1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 36
Only Noblemtl
Episode 36 – Video Game Interview
In the meantime, I have borrowed the help of many people for . When I was making the game, I borrowed the help of my family, for distribution, I worked with Modu Electronics, and for design and events, I worked with Myeongseong Planning.
For a game company, games are the most important.
In this day and age, there is no one in Korea who knows games better than me and can make them better.
On the other hand, I also know very well that for a company to develop, it is not enough for me to do well on my own; it requires many excellent developers.
However, my first priority was to quickly create and release the first game. I also didn’t want to miss the peak shopping season of the year-end.
So, until the completion of , I was the only one in the company. After the release, I was busier than when I was developing it because I was working on Saetbyeoljeom.
For one reason or another, I haven’t had time to worry about recruiting. But now I can’t put it off any longer.
No matter how good a game I make, I can’t continue to make games and run the company by myself. If this continues, Starbeat will still be a one-man company next year.
Although they are still busy running the Saetbyeol store, the part-timers’ operational skills have improved significantly after spending Christmas with a huge crowd.
The people at Myeongseong Planning also supported us well. In particular, after the Chairman visited, the look in the eyes of Director Park Joo-bong completely changed.
So, even though it’s still late, I decided to start recruiting before it’s too late.
In a company, hiring people is more important than making games. The reason is simple: the people who are chosen in this way make games.
Games are made by gathering the skills, experiences, ideas, and hearts of many people. No matter how much you shout, “I know the future, so let’s go this way!”, if the hands and feet that row the oars don’t match, the boat won’t be able to move properly.
Whether it’s a development or non-development position, you can’t just hire someone who’s just average and have them run the game automatically. You really have to be careful when hiring. Especially in the early stages of a business, when each and every person is precious.
But I don’t have a human resources department right now?
There is no one to even post a job advertisement, receive documents, and select candidates. If I were to review each person one by one and select people in a typical way, it would take a lot of time and energy.
The chairman also said that time is more important than money to managers.
And he also told me to tell him whenever I needed his help.
For me, who doesn’t even have an HR team, the fastest way to hire the person I like is to bring in someone who has already been verified by Myeongseong Group as a dispatched worker.
Unfortunately, the development department was excluded. Myungsung Electronics does not have a game console or computer division, so it cannot hire software developers.
So first of all, we asked people to work in non-development positions.
The most basic accounting, human resources, and general affairs of a company.
And marketing and sales management that coordinates and carries out practical work with partners such as Modu Electronics, Myeongseong Electronics, and Jewoo Electronics.
I never dreamed that when I opened my own game company, I would hire non-developers first.
When I first started my business, I already had a lot of connections from working at a game company, and there were a lot of people I could introduce to. But after I woke up again, my connections in the development field were, of course, zero.
Moreover, it is safe to say that the current talent pool of game developers is almost non-existent, except for amateur development clubs or programmers making pirated copies.
Fortunately, since is becoming famous, the developer decided to hold a separate public recruitment and start by recruiting non-developers according to the situation.
Of course, not just anyone can take on a dispatch position.
“Ah… you’re having an interview?”
“Yes, they are the people who will work with me. How can you bring them in just by looking at their documents?”
The president of Myeongseong Electronics looked a little embarrassed, but since he was going to be shameless anyway, he decided to be even more shameless for the sake of the company.
Even if they bring in a few people from a large company like Myeongseong Electronics, it won’t be noticeable.
“Please select some people from the accounting, human resources/administrative affairs, and marketing/sales groups. Then I will meet them and decide.”
The hiring criteria were clear.
First of all, are you a veteran who has done more than one person’s share in your field? And do you like games?
Just because you’re in a position where you don’t directly participate in development doesn’t mean you can just be good at your job. No matter how good you are at your job, if you don’t like games, you won’t be able to fit into the company culture.
So, you can’t be sincere to your work. You can do your work flawlessly as a professional, but I believe you can never bring out 100% of your abilities.
This doesn’t mean that we’re trying to select nerds who are completely immersed in games. It’s enough to just be open to games, curious, and have one or two favorite games.
The important thing is to have an open mind toward video games.
How do you find out?
It’s very simple. There’s no need to ask this during an interview. You can’t confirm sincerity that way anyway. There are plenty of people who are good at lying.
I decided to conduct the interview in a way that is befitting a game company, as is typical of a game company.
I received applicants for a day, received recommendations from Myeongseong Electronics, and selected people by looking at their performance evaluations.
And on the day of the interview. I rented a conference room at Myeongseong Electronics and set up the table. Manager Mo also helped me today.
The first candidate entered the interview room for the Starbeat dispatched employee position.
“hello!”
“Hello. I am CEO Seo Nam-jun. It’s nice to meet you. Since this is a dispatched job, I think you might be a bit anxious. Do you know what kind of company we are?”
“Yes, I heard it was a computer game company.”
“Do you like games? Do you usually play them?”
“I’m working hard. I often play at the arcade.”
“Okay. Then let’s play a game together.”
“Huh? A game? Aren’t you having an interview?”
“Of course I have to go to the interview. But before that, let’s have a quick game to relieve some tension.”
In this brief moment, the interviewers’ reactions are divided.
There were reactions like, “What kind of nonsense are you trying to do now?” and “What kind of game are you playing?”
In fact, the interview has already begun. How do you react when I ask you to play a game together, what games do you choose, do you really enjoy playing games, and what kind of conversations do you have with me?
If you play a game like this for just 10 to 20 minutes, you can see how this person views the game.
You can lie all you want about how much you like games, but you can’t hide the facial expressions and gestures that come naturally when you play games.
