is not hard to come up with ideas, but it is certainly difficult to come up with good ones. "Don't expect good ideas to just come out of nowhere. Good ideas require good habits which includes, dare to try new things, write down new thoughts/ideas and be willing to share these thoughts and ideas." After coming up with an idea, Robin would find a few Gamanians to discuss and evaluate the idea. Or search the idea online to see if anyone agrees with it or it has already been turned into a game. Robin said that any idea has a potential to be turned into a practical plan. However, most ideas end up being just ideas. "Please don't get discouraged when this happens. So long as you maintain good habits, ideas will pop out one after another."

GAMANIA

Features

A Brainstorming Session full of Post-its In Gamania's R&D team, when a theme of the game gradually comes in shape, the team will call for a special brainstorming session. This is not just some random discussion but to inspire and throw in ideas based on specific them e. Before the session is held, everyone has to prepare his/her own "post-it" notes and write down key words/phrases in relation to the theme and thus becoming this interesting "post-it" brainstorming session.

1.Set up Premise Meeting convener will set up premise before every meeting. For example, this time we need to produce an action role-playing game, we may need setting, rules and characters. Before the meeting, everyone has to write down key words/phrases regarding the "setting" or "rules" on post it notes.

2.Elaborate Your Idea During the first meeting, everyone will elaborate on the ideas they have previously written on their post-it notes. (Because everyone has his/her own thinking process and approach, elaboration is needed for further clarification.)

3.Ideas Mix&Match After a consensus is reached on each post it note, then the mix & match session begins. For example, John brings up a combination of idea A+ idea B, it seems nice. Mary may say if you add idea E to John’s combination, it would be even more fun and the discussion goes on until some probable combinations are settled.

4.Combination Discussion During the combination discussion phase, everyone has to try to narrow down the ideas and discuss a possible direction, rules combination and practicable design.

5.Final Discussion During the final discussion phase, various factors should be taken into consideration such as man power cost, production cost, distributor, market acceptability, suitable platform etc. An idea with proposal potential gradually comes into shape after adding all the external factors.

STEP2: PROPOSAL Mark thinks that “Any idea can turn into a good proposal. As long as the idea is carefully arranged and most importantly, contains details that are inspirational. As a game planner, the most important skill is to find an idea that will move the players.” When asked about the most difficult part of being a planner, he said, “A project planner not only needs to draft the content, selling point and features of a game, he/she also has to continuously convince their partner and supervisor until someday, the supervisor stands up and asks you, ‘When can I see the prototype?’ Then you know your proposal has already been finalized and that is the moment a planner feels most good about himself/ herself.” Mark thinks that planning a game is actually quite similar to drafting a contract of a dream and reality. You not only need to clearly contour the dream, but know how to execute them in detail. If you can follow these two principles, then you will have a good proposal.

Mark Wen：

A Good Project Planner must Strike a Perfect Balance Between Dream and Reality Dept: Seedo Games GD1 Title: Manager

Jack Wangďź&#x161;

Find the Key to the Game and Verify it Dept: GHQ CDD Title: Production Assistant

STEP3: PROTOTYPE During the prototype phase, the most important mission is to illustrate the proposal with most exact detail possible so the R&D team can verify the core rules of the game and predict the result after the game is complete. If the game is adopting a new technology, relevant testing data must also be proposed at this time. Jack said prototype normally has two ways of development: one is the "evolving model" approach which is to keep verifying the result step by step based on the blueprint until the product is made; the other way is the "abandon model" approach which is to quickly adopt every available resource and tool to piece up the most important type of the product regardless of the details and progress towards the goal after verification. Jack thinks that the most crucial thing during the prototype phase is to understand want you want. "If you want to repackage an old product, then the key focus is on the story or artistic expression; however if you want a game with a brand new concept, then you must ensure it is as fun and executable."

GAMANIA

Features

Sun Chang：

Set up Quality Control Bars for Players Dept: Seedo Game COO Ofﬁce Title: Art Director

STEP4: PRODUCTION After the initial test of prototype phase, the idea is gradually turned into a new game. R&D team will start pouring in massive manpower including designing tasks, overall visual style etc. Sun said, "A game must reach certain level to be produced in quantity, including all software and hardware standards such as engine limit, output format, artistic style and layout. All of these need to be confirmed and a best flow must be drafted during this stage." Even though during this phase, the team must work night and day to finalize the work. But for the players' benefit, Sun thinks that this is something R&D t eam needs to persist. “Players would definitely want to see the new setting, wear the new equipments, kill new monsters and use the more outrageous effect. If the content remains the same all the time, it will definitely disappoint our players. Even though R&Ders may still need to compromise due to actual resource limit, time cost and market demands, a quality bar must be set to protect the interests of the players."

Ken Cheng：

Effective Communication, Attention to Details Dept: Playcoo Project Management Title: Manager

STEP5: ALPHA The most important goal to be achieved during the Alpha stage is to see an integration combining all the functions in the game. The draft presentation of a game must be seen during this stage. How do we seek perfection during this stage? To achieve that, Ken thinks that everyone has to pay extra attention to detail. “Every R&Der must be extra careful as to not to cause any oversight and has patience, the right method and tools in solving problems. This way we may complete this stage more effectively.” During this phase, different units and levels need to collaborate to achieve the best result, therefore effective communication plays a key in this stage. The team needs to work together not against one another to maximize our strength. Ken said, “The most important thing is to let our partners realize the purpose and focus as we go so that everyone to work with each other smoothly and effectively.”

GAMANIA

Features R&D Terms and Meanings Avatar： Refers to the characters controlled by the player, sometimes refers to the thumbnail icons of the characters.

MMOG： Short for Massive Multiplayer Online Game

MMORPG： Short for Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game

ARPU： Short for Revenue Per User, refers to the average contribution the players make in the game. Taiwan online game users’ ARPU is around NT300 a month.

