We met a Korean developer of Blizzard Entertainment’s (Shortened as Blizzard) anticipated RTS game Starcraft 2 (Shortened as Star 2).
David Kim (Korean name Kim Tae Hyun) appeared in the 3rd battle report and showcased talent of a pro gamer to become a topic among the gaming community. He is one of the 50 core developers of ‘Star 2’.
Although he won’t reveal details about ‘Star 2’, he had a light conversation with the reporter about his pride being a developer for Blizzard.
Q: How did you become to work in a foreign country?
A: I was born in Korea and went to college in Vancouver, Canada, majoring in computer science. I was going to work for programming for the “Company of Heroes” and “Warhammer 4000” series but then became a balance designer for Relic.
What is the difference between Blizzard and Relic?
For both companies excelling in making RTS games, it seems like Blizzard concerns more for the eSports side while Relic concerns more about diverse methods of play. The companies individually, make their games fun and they are both great companies.
Q: What job do you hold in Blizzard?
A: I am a balance designer for ‘Star 2’. In other words, I make it so that units are needed in certain situations and also make it so that the units are used well in all games. The main goal right now is to match the unit’s characteristics to its race characteristics.
Q: What do you think is Blizzard’s strengths?
A: It is that anybody can express their opinion equally. Any concern, regardless of job, is discussed freely. Also, in each division there are extremely skilled people that are chosen as the leader so as the work progresses, it is arranged that there is a lot of agreement. (This was quite hard to translate, so many words I didn’t know, sorry if it’s wrong haha)
Q: What game do you enjoy usually?
A: My first online game is ‘World of Warcraft’. I am raising an undead mage. I am looking forward to the game ‘AION’.
Q: Your ‘Star 2’ skill level?
A: I am
ranked 1st in the current ladder. However, when the game comes out, I will probably get owned by the gamers in Korea (laugh).
Now you know why David Kim always pwn others in all 3 Battle Reports.