On August 16th, individuals with diverse backgrounds but united by a passion to create “games that enjoy broad popularity”, gathered at Kyonggi University Suwon Campus. It was the admission ceremony for the KRAFTON Jungle Game Lab, a program for aspiring game developers built upon the foundational philosophy of the KRAFTON Jungle (click here) of “immersion experience, self-directed learning, and team collaboration.” Six games, the result of a 22-week journey condensing the entire game development process from its basics, were released on Steam in January 2024. The production managers of each team, responsible for representing the team and managing schedules, as well as overseeing the release, reflected on the KRAFTON Jungle Game Lab as a “paradise of agony” and a “turning point.” We interviewed production managers of each team, covering everything from introducing their games to Steam to reflecting on the rigorous 22-week journey.
Frostrain: Jeong-woo Goh
- Team: STEWDIO
- Genre: deck-building, strategy, simulation
- This is a game inspired by the film Snowpiercer, where you must manage and survive in a constantly moving “Train World.” This is a roguelite deck-building game that emphasizes the fun of the unique theme of a “world with a sequential structure in motion.”
Please introduce yourself.
Hello, I’m Jeong-woo Goh from team STEWDIO. I graduated with a degree in psychology, and my goal is to create fun games. My main role is in game design, and I took on the responsibility of production manager to introduce the game called Frostrain.
How did you feel when the game was released and when seeing the reactions from users after the release?
I was overwhelmed with emotion. Upon the initial release, we found ourselves constantly lamenting, thinking, “Ah, if only these additional elements had been included, it would have been even more enjoyable!” However, we were surprised by how much people enjoyed the game, and that was a great touch point for us. I would like to reciprocate with even more exciting games in the future.
What was the most challenging aspect of the Epic project?
The most challenging aspect of the Epic project was its inherently flat structure, lack of hierarchy or ranking. This meant that when we ran into situations where team members disagreed, we would spend days and days trying to reconcile them. Rather than saying we overcame it… we simply “accepted” it. At some point, we’d get to a point where we were absolutely running out of time, and we’d just move forward. Nevertheless, I believe we managed to reach the release safely because we pressed on.
*The Epic project is part of the curriculum of the Jungle Game Lab, where teams collaborate for two months to develop a game and release it on Steam.
Necro Rumble: Min-jae Kim
- Team: TeSePa
- Genre: necromancer action, casual
- This is a 2D top-down strategy action game where you play as a necromancer, reviving corpses on the field to fend off enemy waves. The game aims to provide enjoyment by killing enemies with resurrected corpses and reviving enemy corpses back into allies for combat.
Please introduce yourself.
I am Min-jae Kim, the production manager of Team TeSePa. As the oldest member in the Game Lab, I focused on project management and team coordination by drawing from my experience at LG Electronics. I also participated in development when additional manpower was needed.
How did you feel when the game was released and when seeing the reactions from users after the release?
The emotions I experienced when pressing the release button with my team members were incredibly powerful, almost indescribable. It’s a happy memory that will last a long time, just like a first kiss. Every day since launch, I’ve been checking the Steam stats page to see how many people are using the game and to browse through user posts and videos. It’s fascinating to see people from all over the world playing our game, especially when we saw traffic from Africa. When I see negative comments, it’s heartbreaking and makes me wonder how I could have made the game better.
What was the most challenging aspect of the Epic project?
Persuasion. Even though we were a group of people who were serious about game development, we all had different tastes and preferences when it comes to games and we had different genres each of us wanted to explore, and even within the same genre, we had varying ideas about what constituted fun. To create a game together as a team required unanimous agreement, so we engaged in vigorous debates until we convinced each other, following the principle that “Majority rule does not apply.” After heated debates, we worked to narrow down our opinions and finally arrived at this game.
Gravitia: Joo-hyung Bae
- Team: Vuzzle
- Genre: gravity manipulation action, adventure
- It’s a 3D side-view (platformer) puzzle adventure game where you use gravity fields to solve puzzles. Each stage is filled with a variety of level gimmicks that require clever manipulation of gravity to progress.
Please introduce yourself.
Hello, I’m Joo-hyung Bae, the production manager at Vuzzle, which develops visually oriented puzzle games. I majored in theology in college and pursued a master’s degree in art engineering. I joined the Jungle Game Lab with a dream in game development.
How did you feel when the game was released and when seeing the reactions from users after the release?
