SMNTCERR, Chapter 2 <1> #2.
When they locked eyes, the other party pointed at Sangwoo.
“Why?”
Sangwoo subtly touched his cheek as if to ask if there was something on his face. The other party looked surprised, but then their eyes gradually returned to normal. Sangwoo didn’t want to work with this person, but he reluctantly sat down, thinking that he should follow the basic steps. He intentionally avoided looking directly at the other person and picked up a pen.
“Are you the designer in your senior year?”
“Yes.”
“Do you already know what needs to be done?”
“Roughly?”
“Right now, I’m developing a 2D action game. I’m using Framework[1] Cocos2d[2] as the main tools. The game will be an adventure featuring a child protagonist and will have a single-player perspective.”
But it seemed like the man wasn’t paying attention to what Sangwoo was saying at all. He sat leaning back in his chair, shaking his leg. He even grabbed Sangwoo’s notebook without permission, flipping through its pages while saying, “Seriously focused, huh?” Plus…
“So boring.”
He complained as he sighed loudly before diverting his gaze from the character concept of the “Vegetable Man” that had been created with intention.
“My friend said you are talented. But this feels half-hearted, it’s the real concept, but you don’t seem to care much. The sketches are also rough.” He slid the paper document forward. As the paper fluttered in the wind, the corner of the paper hit Sangwoo’s nose. Sangwoo frowned and placed the paper on the notebook. He intended to show and explain it, but his patience had reached its limit… Sangwoo thought it might be better if he left. There was no point in wasting his energy here.
“It seems like you don’t click with me. In that case, I’ll go find another designer.”
He prepared to put the notebook and documents into his bag, but the other party suddenly spoke up.
“You’re a junior who can write code that well? If I ask you to create something, how much can you do?”
“Just design it well. I can do all the necessary things for a 2D action game.”
“You’re quite confident in yourself.”
Those words sounded belittling to Sangwoo, spoken that way because they saw him as just a student or someone who had recently returned to studying.
Sangwoo felt unwilling and retorted.
“Especially debugging[3] and optimization[4]. I’m confident in those areas.
In my final project, I’ve created an income and expense tracking app using
HTML5[5] and developed an arcade game[6]…”
“Not like that.”
The young man adjusted his glasses slightly and tapped on the draft documents of the “Vegetable Man” with his finger. Then he continued speaking.
“Just having a well-functioning system doesn’t mean it’s good enough. A game needs to go hand in hand with fun. The controls and movements need to feel natural, and it’s not solely dependent on graphics. BGM[7] is also important. That’s why I’m not okay with this planning approach. I want to trust you and invest my valuable time in you, can I?”
It was difficult for Sangwoo to understand him. On the surface, it seemed like he didn’t care about the job, but suddenly he became serious. He decided to lower his head and hug his chest.
“Well, if you trust me, I will do my best.”
Sangwoo responded calmly before feeling that something wasn’t right. He realized that this person was actually the team leader and the true employer. There was no reason for him to bow down to his employees. Sangwoo straightened his back and sat up, embracing his confidence.
“Actually, have you ever made mobile games before?”
A fitting retort came at the right time, even though it was from someone seemingly inexperienced. Whether it was his lack of ability or not, he would just walk out of the room.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Goodbye then.”
“But I’ve made games on the web platform.”
Sangwoo was about to stand up, hesitating. If he could handle designing, UI[8] for websites, then he should be able to develop apps as well, as they are smaller in scale. Although he needed to be cautious about optimization, the main factors were similar. Besides, the senior who didn’t seem trustworthy had praised him highly.
“May I see your portfolio?”
The other party smirked and pulled out a tablet from his jacket pocket, tapping on it a few times before handing it over.
Sangwoo quickly scrolled through the showcased works on the bright white background, zooming in on each image for a closer look—website designs, posters, logos, and illustrations. This man could do many things at once, and the quality was on par with professionals, almost not resembling the work of a student.
‘This is even better than the average professional’s work!’ ‘The efficiency of the UI, pass!’ ‘The simplicity of the UI, pass!
‘The appropriation of the illustrations, pass!’
Especially the lines art form, it has a distinctive and lively quality. Sangwoo even went as far as erasing the blueprint of ‘Vegetable Man’ that was etched in his heart.
“Wherever I go, people just admire how talented I am.” The young man glanced at Sangwoo’s face and continued.
“sunbae, did you do everything himself?”
The young man chuckled in response to Sangwoo’s question, picked up a pen, and comfortably started sketching in his notebook. In just twenty seconds, he produced a cartoon-style character that differed greatly from the previous designer’s style. This character looked a bit worn and tattered but had a lot of style. In the end, Sangwoo had to admit that the other party was good enough to have a conversation with.
‘That’s impressive.’
Sangwoo felt his heart racing. He had to calm himself down before expecting too much. There was still something he was worried about.
“Can you devote your time to this project next semester?”
“Yes, actually, I made a slight mistake with my plans when the previous project ended, so I’ll be free next semester.”
“If you get the job, I will work on it until it’s completed.”
Just as Sangwoo was about to accept him, someone arrived forty minutes late and seemed unbelievable at first glance but gradually became someone trustworthy. If he’s this talented, no matter how unenthusiastic he appears, Sangwoo was ready to open his heart to that possibility. Moreover, as someone who values sincerity, this decision was monumental for him alone.
“In that case, may I have your phone number?”
When Sangwoo handed his mobile phone politely, the young man calmly entered the number and handed it back. Meanwhile, his facial expression changed, and the young man furrowed his brows, gradually shifting his gaze towards Sangwoo.
“You already have your number.”
“It can’t be.”
“Look here.”
His voice sounded assertive. Sangwoo took his phone back, still not understanding the situation.
[NonPaddler 3 is Calling…]
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- Framework: Development of foundational systems, command sets, or basic formats to enable developers to easily and quickly invoke commands, formats, or systems. In other words, a framework is a convenient tool for programming, web development, game development, etc.
- Cocos2d: A framework for game development.
- Debugging: Resolving flaws or troubleshooting errors in computer programming.
- Optimization: Improving efficiency. In this case, it refers to making a game run smoothly while using fewer resources, such as reducing file size while maintaining quality, smooth gameplay, and high-quality graphics, but with minimal memory “RAM” usage.
- HTML5: A computer language used as the primary language for writing web pages. HTML has been developed in several versions, and version 5 is the latest.
- Arcade Games: These include pinball games, Street Fighter, racing games, puzzle games, etc. Originally, arcade games were played on arcade cabinets located in game centers or shopping malls, but nowadays, arcade games can be played on computers or mobile devices.
- BGM: Background music used to enhance the atmosphere of a particular situation.
- UI: User Interface, what the user sees. Whether it’s a web page, app screen, or various visual components such as buttons and icons that allow individuals to interact with a product or service.
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