The platforms I prepared were Gemix V and Famicom.
, , , , , , ,
“Have you played enough games?”
“Yes, it was fun.”
“Then you can go back now. Thank you for your time.”
“I haven’t had that interview yet?”
“We are a game company, so this was an interview. If you pass, we will let you know through the human resources department. Thank you.”
If the player was stiff while playing the game, didn’t seem to enjoy it at all, or seemed uninterested, I would play the game for a bit and then send it back. There was no need to waste each other’s time by asking more questions.
No matter how good a person is at his job, this kind of person doesn’t suit me.
On the other hand, if you are someone who enjoys games or is curious, you may ask questions about things you are curious about while playing the game.
This was the case for Song Mi-sun, the head of the accounting/bookkeeping department. Although she said it was her first time playing games, she had a lot of fun playing Tetris, Pac-Man, and Emergency Stairs.
“Oh my god! I didn’t even know there was something this fun. I’ve been living in vain. Until now.”
“Isn’t it fun? It’s completely different from other entertainment. Starbeat will continue to make more fun and cool games than . If you come to our company, you can enjoy fun games like this every day.”
“You play games at work?”
“Yes. The condition is that you will be dispatched for one year, and after one year, you can return if you wish, or you can extend your dispatch or come to Starbeat. And your salary will be unconditionally increased by 10%.”
“10%? I’ll do it! I’ll pack my bags and come right now!”
“If you beat me at Tetris right now, I’ll give you a 20% bonus.”
“Are you sure?”
We competed in . Manager Song was new to , but he was quick with his hands and made no mistakes. Is it because he is an abacus expert?
While playing the game, I casually asked a question.
“But you’ve been working for 10 years, so why are you still a manager? I thought your performance evaluation was good?”
“Ah, that’s because I couldn’t go to college. People who graduated from commercial high schools can only be promoted to manager.”
“Yes? Is there such a law?”
“It’s not in the Constitution, but it’s in Myungsung Electronics. What can I do about it, it’s because I’m less educated than others?”
A bitter smile appeared on Manager Song’s face. He seemed more composed than discouraged or resigned.
“Ah~! He’s dead!”
Manager Song was not at all pretentious when playing games. He has ten years of experience, but is only twenty-nine years old. He is a veteran who always gets the highest ratings in performance evaluations, but is not promoted because he graduated from a vocational high school.
He is the perfect person to take charge of Starbeat’s household. I have chosen Manager Song as Starbeat’s accounting/treasurer.
The interview lasted all day.
Next is human resources/general affairs. Human resources managers must be good at basic human resource management, but above all, they must be able to understand the type of talent I have in mind and find people who fit that profile.
To do that, first of all, you must be the person who fits my talent profile perfectly.
Manager Park Chung-shin was a person who had many complaints about Myeongseong Electronics. While playing , he spoke passionately about the future of Myeongseong Electronics.
“No, I really don’t understand why our company doesn’t go into the computer business when computers are the way to the future.”
“Are computers the way to the future?”
“Yes. Is it just a road? It’s a complete shortcut, a shortcut. The company is currently saying that they should focus on TVs, fans, refrigerators, and washing machines, but later on, all of these things will be controlled by computers. The computer will be the head, and the rest will be the hands and feet. But they’re not thinking about making the head, and they’re just making the hands and feet, so it’s frustrating for me.”
Do you watch a lot of science fiction movies? You’re a very future-oriented person.
It’s not just talk, you volunteered to come here yourself. Bonus points.
And Mr. Oh Sang-hyeok from Marketing. He was quite a video game enthusiast. He cleared to the end right in front of me.
“I stood in line for three hours at Seun, saying that I would buy . Ah~ This game’s ending is really good no matter how many times I watch it. There has never been a game with an ending that I liked this much. It’s really the best. If I could work at Starbeat, I would quit Myeongseong Electronics right away instead of being dispatched right now and join Starbeat right away!”
“We’re not a big company, is that okay?”
“Of course, it’s okay! Just get hit a few times by your mother, and avoid your father for a while! I’m used to it!”
He seems like a bit of a dangerous person…? But his desire to work at a gaming company seemed clear.
I didn’t know much about the atmosphere of large corporations in the 80s, so I was worried that everyone would be stiff and strict, but it was a needless worry.
After all, it was a place where people lived. There are bound to be people everywhere who are curious about new things and have an open attitude.
Fortunately, I found someone I liked in all three parts. I confirmed the final successful candidate and delivered it to the human resources department of Myeongseong Electronics.
I was probably tired from meeting people all day, so after the interview, I went home, ate dinner, and just fell asleep.
The day that marked the end of the year 1988.
A year-end ceremony was held at Myeongseong Group, including Myeongseong Electronics.
And then a letter arrived for me.
=== Notice on personnel transfer for dispatched employees ===
1. I wish your company endless prosperity.
2. We hereby notify you that the following three individuals will be dispatched to Star Beat Co., Ltd., a special affiliate of our company, as of today.
3. Dispatch period: 1 year (but can be extended through consultation after 1 year)
[ under ]
– Song Mi-sun, Manager of Management Accounting Team 1, Myeongseong Electronics
– Park Chung-shin, Manager of Human Resources Department, Myungsung Electronics
– Oh Sang-hyeok, Marketing Manager of Myungsung Electronics Home Appliances
December 31, 1988
Han Byeong-hun, President of Myeongseong Electronics
=== (end) ===
Finally, Starbeat officially has new employees.
My heart was pounding with excitement at the thought of welcoming the new year with new people.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