During the development stage, I was worried about whether the experience I wanted to convey would come across effectively to users. Fortunately, after the release, I felt relieved by the feedback from users who experienced what we were hoping to deliver. Furthermore, a journalist from “THIS IS GAME” wrote an article about our game, offering insightful analysis. Reading their precise coverage on the aspects we deliberated on during development and their positive evaluation, it feels like all our previous worries have been put to rest.
What was the most challenging aspect of the Epic project?
Finding fun that everyone on the team could relate to was a challenge, as the genres of games they enjoyed were slightly different. Because of this challenge, we went through about 4-5 iterations of brainstorming and planning for the game’s theme, only to scrap them later. What we learned along the way was that expanding the definition of fun to center on self-experience rather than genre opens up more possibilities. This led to a list of fun elements that resonated with the team, including “engaging world-building,” “self-efficacy puzzles,” and “immersion that comes from systems and concepts working together,” and the intersection of these elements led to the creation of Gravitia.
BoardLand: Soo-chan Song
- Team: HighFish
- Genre: deck-building, strategy, board game
- It’s a strategic board game where players move consecutive tiles, building tiles and dice to battle monsters. The game aims to capture the strategic depth of Monopoly (Blue Marble) and the engaging combat dynamics of Slay the Spire.
Please introduce yourself.
We’re a team of salted mackerel lovers, the HighFish team. And I’m Soo-chan Song, serving as the production manager for HighFish.
How did you feel when the game was released and when seeing the reactions from users after the release?
First of all, we were surprised that more people played our game than we expected. It was truly gratifying to see users experiencing and enjoying the fun we intended to deliver, and leaving reviews reflecting that experience.
What was the most challenging aspect of the Epic project?
It seems that the most challenging part was the initial stage of planning the game. Deciding on a single plan that all team members could agree on and that could convince the audience was difficult due to the uncertainty surrounding it. However, the knowledge we gained during the two-month training period prior to the Epic Project, along with the experience of validating fun and the advice from coaches, greatly helped in making decisions and overcoming challenges!
Maneuver : Min-seok Lee
- Team: Penguin
- Genre: FPP action
- This is a 3D FPP (first-person perspective) action game where you move characters by hacking and engage in combat. The game aims to deliver the excitement of strategically altering character positions, stats, and skills through hacking during combat.
Please introduce yourself.
Hello! I’m Min-seok Lee, a ready developer(?), who is a production manager on Team Penguin, the team behind Maneuver. Our team is comprised of enthusiasts who love action and 3D games. We have four programmers and one planner, all of whom are engineering students or graduates.
How did you feel when the game was released and when seeing the reactions from users after the release?
It was heartbreaking to read about our game’s shortcomings in the discussion threads and reviews, but it was also one of the best parts. One experience that particularly stands out is the interaction with users and the process of implementing patches. I found it especially rewarding when, after promptly addressing feedback by making adjustments to the game the very next day, the player not only provided positive reviews but also spent an extra hour playing. That was really satisfying.
What was the most challenging aspect of the Epic project?
I think the most challenging aspect was my complete lack of knowledge in 3D, particularly in utilizing art to complement the game. It was challenging for me because I lacked the knowledge to seamlessly blend first-person and third-person animations for a single character, which is essential for our game. I think I managed to overcome this by actively asking my colleagues questions and utilizing AI.
Underminer: Ji-hoon Lee
- Team: Gong Myeong (Resonance)
- Genre: mining action, adventure, simulation
- It’s a 2D side-view action game where players explore the underground world on a drilling machine. It’s based on the “fun of manipulation and movement” as you drill through different geological formations. Players excavate resources to obtain them and upgrade their drills to venture deeper underground.
Please introduce yourself.
Hello, I’m Ji-hoon Lee, the production manager at Team Gong Myeong. Our team, comprised of five robust young individuals, is dedicated to creating games that resonate deeply with people’s hearts.
How did you feel when the game was released and when seeing the reactions from users after the release?
I was amazed by the overwhelmingly positive response from users of diverse nationalities. For a game that was made in such a short period of time (2 months), we’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of positive feedback we’ve received. This experience has reinforced my determination to continue learning and contemplating, with the goal of creating games that players will truly enjoy playing.
What was the most challenging aspect of the Epic project?