Game Balance: A game must possess of rich content and higher playability, hence the most important rule of thumb is to achieve game balance which is also the key focus the players pay most attention to. To give an example of a game that is not balanced, towards the end of the game Monopoly, because the assets are divided and centralized by a few people, trades cease to happen and finally one player who takes up the highest probability wins and the game is forced to end. The concept of game balance may apply broadly in online games, including item balance, monster balance, occupation demands balance, skills balance and economic balance etc. If some professions are stronger than others, players will sure to neglect the weaker ones. In sum, “Any items designed for the game has to be balanced and achieve the purpose of sustainability. Since there is no end, the game can go on and on forever, this is what we called the perfect game balance.”

Jack Chang：

Get in Shape and Prepare to Fight Dept: Fantasy Fish Project Title: Manager

STEP6: BETA Jack described the Beta stage as the final adjustment and preparation before warriors go on to the battle. Not only do they need to bring their equipments and ammunition, but also adjust themselves mentally and physically. During the Beta stage, a game is close to completion. Every situation has to be dealt in a short time be it the input of quantified information, integration adjustment or verification of game features and data. Adding the processing and demands of all the required documents, art materials and testing proposed by operational unit, the amount of work and pressure R&D team is dealing at this stage is definitely many times compared to the initial stage. Jack said, "The most common problem facing this stage is the struggle between time, resource and quality. Many projects sometimes choose to sacrifice quality due to time and resource limitation, therefore it is important to propose a rational plan before entering this stage or else the product may fail in the market after the launch."

Jessica Leeďź&#x161;

Be Keen and Adjust Strategy Accordingly Dept: BU4 Title: Project Marketing Manager

STEP7:

CLOSE BETAă&#x20AC; OPEN BETA Entering the Close Beta and Open Beta stage means the game is ready for make their first contact with the players. Although this is not yet the official launch, whether the players would choose the game after this stage almost most definitely decide the destiny of this game in the future. Jessica said, "Close Beta stage is a crucial moment because it is the first time the game is open to players for trial run. In addition to testing program and stability of member loading capacity, the team needs to de-bug the game and gather players' feedbacks and comments. These are invaluable information for operational team and R&D team to make adjustment in the future. At this stage, the team needs to execute every section with precision in a very short time, be keener to sensing and solving the problems in the game, adjust strategy according to the market and attune the game to the status that aptly reflects market demands."

GAMANIA

Features Senior Game Producer on Games ①

Jack, COO of Red Gate: A Memorable Game is a Good Game

What is the deﬁnition of a good game? Is it deﬁned by its popularity? Allowing multiple people to log on at the same time? Cater to the market? For the COO of Red Gate, Jacky, a hardcore gamer who has involved in R&D for more than a decade, the above could barely account for an answer. The definition he gave was simple yet difficult at the same time. He said this without any hesitation, "A good game is a game that people remember."

When asked about why he entered game industry, Jack said, "I enjoy playing games. But at first, I played games invented by others. I thought why can't invent something just as good? If I can make these things for everyone to enjoy, wouldn't it be a kind of achievement!?"

A Game Producer With No CertiďŹ cate Prompted by passion, Jacky decided to enter into game industry even without any relevant background. "I'm a graduate from Mechanics but I've always been interested in arts and am actually good at it. Without any formal training, I had to lie in the interview at the game company that I used to be the assistant to a comic artist." Jack laughed and said, "They hired me just like that, and then I could never leave this industry." When asked about his biggest fun in doing R&D in games, he said, "There is no fun in making a game, but to certain degree, you may gain a sense of achievement, like when you see the 3D designers started to make the characters move or even when you can control these characters. At that moment, you're so excited and moved by the performance delivered by the team. That brings me a sense of achievement and satisfaction. "

Making a Difference Game Standing from a game developer's viewpoint, Jack said he always wants to make something different. We asked him, "Wouldn't market be a concern?" he gave us the answer that reflects his forthright

character, "Before any game launches in the market, no one can tell for sure whether it will be a hit or not. The only concern then becomes: whether you could apply the game's features and target your player group. If R&D only focuses on market as their priority concern, the team may be lost as to where they should head towards the future and kill interesting creativity along the way." But how do we make a different game? Jacky said, "You must keep yourself on top of the game." Be it the lately hardware or development technology, we need to gather and understand these information and try as many new game genres as possible. During the process, every member of the team must 'invest' a lot to gain any possible 'feedback'. It is through organizing and analyzing these information and making bold speculation can we make games that have never been seen in the market. When asked about Jacky's most satisfactory work, he said, "Some may think it's Storm Warriors but I couldn't control the planning and program design of the game. I still found quite a few mistakes in it and that's why I'm not very satisfied with it." However, when we mentioned "Project Core" which the Red Gate is currently engaging in, Jacky couldn't hide his excitement further and shared with us some of the exclusive bits. Suddenly, we were reminded of the key words Jacky mentioned: different game, memorable game and a game that has its own place. Could Project Core become a game of its own place in the launch of 2nd generation R&D show? Maybe we already know the answer.

Jackyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s Path of R&D 1991 1993 1993-1996 1996 1998 1998-2006 2006 2008 2009

Entered game industry, worked for Softworld International Entertainment Participated in the launch of "Swordsman" Participated in 7 different works such as ChungHwa Baseball and JinYong Variant. Established Enigmas Graphic Studio "Storm Warriors" adaptation of a well-known HK comics Established Enigmas Beijing R&D Team and finished adaptation of novels and comics based games, such as "The King". Became art OEM and took up cases from Taiwan, Japan and the U.S. Left Softworld International Entertainment and joined Gamania. Established R&D division in Beijing, helping BS project on art quantification and production Took over the R&D project, HERO:108 and initiated R&D plan on Project Core Established subsidiary of Gamania, "Red Gate Games" Current participated and produced games: total of 15 Works that bring you the greatest sense of achievement: "Swordsman" Works that achieve highest sales: Storm Warriors (sold over 400,000 worldwide)

GAMANIA

Features

Senior Game Producer on Games â&#x2018;Ą

GHQ-CRO- Alan Kuo: Experience life is the key to producing great games!

