One month since joined XR game startup..!
"Do you think the spatial computing boom is coming?"
"Do you really think people will wear those cumbersome headsets everywhere?"
It's been over a month since I joined a startup making XR games. Until now, I've only focused on developing software, studied economics, and enjoyed writing about business. Maybe that's why everyone has been asking me those questions.
They might have expected me to be confident in betting on this market. Unfortunately, my answer is...
"Well.. I'm not sure.. It didn't seem that important to my choice."
Life > Business
Until now, I've always considered 'how big can it get' in whatever project I was involved in.
How big can this market get?
What percentage of the pie could I take if I take on?
What are my advantages in this market?
And so on...
It's a very important criterion in doing business. But!
I seem to have forgotten that my life is much bigger than business.
As I quantified everything and calculated each detail, I actually couldn't take on the "foolish yet so fun" challenges that I needed the most.
"Why should I take on such challenges? It seems like I could do it more cleverly..."
At some point, I got buried in my own calculations and rationality. When I opened my eyes, I was in a dark pit, the numerical logic I had been diligently digging turned out to be the tomb where I was stagnating.
Coming out of the dark pit and looking at the wide outside world, I decided to think more simply. After all, the most important goal is "to live happy life"
When do I have fun?
Two things have the biggest impact on the happiness of my life.
Relationships
Challenges
Giving these my all in these two areas, tasting failure, and then shedding hot tears.
Becoming a little more grown up the next day.
Enjoying the whole process - mostly painful - because I love what I do.
That's what matters most.
Recently, I saw this sentence.
"I've realized that a good team and an interesting topic are enough to take on a new challenge."
I haven't found any words that resonate with me more deeply.
A Good Team
Everyone at Kapehorn, the startup I joined, has a lot to teach me. I am constantly looking at them and thinking, "What more can I learn?"
They argue strongly, agree gently, and act quickly. They are neither lost in ideals nor biased towards actions.
They are action-oriented idealists.
An Interesting Topic
Games have been the content I've loved all my life. Games have always been "new experiences." If I hadn't played those games, if the creators hadn't made them - experiences I could never have otherwise. In games, I've defended Earth, embarked on adventures with my own companions, become an assassin, or even a god.
VR showed me the possibilities. It is a tool that can elevate the "experience" gained from games (or contents) to new horizons. In desktop games, pressing 'R' reloads, but in VR, you have to manually detach and attach the magazine and cock the gun.
That's why I told them I wanted to join Kapehorn on a whim. I've never developed games before, and I had no experience in game production. But this team trusted me - and now here I am, working with them.
I want to share more frequently about my growth and this team's growth in my newsletter.
Kapehorn had already launched a VR casual racing game called BumpyR. It's on hold internally, and now we're making a new game.
I asked Kevin, the founder, this question.
"Do you think BumpyR was a failure? If so, why do you think it failed?"
Kevin calmly told me this.
"It was a project that assumed failure from the start. No team can succeed at once. It's actually risky to be instantly successful. We are creating Kapehornship focused on rapid iterations and concentrating on the essence of fun through BumpyR."
Having already founded and exited a major game company, his words were solid. Hearing this made me even more convinced that making games is as fun as playing them for me. Crazy iteration speed, learning quickly and applying it to the next iteration, that's where I'm most confident.
I want to keep taking on new challenges all my life, finding out 'what I truly love doing.' I'll give my all to this challenge until the end and desperately love it. I'll pack my thoughts and processes in my newsletter.
This post is dedicated to all of you who are passionately taking on your own challenges. Thank you.