We met with two people who finished their four-month internship at KRAFTON and switched to regular employees. They are basically real rookies of KRAFTON. We listened to their vivid first-hand reviews about their internship at KRAFTON.
Hello. It’s nice to meet you. Could you briefly state your department, name and what you do.
Heejung Choi (hereinafter called Choi): My name is Heejung Choi and I am in charge of system development at the Tech Team.
Dahyun Lee (hereinafter called Lee): I am Dahyun Lee and I work with UX and UI design at the Game Design Team.
You completed your four-month internship and transitioned to regular employees. Did you get some rest since then?
Lee: I went to work as soon as I learned about the results. I was hoping for maybe a week vacation, but I’m still very happy. (Laughter)
What were your main duties at KRAFTON over the four months?
Choi: In the beginning, I wasn’t assigned to work right away, and instead studied the Unreal Engine. Before my internship, I only used DirectX and Unity. I studied using books for three weeks and then completed a personal project to become familiar with the Unreal Engine for three weeks, and was then assigned to actual game development. When I first applied to the company, knowing how to use the Unreal Engine was not mandatory. I had my worries, but I read up on some KRAFTON internship reviews and they said that it could be learned easily as long as you had fundamental knowledge in this area. And in fact, I really learned a lot.
Lee: As my first actual design work, I started with redesigning existing games. For two months, I played many games that I could refer to for this project. I was then assigned to actual work, and it was great because I was given smaller jobs first so that I could get accustomed to the work.
I heard that many worked from home this year because of COVID-19.
Choi: Depending on the situation, the entire company sometimes worked from home, and sometimes we took turns working from home. At one point, COVID-19 became so serious that I worked from home for over a month. I enjoyed working from home in the beginning, but I felt bored because I didn’t have my team with me and I had a hard time concentrating compared to working at the office.
Lee: I worked about half at the office and half from home. While working from home, I realized just how good the office PCs were. And I also missed the pleasant working space.
I wonder what you majored in. Were your majors related to games?
Choi: I studied electronics. It had nothing to do with games. Before joining KRAFTON, I worked as an intern in IT in order to utilize my major. But while working, it became clear that my major didn’t fit me. And so, during summer break in my senior year, I tried making a game on my own using Unity, and I found it very fun and rewarding. I felt confident in this and that’s why I applied to KRAFTON.
Lee: I also majored in design that had nothing to do with games. I never imagined that I would work in the game industry. Deep inside I wanted to develop a game, but I didn’t think that this was an option for me. The only experience I had with games was designing a game during a free-topic project in school. And while I was applying to companies that would fit my major, I also applied to KRAFTON just in case. (Laughter) Opportunity came and I am now very happy that I can do something I enjoy.
Both of you said you enjoy playing games. What do you normally play?
Lee: I used to think I was a gamer, but after coming here, I realized that I am a newbie. (Laughter) I like arcade and puzzle games, and I have recently been playing a lot of “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.” The games that I played in the past are quite different from the project that I am currently working on. And that’s why I suspected that I might not really like games, but now I think it’s just a matter of taste.
Choi: I enjoyed RPGs like “Maple Story,” and “Dungeon Fighter Online.” Recently, Dahyun and I have been playing a lot of “Puyo Puyo Tetris.” (Laughter) I tried it at the office for the first time, but it was so much fun that I ended up buying a Nintendo Switch. I played Puyo Puyo for 80 hours while working from home.
Lee: You played Puyo Puyo after completing your work, right? (Laughter)
Choi: Of course! Don’t get it wrong. (Laughter)
Did you play “PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS” or “TERA” before joining the company?
Lee: Actually, my father played TERA for a very long time than I did. He maxed out his level too. And so, when I was picked as an intern and told my father that “I work for the company that made TERA”, he was very happy and started bragging to people around him. (Laughter) He even asked me if I could hook him up with some items, too.
There are many game companies. Why did you choose KRAFTON?
Choi: This company has outstanding technological capacities, so I became confident that I would be able to grow here. As evident with TERA and Battlegrounds, there are many talented people working at KRAFTON. I thought to myself that I would also like to hone my skills here and contribute to the company. And I was really attracted to the “challenge-oriented spirit of continuing even after failing” that KRAFTON emphasizes. I really enjoy RPG games, but I was a bit disappointed with only mass production-like games being released. I like KRAFTON because it is a company that always challenges new things.