As the CRO of Gamania, Alan has an extraordinary record in the game industry. While we were still playing the PC game produced by Capcom, Japan and the K.O.F of Arcade Game, he has already involved in Chinese game production. For such an experienced R&Der, what are his definition and ideas of a good game? How does he view the games and his own life now? G!Voice reveals all in this feature report.

Kuo has been involving in the game industry for nearly 30 years. When talked about games in early years, he mentioned some of the classic pieces such as, Donkey King, The Legend of Kage, Final Fantasy, and Megami Tensei. Kuo said, "Megami Tensei was the first game that I truly enjoyed playing a role in it." So what made him start to "make games" then? Kuo said, "Actually, I wanted to become a comic artist back in high school." Kuo told us that he was drawing illustrations for a video game magazine during his freshman year in college and got to know many friends who share the same interests with him. He then realized perhaps "making games" can also a career choice and he did. He said, "Though I am not totally crazy about playing games myself but I feel lucky that my career is combined with my greatest interest."

Three Must Haves for a Good Game What kind of elements should a good game have? Kuo answered on top of his head, "First, the game that can bring joy to the players, which is why UI Design is very important because it allows the players to play the game with their instincts; second, the gradually progressed Level Design. We can't discourage players in the beginning nor can we let them lose their desire to challenge new level; lastly, a good game must have a distinct style and characters. The players have to be deeply moved whether by the theme, world view, or mission of the game!" When asked about where his greatest sense of

achievement comes from as a R&Der, Alan answered with forthrightly, "In terms of online games, it surely comes from the amount of online players at one time because it is the evident that the ideas and creativity of the game R&Der are greatly adored and favored by so many people."

Game is an Interesting Cultural Medium We asked if he has a different attitude when playing games since he is both a player and a game R&Der. Kuo smiled and said, "The purpose of these two are different. The former is to complete the mission and upgrade levels. Now I only play games for research, and I would stop once I get a profile of the game." In addition, he suggested that all the developers should view the game as a wonderful Cultural Medium that communicates the ideas of developers with players. Kuo said, "If you make the players spend a lot of time only to get a character with level 80 or 90 but nothing else, it is so empty no matter whether to the game producer or the player." Kuo said that he spends much time and effort experiencing life now. He hopes to internalize his experiences to create new games and approach. He said, "Many famous overseas game producers are like this. For instance that Shigeru Miyamoto's idea of creating Wii was from his life experience. Actually, as a creator you should live a good life and accumulate different experiences so as to create more fun and interesting games."

Alan’ s Path of R&D 1990

Joined the R&D section of Softstar and worked as the art designer. Participated in his first game development – Ranma 1/2 and later served as the project director and art designer of Xuan Yuan Sword. 1991-1996 Participated in the production of Legend of Zyca, Empire of Angels I, II, Xuan Yuan Sword II, and Legend of Wolf. He served as the project director, art designer, animation maker, art director as well as for characters setup. 1998 Participated in the production of Tun Town and was awarded for the best director of Copper Medallion Award. 1999-2000 worked as the producer and art producer of Xuan Yuan Sword III which were rewarded as the 1999 Game Star best domestic RPG, 2000 Game Star best domestic RPG, and best game of the year of Game Oscar. Kuo himself was also awarded for the best director of Copper Medallion Award again. 2001 Served as the later stage producer of Empire of Angels III. 2002 Served as the later stage producer of Xuan Yuan Sword IV and was rewarded with the Quality Digital Product by Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2003 Game Star Game of the Year, Best Domestic PC Game, Best RPG Voted by Players, Best Project, Best Producer, Best Art Design, Best Animation, Best Music of the sixth Game Oscar, and Best project of Game Oscar. Aug. 2004 – present Left Softstar and joined Gamania. He served as the CRO of Gamania.

GAMANIA

Features

SPECIAL INTERVIEW

OPERATION V.S. R&D With constructive feedbacks comes greater game

A good game requires the cooperation of both R&D and the operation teams. However these two teams often stand from two very different points, which often causes diverged opinions and lead to misunderstanding. G!Voice invited two representatives from both R&D and operational teams: Junghun Kim, a famous senior game producer who once developed the best-selling online game, Lineage; and Brian Huang, who consistently creates great achievements in operation and has been awarded with the Gamania Fiercest Award. So what do they differ in opinions regarding the deﬁnition of a “good game”? What divergence they may encounter during collaboration? And what attitude should they take when working together?

Operation Representative:

GTW-PD-Brian Huang

Notable works: Stone Age Magic Card ；Kart Rider, CS Online (during Gamania period) Joined the game industry in 1999

What's your deﬁnition of a good game? 金正勳 (referred to as Kim below): For R&Ders, a

so-called good game is a brand new game that no one has ever seen before. This game must have a technical breakthrough; a new system, a new world view, and is added with creative twist that no one has ever done before. As for the art design, there must be a smooth yet splendid visual effect and the program must have a new technology or engine. However, no matter what kind of breakthrough it is, the purpose is to show a different game than before. Also, I believe a good game makes the players enjoy playing it. The player shouldn’t feel uncomfortable when playing. The progressive difficulty makes the players come back for more and wants to stay and run the game. Brian, Huang (referred to Huang below): I believe a good game is a game that can bring pleasure to the “most” players. You don’t need the most advanced technology, the ultimate art design, or any technical breakthrough for a game to become a good game. If you add some exquisite designs in the game, it can still be a very good one. For instance, Kart Rider, it does not have top-tier technology nor a deep world view but it still brings the joy to the players. Actually, there is a simple way to tell whether it is a good game: when you are tired that day and plan to turn off the computer and go to sleep. However, if the game is so good that it makes you jump out of the bed and want to go play, then it is definitely a great game.