The most challenging part was coordinating our schedules. In the initial stages, we planned a game with a much larger scope than what we have now, and the entire team worked hard to develop it accordingly. However, everyone on the team was diagnosed with COVID-19 one after another. As we pushed ourselves to focus on development, another health issue arose that resulted in further delays to the schedule. We managed to create the current game by prioritizing the development of the aspects we considered most important during the planning stage. We tackled lower-priority elements later on, allowing us to effectively coordinate the schedule.
What makes the KRAFTON Jungle Game Lab different from others?
“Residential stay”
(Jeong-woo Goh for Frostrain) Residential stay It’s a huge psychological hurdle, but on the flip side, that’s why you only get people who are really passionate about the game. The 22-week residential retreat allowed me to really get to know my coworkers, and that was an invaluable experience.
(Min-jae Kim for Necro Rumble) The fact that we all lived together in dormitories. The dormitory is nearby, and the lecture halls are open 24 hours a day. These conditions create an atmosphere during game jam days where we end up working through the night to develop our games.
(Joo-hyung Bae for Gravitia) The residential retreat puts everyone in an environment where they are naturally immersed, and I think that immersion really fuels individual growth.
“Immersion and exploration for the fun of gaming,” “Experience the full spectrum of game development”
(Min-jae Kim for Necro Rumble) We focus on how to “make a fun game,” not how to get a job. It attracted only individuals genuinely committed to game development, and there’s always a lot of quality conversations about the essence of games.
(Soo-chan Song for BoardLand) Whether taking a break, having a meal, enjoying coffee, or even sleeping, you are always surrounded by your co-workers. Surrounded by game developers, the Jungle Game Lab is the perfect environment for immersing yourself in game development.
(Min-seok Lee for Maneuver) What I enjoyed most was exploring the fun, not just learning technical skills. It made me reflect on my past obsession with implementing technology in other games for a job and my own implementation skills.
(Ji-hoon Lee for Underminer) Other places prioritize getting a job, which sometimes leads to a focus on individual outcomes. However, at the Jungle Game Lab you focus on creating “fun games” rather than individual outcomes. Furthermore, going through the process of releasing the game on Steam provided me with a detailed insight into how game development works.
The best coaching staff
(Min-seok Lee for Maneuver) Being alongside coaches with great experience in the field has also been an eye-opening experience for me, broadening my narrow perspective, and it made me realize how unique Jungle the Game Lab is.
This is the last question. How would you summarize your 22-week Jungle Game Lab experience in one word?
(Min-jae Kim for Necro Rumble) It would be a “heaven of agony.” The pain of wondering why it’s not fun, the pain of lamenting your lack of ability, the physical pain of developing with less sleep, the pain of convincing someone who has a different idea of fun than you, and the pain of uniting people with different goals into a single purpose. But with passion and determination, I overcame all the pain and found a paradise where I could enjoy game development to my heart’s content.
(Jeong-woo Goh for Frostrain) “A turning point in life.” My major wasn’t related to games, and I didn’t know anyone around me who was as passionate about game development as I was. But through the Jungle Game Lab, I met colleagues who were passionate about game development and learned so much by working directly with them to create games.
(Joo-hyung, Bae for Gravitia) “Where I learned about games.” Living with 29 fellow game-loving coworkers for 22 weeks, I was able to broaden my knowledge of games. Exploring games in genres I wasn’t initially drawn to opened my eyes to the diverse pleasures of gaming and encountering different perspectives on games broadened my narrow view.
(Soo-chan Song for BoardLand) “GameLab, the jungle as we call it, can be rough and demanding at times, but it’s all part of the experience.” We pulled all-nighters to fix bugs, skipped meals to meet deadlines, and occasionally scrapped a day’s work to start over. This led me to try coding things I’d never done before in my life, and to do a lot of exploring to develop fun games. It was a bit rough and tough, but it all turned into valuable experiences.
(Maneuver Min-seok Lee) The name “Jungle” reminds me of “survival of the fittest.” If you have to collaborate and things change, but you’re stuck in the mindset of “I’m not good at this, I only do what I want to do,” you’ll end up falling behind and becoming the team member no one wants to work with. I believe that only by adapting can you survive in the jungle and achieve the growth you desire.
(Ji-hoon Lee for Underminer) “The best training ground for becoming a game developer.” The Jungle Game Lab provided me with invaluable experiences, from genuinely contemplating how to implement fun and engage users in game development, to learning new technologies and collaborating with teams to release games within tight deadlines.
To download games from STEAM, please visit the following link: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/junglegamelab/