MW: Developer Interviews

Background

Wings 2022 (Developer Wings 2022)

Going beyond independent creators, The product team was interested in understanding gaming industry professionals. So they hosted a developer support program called Wings 2022, looking to empower professionals currently employed full-time in the gaming industry to create and publish content using MapleStory Worlds.

Independent Creators (CI 2021) → Gaming Industry Professionals (Wings 2022)

Beyond independent creators (CI 2021), the product team shifted their attention to game industry professionals with Wings 2022. Given that many are from independent studios, we prioritized the publishing side as well as content creation.

Objectives

1️⃣ Identify gaming industry professionals’ impression on content creation & publishing using MapleStory Worlds

2️⃣ (Interview Only) Identify the competitive advantage of MapleStory Worlds as a development platform

Methods

In-depth Interview (Participants were recruited from the pool of survey respondents)

We aimed to identify gaming industry professionals’ impression on content creation and publishing using MapleStory Worlds.

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Qualitative Coding

We coded qualitative data with 3 attitudinal tags: ‘Appeal’, ‘Pain Points’, ‘Wants’, alongside their themes (features, content, etc.) for further analysis. E.g., we collated and analyzed ‘Appeal’ data to discover MapleStory Worlds’ competitive advantages.

Impression by Stages (Predefined)

By the following stages (defined with the product team through previous studies), we asked questions to identify areas for improvement, the most time-consuming tasks, and more. These were then followed by ‘why’ questions to get a deeper understanding.

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Participants

We recruited 6 individuals with a sufficient experience (minimum of 3 years of experience) in the gaming industry. We then divided them into 2 groups based on their roles at work: developers & non-developers.

Reporting

Where: Areas for Improvement & The Most Time-Consuming 

‘Navigating Resources’ and ‘Scripting’ were the most frequently mentioned areas where professionals expressed frustration, and they found them to be the most time-consuming.

Why: Major Causes of Frustration & Difficulties

• ‘Navigating Resources’: Searching for resources within the vast pool without tags
• ‘Scripting’: Development-related challenges (functions, Lua language, etc.,) and bugs

What Professionals Seek in a Development Platform

They’d appreciate a platform that provides a clear vision for generating revenue, promote content that they create.

MapleStory Worlds’ Competitive Advantages

Leveraging the ‘Appeal’ data, we analyzed MapleStory Worlds’ competitive advantages in comparison to Unity3D — one of the most widely used platforms for game development.

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Research Impact

📌 Post-Project Research Readouts

• Discussed further opportunities for collaboration with the product team.
  • The initial idea of Wings 2022 Participant Exit Survey was conceived.

📌 Strategic & Cultural Impact

• Research findings were shared in a WIP meeting.
• Research findings were presented in the management report.

📌 Conference Speech @MCI22

• Wrapping up this latest project on creator experience, I gave a speech at MCI22 (MapleStory Worlds’ Creators Invitational 2022) on the topic of ‘Co-Creating MapleStory Worlds with the User’. I highlighted our extensive collaboration with stakeholders and insights gleaned from previous studies to engage more creators (the audience) to build content in MapleStory Worlds.

My Role

In the beginning, MapleStory Worlds was merely an idea. I took the lead in research, identifying key needs and opportunities, laying the groundwork for its early stages, and fostering long-term collaboration with stakeholders.

1️⃣ Leading Strategic · Tactical Research

I managed a small team of researchers over a two-year collaboration with the product team. Our efforts encompassed diverse areas, including gameplay experience, content creation, and publishing, utilizing generative research and co-creation methodologies.

2️⃣ Uncovering Needs and Opportunities

In the early stages, we explored user needs and opportunities in first-mover metaverse and social platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, and TikTok. As the project evolved, we expanded our focus to include diverse user types—regular players, creators, and streamers.

Conclusion

📌 Early Stage · Long-Term Collaboration: How it all went

Wrapping up this long-term collaboration, I gave a speech at MCI22 (MapleStory Worlds’ Creators Invitational 2022) on the topic of ‘Co-Creating MapleStory Worlds with the User’. I highlighted our extensive co-creation and collaboration with diverse stakeholders and users, sharing various studies and insights gained from them.

Research Impact

📌 Cultural Impact

Initiated during the ideation phase, the early stage collaboration defined target users through personas, uncovering their needs and opportunity areas. This collaborative design thinking process, involving designers, developers, and users—including creators and streamers—helped shape the product’s go-to-market strategy.

📌 Product Impact

This approach demonstrated how early collaboration can drive long-term product success. MapleStory World achieved a successful launch and has since become a beloved service, now with 60K+ active players, continuing to thrive.

At the conclusion of the collaboration, user needs-based heuristics were provided as a lasting KPI for the product team.

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