When R&D and operational teams work together, what are the areas they most likely to have disagreements? Kim: The most common conflicts are perhaps between the “ event ” and “ budget. ” The operational faculty needs to attract players and raise the profit by creating more events while R&Ders run their own schedule. Conflicts are more likely to occur if the demand is unable to be satisfied in a limited time. In addition, when a game is to be launched, we expect the operational sector to give us more assistance on promotion, or even more budget on the advertisements. However, our operational partners seem to vanish and become silent once the game isn’t doing so well in the market. Hahaha… Huang: That actually happens all the time. We fully understand that R&Ders would want to “try harder” but considering the operation and budget, we tend to use the numbers to communicate and calculate the value of the game. If the game is underwhelming in the market, it is very likely to be sacrificed.

R&D Representative:

senior GHQ-CRO-- Junghun Kim (Soul) Notable works: The War of Genesis Online, Lineage, (developed during the NCSoft period) Joined the game industry in 1996

GAMANIA

Features Hence, I’d like to add one more point. The R&Ders tend to be quite artistic which could be somewhat subjective. They create a certain game and expect players to perceive the game as they do. Yet in reality, players are not so obedient. We provide the harsh truth that our R&Ders might not want to hear. We have to tell them that players may not think as they do and may not follow the rules they set. Kim: We cannot do much about it! As a game creator, it is very easily to think of yourself as playing the role of God in the game. However, on the other hand, this is the charm of online games. Unlike console games where the players can only follow your rules, in online games, you can’t predict how they want to play and perhaps that ’ s a deeper lesson for us.

What's your idea of “Game Balance?” Huang: I have some thoughts about game balance. In a game, you have to give the users some pressure yet the operational sector often tries to lower the difficulties in exchange for better sales. They expect the players to buy more, purchases such as the double-attack item, double-experience item etc which actually makes the game easier. When each quest designed by the R&Der can be easily completed by players, the game loses its balance and then the players would lose their interests and leave the game. I think that is what the R&Ders most worry

about. Nonetheless, if the balance of the game is set to be inflexible then the game is worthless because it is not profitable. The source of profit comes from the destruction of the balance and I believe the balance of game possesses the mechanism of self-repairing. If the game is run on the “ mall/store mode ” , which means you can’t set up to disrupt the game balance, then no matter how good the game is, it will not become a very good product. Kim: A perfect game balance is definitely a goal that every R&Der wants to achieve. I usually keep rehearsing the balance set in my mind during the developing process. I’d pretend myself to be the player and think from the beginning of the game to the highest level. What are the games that should be set in between? What system should we run? How much time should it take to obtain the skills? Of course, I am not God but I can sure you that such process definitely runs in my mind for over thousands times. Huang: But the operational faculty always treats the game producers as God so whenever there is a problem, we’d criticize harshly, “why is it not the same as you said…?” (both laugh)

Where does the inspiration come from? How do you sell a game? What are the expectations you have for one another? Kim: The inspiration can be found everywhere in life. Anyone can be inspired. The developers are someone who can transform those thoughts to executable contents. So if you want to ask me where my ideas come from, I’d say they are from everywhere. Huang: Let ’ s talk about producing games. I always think making a game is like cooking. Cooking requires ingredients, tools, and skills. When the planner comes up a good idea, it requires

organization to make it visually aesthetic as well as techniques and systems to run the game. If there is a piece of quality steak, but without proper tools and skilled cooks, it will remain a piece of raw meat. For the operation sector, our job is to sell this dish so we have to find someone who like it. Of course we can use great amount of advertisements but the cost would be way too high. We just need to lock our target groups. As for my expectation towards R&D, perhaps for them to make a dish that everyone enjoys but I haven’t seen anything like this so far. (laugh out loud) Kim: With my 10+ years’ experiences in R&D, I have to say if the game is not good, no matter how hard the operational faculty pushes, it won ’ t sell. But sometimes a good game may be ruined by a wrong promotion campaign. So I hope that operational faculty can try to understand the TA, content, and style of game set by the R&D in early stage so that we can communicate in advance to minimize failure.

What do the feedbacks from the players and market mean to you? Kim: To me the feedback from players is like drug addition, I can never get enough. I still cannot forget the Korea Game Exhibition in 1999. I was expecting to see around 300 players but there were over 2000 players and some of them even lined up the night before. I got goose bumps when I heard the thunderous cheers and applause after the film of game was played.

can’t just sit around and expect them to tell you what they like. So we started to try to “talk to the product” everyday. We review the pubic opinions after the game is launched and listen to the problems and reactions brought up by players. You see what went wrong in the game and try to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

How do you collaborate to create a “good game”? Kim: I think R&Ders should always keep this idea in mind: the opinions from other units are not some form of intervention or surveillance. The time is different now, a good game requires more than the efforts from R&D but the communication, contribution, and supports from every unit. Therefore we should never reject others’ opinions. Huang: I think it is a matter of changing your idea. Anyone who participates in the project should actively get to know each other and make oneself understood to others. If you lack the will to understand each other, it might result to a intense and confrontational relationship. If we view all the comments and feedbacks as a form of assistance, we can multiply the strength of the product and make it more powerful.

Huang: We used to make and sell the game we want, however the truth proves that it seldom ends well. So we changed our strategy, we make games that players like and sell the products that players want and we have great responses. Of course, it’s not easy to grasp what the players like and you

GAMANIA

Features

We Are All Paranoiacs

A R&D team is comprised of 4 types of people: producers, game designers, artists and programmers. Gamania R&Ders not only excel in their respective field but enjoy scrutinizing every aspect in life, whose degree of obsession can only be described as paranoiacs. Just exactly how many types of people are there in the Gamania R&D team? That's an answer that even CRO can't answer. And how many paranoiacs are there in the R&D team? G!Voice reveals all in this feature report!

DECONSTRUCTION OF R&D SPECIES

Producer Specializes in management and has a clear idea on how the Gama-team should battle

Artist

Game Designer

An artist with pictorial thinking, who loves freedom and is passionate, committed and curious.