Lee: My favorite aspect is the “transitional intern” program. Instead of starting off as a regular employee, I wanted to experience the company first. I wanted to be evaluated over a long period, rather than a short time. And I was confident that this would work as an advantage to me. When you connect to KRAFTON’s webpage, you can see that the quality of the brand design is much higher than other places. I became even more attracted after seeing that this company pays a lot of attention to design as well.
What was your first impression of KRAFTON on your first day of work?
Choi: What stood out the most was the easygoing and free-spirited lounge filled with snacks just like I saw on TV. I wanted to bring outsiders here to show off.
Lee: I was really moved when I received my “welcome kit.” On my first day at the job, I receive a kit filled with things I would need like a calendar, tumbler, various office supplies, etc. packed inside a shopping bag. I wasn’t a regular employee yet and only an intern, but it was very nice to feel that I was being cared for.
Was there anything different from what you expected during your four-month internship?
Choi: Programming has many areas such as contents, physics, graphics, etc. That’s why I thought that once I joined the company, I would be able to do programming various sectors. But after coming here, I learned that work was subdivided quite well. I worked on configuring game contents elements, which I wanted to do. The job was more difficult than I expected, but I am still satisfied.
Lee: Before joining the company, I thought that the game industry would be filled with middle-aged men and my image of the industry was that it would have a vertical hierarchy. And I assumed that there would be many company dinners. But I was wrong about this. Even people who are 20 years older than me call me “Ms. Dahyun” and while there were no company dinners due to COVID-19, company dinners are not mandatory. It’s really young and free.
I heard that study group and small groups are highly active at the company as well.
Choi: I currently take part in a C++ study group at our team. It is led by the team leader and all of the team members participate in it. Every week, we give problems to each other and solve them together. The team leader even gives a reward for people who give good problems and who solve them well. I also received rewards three times! (Laughter)
Wasn’t it nerve-racking to work as a transitional intern?
Choi: I had little experience so I was a bit frustrated with myself because it took longer for me to read codes and I worked slow. I started to fall in despair and even thought to myself, “The job could be completed faster and better if somebody else did it…” Because of my concerns, I talked with the manager who assigned the work, but I was actually comforted being told that this was only natural as I was a new employee.
Lee: I was nervous at first, but I became quite comfortable working here after a while. And I adapted to company life with a mindset that I would show everyone what I could offer the company. Four months felt like a long time and so I believed that people who slowly recognize my abilities.
Is there a senior employee that was especially memorable?
Lee: When I was assigned to actual work, I had my concerns because my work would be directly reflected in the project. There was a senior employee who kindly taught me and looked after me, who I am very grateful of.
Choi: I held meetings with Team Leader Haechan Lee every week. Every week, he would ask me if I had concerns or inconveniences, and I really appreciated that he constantly showed interest in me telling me to ask any question that I may have. And my “BMS” senior. He was a bit blunt and slightly too cool at first, but I am thankful that he always looked after me and was the first person to help me whenever I needed it. And Ms. Hyunjung and Mr. Junghwan are in charge of helping me with my healing! ♥ (Editor’s note: the names of the many people in the thank-you list were omitted.)
Lastly, is there a goal that you want to achieve at KRAFTON in the future?
Choi: Personally, immersion in game is very important to me. And I think that level design and AI are crucial for this. The technological barrier has to be overcome. I want to become a programmer that can transcend that barrier.
Lee: Once I become a senior employee to someone, I hope to become a person that can teach my junior anything and everything kindly. And while it’s important to be recognized by others for my abilities, I want to be content about my capacities. I hope to continuously make outcomes that I can be satisfied with.
Ms. Dahyun and Ms. Heejung expressed their appreciation mentioning each and every one of their senior employees like an idol’s speech at an awards ceremony. (Sorry that I couldn’t name them all in the interview!) While listening to their overflowing energy and passion, and their sincere attitudes toward games, my expectations for the future of KRAFTON grew a lot. [People On] plans to conduct in-depth interviews about the stories of people who develop games hoping for the best for them all the time.
