On March 21st (local time), at “GDC 2024” in San Francisco, Hwang Jae-ho, the director of Nexon's MINTROCKET, delivered a lecture on the topic of “Characters and Humor: Solving Problems through Dave the Diver.”
In the lecture, the origin story of “Dave the Diver” (hereinafter referred to as “Dave”) was introduced, and secrets behind the captivating world with the game's unique characters and the mysterious ocean “Blue Hole” were explained.
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■ The Development Story of “Dave the Diver” and the Birth of that “Hybrid Ocean Adventure”
“Dave” combines the adventure element of exploring a mysterious sea called the “Blue Hole” with the management simulation element of running a sushi restaurant, using the ingredients collected during his exploration.
Director Hwang shared the development story of “Dave,” saying that, "We wanted to create a fun type of game that mixes the elements of different genres. The initial concept of 'Dave' was created by bringing together three elements: ocean exploration, fish catching, and sushi making."
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| NNexon's MINTROCKET Director Hwang Jae-ho |
In addition, he shared the methods for organically connecting the core elements within the game. “Dave” incorporates a “Core Loop”, where fish caught during the day are used to run the sushi restaurant at night, leading to higher-tier content through the capital that is acquired, creating a natural cyclic structure within the game. Moreover, by adding various mini-games and sub-contents such as crop cultivation, seahorse racing, and a collection guide an engaging experience without boredom is ensured.
■ Utilizing Character Narratives for Natural Content Progression
The early development challenges and solutions were also addressed. Unlike the current version, the sushi restaurant content in the initial prototype received feedback about a difficult tutorial progression. Therefore, the development team introduced characters and narrative elements to create a tutorial that was intuitive and easy to understand, significantly improving the user experience with the sushi restaurant.
In particular, they enhanced narrative elements over detailed tutorial instructions through character dialogues. Introducing distinctive characters and linking story unlocks to the gaming system made the play experience both more accessible and more enjoyable.
The progression of stories involving key figures, such as Dave, Bancho, and Cobra, naturally guiding players to engage in core content activities like sushi selling and fish catching. Subsequently, by adding characters that reveal the past stories of Bancho, the sushi bar owner, and his colleagues, the story depth has been enriched, and various additional content related to character narratives, such as the appearance of special guests and the hiring of employees, have been introduced.
■ The Synergy of Characters and Humor in Creating Dave's Story
The characters in the game that facilitate system explanations utilize humor to add dimensionality. Each NPC character responsible for the content progression has been endowed with unique personalities and features, creating a dynamic relationship that necessitates the protagonist Dave's help, thereby providing the motivation for continued content engagement.
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As a method of conveying humor, cut scenes have been used. Rather than detailed character expressions, humorous cut scenes alone are enough to deliver each character's unique traits. As Director Hwang stated, "Characters filled with humor offer a fresh approach to repetitive gameplay, allowing the players to feel attracted to the characters themselves and continue engaging in the content play."
Furthermore, Director Hwang emphasized that “Dave” has received much love, winning awards such as the Sit Back and Relax Award at the Steam Awards 2023, despite having a variety of contents. He concluded the lecture by expressing gratitude to the fans who are enjoying “Dave,” again, citing Character and Humor as the keys to the game's approachable and friendly design.
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김태만 기자 ktman21c@gamevu.co.kr