A good story teller with lateral thinking, very detailed and knowledgeable, a good partner of artists and programmers.

Programmer A scientist with logical thinking, persistent and relentless, possesses Midas touch.

ParanoiacsShow Your True Color! SDG-GD2-Taiyi Lee:

Professional Level Amateur Soccer Player █ Cause: Lee used to play soccer with neighbors when he was

a kid, imagining himself to be one of the key characters in the comic, "Captain Tsubasa" and trying to strike a tiger shoot at a line of coconut trees. After Lee grew up, he realized that the whole world is crazy about soccer and he wishes to be part of the trend. █ History: Lee joined all kinds of professional matches and exams: National FUTSAL, Li-Tai Cup 3-3 Soccer Match, Hot Spring Cup FUTSAL, Addidas Street Soccer, National Sports Cup, Class C soccer coach of FUTSAL Taipei. █ Syndrome: his body would ache and feel languid if he doesn't play soccer for a week. He installed satellite dish just to follow every major league match and he watches at least one game a day. He even wants to organize Gamania Corporate Soccer Team. █ Complication: his passion, commitment, patience and team spirit are exactly the elements that R&D team needs!

ALI-RD-R&D-Kiri Chien:

Street Dance is My Source of Conﬁdence █ Cause: Chien has always been interested in street dance,

hoping she could dance as elegant as professional dancers. From the very basic self-taught Parapara steps to dancing on the dance game machine in Ximending, Taipei city, her confidence comes from dancing, helping her discover a better side of herself. She still enjoys dancing very much! █ History: No special medical history but Chien is proud of her "choreography talent". Some people may be good dancers, but they are not necessarily good choreographers. She and colleagues used to participate in the dance competition held during Group's year-end party. The craziest thing she's ever done was to perform a musical on her own wedding, fulfilling her childhood dream! █ Syndrome: Though she is a mother now, she would still squeeze time to dance, even with kids in her arms. As long as she has some free time, she will go to the dance studio for lessons, post-pregnancy flab was not an issue for her. █ Complication: She wishes she could incorporate her choreography into the game!

GAMANIA

Features GBJ-RD-Sida Yuan:

Man's Gung-Ho GUNDAM Spirit █ Cause: Yuan hooked on MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM when he was

in the elementary school, as he grew older, he started to collect miscellaneous spin-off products from stickers, disks, models, comics to games. His favorite GUNDAM game is "Giren no Yabou", an epic story comprised of numerous insignificant people. The spirits of these people, however embody in the games and models. The true and genuine quality about GUNDAM is the biggest attraction for him. █ History: No special medical history, but insisting in taking his graffiti GUNDAM skateboard as his sole transportation. █ Syndrome: Yuan would buy any GUNDAM related models, raw model modules or limited edition DVD. He will only watch his newlypurchased GUNDAM animation when he is in a good mood and in perfect harmony physically and mentally. No matter how many times he has watched the animation, he will still cry every time he rewatches it. The most serious incident of being over-indulging in the story was that he couldn't detach from it for as long as half a month. Any GUNDAM related theme song would hike up the quality and speed of his design, a powerful way to get his design adrenaline pumping. █ Complication: If you can't even be moved to tears by your own work, then the players won't even bother to take a look. GUNDAM's charm lies in its human touch, he thinks that it is more compelling than being visually beautiful. For example, even if the female character looks like Lin, Zhi-Ling, he is certain she will not be nearly as attractive as the girl next door. The purpose of developing a game is to make the virtual world more humane.

SDG-GD2-Limin Lee: Entertaining Magician █ Cause: Initially he bought a box of magic tool box, "Disappearing Scarf" from

7-11 in his junior year in the university and was made aware how "magic" works after reading the instruction. Later on when he performed in school, the looks on every classmate's face made him realize the charm of the magic. To satisfy the demands of his classmates, he went "astray" from then on… █ History: Couldn’t live without cards. Decks of cards can be found on his office desk, side of the bed, table and bags. These cards are used for inspiring new ideas or hand massage or handle random tests proposed by colleagues. █ Syndrome: He once joined the magic contest held by IBM, but the contest was canceled. He won the first place in Close-Range Magic Contest held in Taichung, 2008. He has performed in many different occasions, friends or family's gatherings, year-end parties, weddings, schools, charity events and shop openings. In June this year, he will be attending a national magic contest Lee's Youtube Channel held by TMA. Contestants from respective Asian countries will gather in Taiwan http://www.youtube.com/user/ to compete. This year, he also plans to make another street magic film (he had limin0953 previously attempted an experimental film in 2009) which he will share with everyone upon completion. █ Complication: Celebrated magician Danny Cole once shared how he created magic. If you want to make a coin disappear, you should envision the disappearance in front of the mirror. Without any elaborate consideration, draw down the movements in the form of comics. Then keep looking for information, collecting any skills or techniques to accomplish the magic. It took him two years to finish the task. Lee learned from the concept of "creating magic from the scene". A game should not be compromised or aborted due to technological limitation, because it will only limit the new technology or means to be invented. It is only when you research on the kind of effect you wish to achieve that you find out more ways to do it.

RED-COO-Tomes Ho:

A Motorcycle Player Free and Unrestrained █ Cause: Ho had his first taste in motorcycle

in high school (Motorcycle was not yet made legal in Taiwan at the time). The speed and joy of riding made him fall in love with the world of motorcycle. He loves riding on his motorcycle when it is sunny out. █ History: Ho had completed motorcycle tour of Taiwan four times. Basic mileage per day is 300 km with the annual average mileage breaking 25, 000km. He has also successfully acquired racing license. █ Syndrome: Spent more than hundreds of thousands dollars on motorcycle modification. His motorcycle has been modified to 280c.c. He is currently saving money to buy one that is 550c.c. and above. He buys at least one motor vehicle magazine every month. █ Complication: His motorcycle addiction has broadened his horizon. The lack of resource made him learn how to work with what he has to overcome the problems. The theory also applies to the design of games.

SDG-COO-Sunchang: Bio-Observer █ Cause: Chang had his first Red-Eared Slider when he was in the elementary school. That was the first time

he found the beauty in animals. He is interested in anything animal related from breeding, hunting, feasting to swimming. When he was young, he could watch ants moving around for 3 hours. █ History: His love for animals made him a knowledgeable man in the field. Any animals seen or appeared on Animal Planet, National Geographic or Discovery Channel or even in the zoo, rarely is the chance that there would an animal he doesn't know the name of. His love for animal also made him start creating animal figurines. He once won the first place in black bear figurine contest held by Taipei City Government. █ Syndrome: He has kept numerous pets. He used to have cats, dogs, squirrels, rabbits, shrimps, birds, geckos, snakes, spiders, lizards etc. Now he has only four box turtles and a newt. He has a considerable collection of animals and insects models. He has collected more than 600 models and is considered a well-known collector in this field. He spends almost all his money on his collection. █ Complication: Chang's obsession towards animals made him realize that "Anything intangible must be built upon something tangible so that people may identify with it." If you want to design a monster, it can never be something out of nowhere. For example, the characters in Avatar reflect creatures in real life. The real life creatures inspire the designer to create something extraordinary. It is when you have a deeper understanding of a creature can you create something that the players can identify with.

GAMANIA

Features RED-RD2-Giki: Exquisite Figurine Designer █ Cause: To celebrate he scored 67 in math in grade 6, Giki’s father bought

him his first GUNDAM Seed Ms09 figurine 1/44 as a gift. Since then, began his quest of collection. Buying, collecting, and keeping these figurines, even at the expense of constantly living under a budge. One day he heard a kid throwing a tantrum over toys, the father slapped the kid across the face and said, “What do you want this for? Can you eat it? If you want to play, go to your classmate’s and borrow theirs.” It dawned on him that he should start making his own models and figurines. █ History: Toys and Figurine Design Merit Award, 2005; Jian-Tan Cup Model Exhibition, 3rd Place, 2006; 12-inch Model Exhibition, at Living Mall, 2009. He also published his works in some toy websites. █ Syndrome: Giki used to make 3 to 5 figurines or models for the club evaluation conducted by GHQ. After the Figurine Club closed down due to insufficient member, he started to participate in some of the external toy exhibits. Currently, he creates 1 to 2 theme models/figurines every year. █ Complication: Giki’s learned a few things from making figurines and models: 1. personal creation can be fun and entertaining, but for group creation, you cannot be too subjective and have to learn to communicate and work with others. 2. For the market to establish a sense of identification, it depends on a series of successful products, otherwise it is very easy to be overwhelmed by miscellaneous products in the market. 3. Taiwan is the one and only. It is so unique that you can’t find anywhere else in the world that resembles the uniqueness of Taiwan, hence we must not be conceited. 4. Games are like figurines, you need to realize the ideal by doing it. Just do it!

SDG-GD1-Izumi Chou: the Marvelous Coser █ Cause: Chou has aspired to work for the production of movies

since she was young. Cosplay circle is like a miniature of the film world, she has learned a lot of skills from it, such as sewing a piece of clothes, making tools and modifying photos. The reason she is crazy about Cosplay is because she can keep challenging herself to transform virtual characters into reality. █ History: She would join just about any major Cosplay event. Sometimes she would make appearance for her friends ’ campaigns such as department store promotion, birthday parties or comic artist autograph sessions. She participated the monster and ghosts competition held by Gamania and won the second place dressing up as the ghost nurse in the movie, Silent Hill. The author of the well known comic, “Meiji Swordman Romantic Story ” , Nobuhiro Watsuki came to Taiwan for autograph session, she was the only coser the congress made an exception to let her participate. █ Syndrome: She insists in hand making all her clothes and tools to resemble 100% of the original character. She would do it to the degree that she forgets to eat and sleep. And for her big day (Wedding photos), she demanded it done the Cosplay way! █ Complication: When designing for costumes and weapons of a character, she would see it as the piece that she will be personally wearing, therefore she pays particular attention to details and the ensemble.

PCC-PM-Antatsu Liu & PCC-CON-Dennis Chen: the Martial Art Duo

█ Cause: Liu has been doing martial arts for 16 years.

Antatsu Liu

In the beginning, he just wanted to learn some selfdefense skills, however after he had more in-depth understanding of the “legacy” and “virtues” of martial arts, he was enthralled. After he entered the university, he explored the skills and theories more extensively and found himself even more captivated by this ancient wisdom of our ancestor. █ History: Liu participated in various martial art contests and competitions and won more than 20 awards and certificates, the best of which are Champion in Group Weapons and Second Place in Male Fencing. █ Syndrome: He would practice the movements in his mind when he doesn’t do physical training. He would feel awfully wrong if he doesn’t get to move about for too long. █ Complication: He has learned a lot from the virtue of martial arts, such as controlling one’s emotion, being confident but not arrogant, learning to endure, respect others and yield. These attitudes helped him a lot in working with colleagues. █ Cause: After reading the comics, “The Fist” and JinYong’s martial

Dennis Chen

arts novels, Chen entered the realm of Chinese martial arts full of expectation. In his junior year in the university, he had many different realizations from practice and exploration. “Martial arts is a like a treasure mountain, you need to keep thinking and deliberating from others’ experiences to be able to find your own path up to the peak.” During the practice, he always gains more. This is why he loves martial arts. █ History: No special medical history. Chen values his own growth greatly. He keeps asking himself, “What is the difference between the me now and 15 years ago? How about 10 years ago? How about last year? How about yesterday?” █ Syndrome: Once he was practicing his fist strength, he hit the same tree with his bear hands every day. Three months later, he killed the tree, literally with his fists. Later on he grew 10 more trees to compensate for this. Sometimes if he dreams of the solution to a bottleneck he faces in practice, he would jump out of the bed with joy and start practicing. █ Complication: there goes an old saying, “If you just train your fist not your heart, you will end up with nothing when you get old! ” Art of War reads, “If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.” The same philosophy can apply on the development of game. It is only when you keep practicing and trying your best to lay a solid foundation can you know the trend and the market needs. Accumulate more knowledge, experience and strength during the process of R&D so that the game may have the best performance.

GAMANIA

Features SDG-GD1-Mole: the Persistent Dance Club Founder █ Cause: Mole loved watching western music

video channel when he was in high school. He soon became a fan of popular singers such as Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown and MC Hammer. He always has thing for dancing and dance music. After L.A Boyz became popular in Taiwan, he started watching music videos to learn dance moves. He established pop dance club after he joined Gamania, hoping to relive the dream of dancing with new friends. The 2nd chance doesn ’t come easy, so he especially cherish this opportunity. █ History: His biggest achievement is to lead members of pop dance club and perform on stage during year-end parties four years in a roll. █ Syndrome: Mole dances when he walks and even when he takes a shower. Two months before the year-end party performance, he even danced in dreams. █ Complication: Gamania pop dance club has been established for 4 years. A member once told him that the club makes people happy. It’s a place to release pressure and exercise. Someone lost weight because of it, someone learned how to dance from scratch. It is not even about dancing, the point is the ambience of a big family makes people enjoy practicing together and love Gamania more and more.

SDG-GD2-Arix Hsieh: An Avid Pili Puppet Show Fan

█ Cause: When Hsieh was little, his father wanted all the kids to learn

Taiwanese so he bought a set of Taiwan traditional hand puppet shows for the whole family to watch. Hsieh fell in love since the first time he watched it. He loves the characters, styles, music and special effect of the show. In recent years, Taiwanese hand puppet show has reached international standard in terms of its character styles, soundtracks, 3D technology and film editing. This is also the reason why he is crazy about the show. █ History: No special medical history. Hsieh’s dream is to own many hand puppets but it is truly an expensive hobby (one costs around NT30 to 40,000) He is still working on it. █ Syndrome: Hsieh will make time for the latest hand puppet show no matter how busy he gets. Whenever there is a new release on the original soundtrack, he will buy it at the day of release. He became the paid member of Pili Puppet Show so he can receive Pili Monthly and enjoy discounts on spin-off merchandise. He would participate every hand puppet related events, exhibitions or concerts. █ Complication: Although in recent years, hand puppet show has not developed as rapid as before, it continues to bring in new effects and technology. The show also incorporates many styling elements (punk, Lolita) into shaping characters. More story lines and twists are added into the plot such as vampires, aliens or the Death, making it easier to cater to the youth market. Similarly, Hsieh thinks that the games can also use the same techniques, such as more exciting content, more interesting approaches, more extravagant scenes and more creative marketing packages to appeal to existing players as well as attracting new consumer groups that originally do not play online games.

Three Key Qualities for Becoming a Gamania R&Der Becoming a Gamania R&Der, in addition to professional skill set and speciﬁc research domain, what other crucial qualities are required? G!Voice invited CRO of GHQ to share with us, the three essential qualities of a competent Gamania R&Der.

1 2 3

Persist in Quality The most creative plan might become players’ nightmare if there is no good quality to sustain it. A good set of game should cross-check its quality through various means as early as the design phase, be it the code written for the program, the scene created by Art department, words and phrases written by media planner or even a number, all must be consistent in quality to achieve perfection.

Dare to Execute A good creative work consists of 1% inspiration and 99% efforts. Letting creativity runs free and unstrained is joyous, but the process of realizing it is often agonizing. R&Ders need to have a strong execution will to carry out creativity and the ability to face any challenges ahead so they can be one step closer to success.

Be Modest The developer of a game sets out the values and rules in the virtual world, he/she is practically the equivalent of a god in a game. Therefore, a good game developer should possess a breadth of mind like a god, accommodating various thoughts and opinions to make a game better. When creating a game, the developer should also think from the player’s perspective, achieving a perfect balance amidst all designs.

GAMANIA

Column

Gamers, let's save the world! About Writer

Website for this speech: http://www.ted.com/ speakers/jane_mcgonigal.html

Mika

Internet marketing observer in Taiwan Mika has been working in the field of marketing for more than 10 years, managing from brand strategy, product concept to market launch. He cares about the traditional marketing models and also pays attentions to the changes of Web 2.0, Social Media, and etc… Blog:http://jabamay.blogspot.com/

Who says games can’t make the world a better place? An American doctor initiated a plan to “rally online game players to solve the problems in the real world!” Her proposal wasn’t just some hot air but well substantiated.

Dr. Jane McGonigal is also a senior game designer who has spent years researched on the issue of “Why people think the virtual world is better than the real world”. In the TED conference1 this year, she explained her main point, “When you engage in online game, you’ve become the you in the best shape—the idea itself makes one happy. After spending enough time practicing online, one may transfer this ability from virtual world to the real world and solve the problems we face.” Why do we feel exceptionally well when we play online games? Because there is a drive that urges us to collaborate, whether we know

the other person or not, we are willing to solve a task that we deem meaningful. In the virtual world, everyone believes in the ideas that “help when you are needed, and keep moving on even in the face of obstacles and setbacks, until the final goal is achieved…” The passage above shows the qualities required for success. And these attributes are especially obvious when people engage in large online game. There are 500 million players who spend at least an hour a day online and are trained to be “active and progressive, optimistic and goaloriented and willing to collaborate and trust one another. ” The

number continues to grow as we speak. These people are the seeds to saving the world, the point is “ how do we transform these qualities to abilities that can be used to resolve problems in the real world?” Dr. McGonigal designed three online games as an experiment to actualize her theory. For example, in “World without Oil”, you will be asked to stay alive in the world that suffers from oil shortage. The game was designed to make you believe the options and items are real and will affect your life in reality. When you register your residence, the system will give you updated news and information and tell

Website for this speech: http://wwolives.wordpress.com/2007/06/14/another-test-post/、http://www.superstructgame. org/Home1#

you the precise data on the cost of oil, food, transportation and school. You need to find a solution to these problems and publish the information to blogs, YouTube or Flickr. She monitored the initial 1,700 participants and after 3 years, she found out that the players still maintain the habit which they were accustomed to from the game in the real life. Another game is called “Superstruct”. The background is set to presume that humans only have 23 years left to live. Players will act as the members of the Elite Team, in charge of exploring new energy, food, medical care and social security network. After the game went online, 8,000 people participated. In the period of 8 weeks, they created 500 possible solutions that are crazy but extremely creative.

The games we’ ve played may contain problems that we face in the real world but have never thought of applying possible solutions. From the experiments, we may see that online games that are fun, interesting and with a purpose may help induce such transference. This speech opened up an enormous potential and room for imagination. The more you spend time online, communicating, interacting with your friends in the virtual world, the more indefinite the lines between the virtual and real worlds. And the behaviors exhibit in these two worlds also influence one another. The problem solving ability you have comes from the real life experience and the attitude you adopt to solve real life problem comes from the internet. Web-citizens rallied together to make justice served

would be a good example of that. The doctor compiled qualities for success, “active and progressive, optimistic and goal-oriented and willing to collaborate and trust one another” may even be good news for players—a golden pass for continuing to play games. As for the onerous duty to save the world, we will leave that to the experts. At the meantime, all we have to do is play hard and hope that someday all this can be transferred to save the world! FOOTNOTE: TED is short for Technology, Entertainment and Design. It is best known for its conferences devoted to “ideas worth spreading”, inviting distinguished figures in respective fields such as scientists, designers, writers and musicians to give lectures or talks regarding technology, society, thoughts and exploration of humans.

GAMANIA

Column

Undercover: Fashion, Less but Better gamaniabrandcenter Design Observation A blog jointly written by the members of Gamania brand center where you can find the opinions and observations on brands, marketing, and designs from designers, executives, musicians, exhibiter, creators and even aliens. G!Voice reposted the diverse and copious content to the magazine so that Gamanians can communicate and exchange thoughts with them via internet. Website: gamaniabrandcenter.blogspot.com

This may be one of the best collections I’ve seen Undercover did in recent years. Successfully combining fashion with other elements, Undercover fully grasped the aesthetic and concept of the classic Braun, and it is one of the biggest breakthroughs made by designer, Jun Takahashi. Personally, I am not a big fan of Takahashi’s “dark” design. I admire his cut, usage of color and concept. Braun ’ s former chief designer, Dieter Rams led a series of designs in industrial products which I was fascinated about. His design series of Braun household appliance, such as SK55 record player and T1000 media player, maintains German’s practical style,

reducing unnecessary interface disturbance and function waste. Under his interpretation, his design provides users with a prominent elegance that blends in so well with the living environment. His most famous quote, “ Less, but better ” is without a doubt fully realized in all of his works. Given his contribution and influence on industrial design, Dieter Rams is definitely one of the

圖片來源：designmusuem.org、thisislavie.com

Incorporating Braun’s elements, Undercover exhibits a new style this season that savors of industrial design.

greatest industrial designers of the last century. Braun ’ s signature designer became a great influence for numerous industrial designers in the past (such as Jonathan Ive, the chief designer of Apple) and now even crossed the border and cultural boundary and influenced Jun Takahashi. Takahashi released his spring-summer collection for 2010 last year, I couldn ’ t believe my eyes — I never knew that industrial elements can be incorporated into fashion design. What made Braun work in Dieter Rams ’ time now works just as beautifully in fashion. I was confused for a moment because I wasn ’ t sure whether it ’ s

because Dieter Rams ’ design was too transcendental or Takahashi’s maneuver was too clever. Anyhow, Undercover ’ s collection was a marvelous dialogue, splendid fireworks of design creativity. The famous Braun ’ s orange buttons for household appliance were transformed into avantgarde buttons in Undercover collection; the heat-discharge holes turned into Peep Window; the signature camel leather handles full of mixed and match style. Of course, let’s not forget the Khaki color which showcases Braun ’ s products so well. You cannot but admire Takahashi’s breakthrough and creativity.

In terms of the texture of the clothing, he focuses on the ones that are more functional, so it is comfortable to wear and gives you the smart look at the same time. This season’s “Less but Better” collection is well rounded with an impressive accessory line. Maybe you didn ’ t appreciate UC ’ s previous fashion direction as much or maybe you didn’t know who Dieter Rams is, but if you like fashion, design and creativity, you should definitely give Takahashi a try this season. You will discover a lot more interesting details and fall in love the two masters.

GAMANIA

Events

IP Policy & Marketing Campaign Ofﬁcially Kicks Off! In the December edition (2009) of G!Voice, we reported a piece on Gamania’s entrance of intellectual property right battle, announcing guidelines and internal marketing promotion. An exchange platform was established for local and overseas Gamanians’ use. Recently, Group Gamania initiated a series of marketing activities and prepared abundant prizes to encourage Gamanians to take action in knowing more about IP. The activities were well received! IP promotion campaign achieved great result in head quarter. The next step is to spread the campaign to Gamania around the world in hopes of enhancing the overall IP awareness and encouraging Gamanians to pour in thoughts and ideas on the IP battle!

Boring and serious slogans transformed into interesting comic strips and stickers as seen on the entrance of respective elevators in GHQ.

Pop quiz held on the 17th ﬂoor of GHQ

The campaign provided up to 16 special gifts with the biggest prize being “Nintendo NDS Game Console”

http://brand.gamania.com/gvoice

》誌人劃橘企 3 《別 O. 特 N

《HERO：108》Reissue版

GAMANIA

Special