NC

When a company plans a global launch, the first thing they should consider is building the infrastructure that meets local needs. For instance, when you want to have a team meeting, you make sure that the meeting room has electricity, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning. Games are usually played on computers or servers, and system engineers design various systems and ensure stable operation of these servers.

Infrastructure design includes everything from the invisible cloud environments to the physical space for computers and servers. A cloud architect oversees the governance policies for cloud environments and designs the cloud infrastructure. NC uses Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud services. I focus on the design and operation of Google Cloud.

Game services must be stable. Otherwise, players will immediately notice any technical issues and react to them. A cloud architect should be able to provide a stable infrastructure and environment.

If you want to build a stable cloud environment, you must start with the design. This step is like drawing an architectural plan before moving on to construction. Since clouds can be accessed by anyone, ensuring high security is our priority. To tighten security, we must think of severe restrictions that, however, won’t interrupt gameplay while considering variables at early stages.

For example, if NC was planning a global launch of its IP in Europe, we would review related laws first. Then we would move on to building a new infrastructure in that region and designing a cloud environment, with a thorough review of its performance and speed.

Before coming to NC, I worked for a startup company where I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to grow professionally since I managed only one project. I didn’t feel like I was progressing in my career and wanted to expand my skills and experiences. My goal was to work at a company that quickly responded to changes.

Since NC works on a wide range of projects from games to AI services, we deal with a myriad of different issues, which is quite rare, if we are talking about one company. We also receive instant feedback from our players, when game services are unstable or there are other issues. Apart from that, every IP launches various in-game events 24/7, what raises a host of issues that require quick response. To find the best solution to these issues and to solve them, our team works together and shares different technologies with other teams. The more I work, the more I realize that alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much.

Ever since I was little, I loved to talk. The exact same words can be interpreted differently depending on who speaks them, so I always try to think of better ways to make people truly understand what I’m trying to say.

NC Developers Party (NCDP) is an annual conference where developers with expertise in different fields share their knowledge and experiences with each other. I immediately signed up as a speaker when NCDP 2022 was announced. I wanted to share the cloud designs that I had been working on and show how they help facilitate global service operations. It was a rewarding experience — colleagues whom I met for the first time showed their appreciation for my presentation. I plan to further proactively share my knowledge and experiences with others.

Developers prefer a technically logical conversation, such as a ‘1+1=2’ type of dialog. Some don’t wish to speak up when the conversation is about a technology unfamiliar to them.

I try not to shy away from a conversation even if I don't have the correct answer. Ideas that come out of nowhere often play an important role. Therefore, I focus on encouraging a speak-up culture by sharing my opinions first so that others can also share their thoughts freely.

Since you need data to build trust, I record everything I do. Until now, I have shared over 600 pages of records on our internal channel. These records include discussions with other departments and the work process. The recorded data is enough to fully automate the system so that it runs on its own, even if I’m not there.

Some people might find this task tiring. However, data helps me back up my opinion, if necessary. It also provides clues when I encounter a problem.

One of the most powerful communication tools in my arsenal is data. When we first started to implement Google Cloud at NC, I had to persuade over 20 teams. I put myself in their shoes and prepared data as supporting evidence. I also came up with Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C instead of suggesting only one option. Thanks to this, we managed to find a quicker solution.

I like to challenge myself. Failure doesn’t scare me — if I set my mind on something, I just go through with it. I believe that there is no such thing as impossible. Even when everyone else backs out, I take a step forward.

We learn a lot from failure. Everyone fails, but not everyone knows that there are plenty of opportunities hidden in our failures. There is no need to be intimidated because failures help us broaden our horizons. Looking back, even when I failed to succeed, that experience was always rewarding.

Everyone wants to be Superman these days, but you cannot be good at everything. I fail too, however, at least I know that I gave it my best shot. When I don’t succeed, I examine what went wrong and focus on what I have learned from this experience.

I like to be among open-minded people. For instance, I appreciate it when someone suggests we turn right and others say “Sure. If it doesn’t work out, we can try going in the other direction.” This is exactly the work environment that I value. Giving up before trying is like turning in a blank answer sheet at the exam.

I want to become a person who brings about a positive change in the work environment. My goal is to build the environment where everyone has a voice and freely shares their thoughts. I wish to create a culture where people work together with positivity.

This is one of the reasons why I like to challenge myself. Of course, fostering personal growth is important. However, I’m more motivated by the reward that comes with a challenge. Moreover, the more time passes, the bigger is the reward. This is something that cannot be ignored and shouldn’t be ignored.

My goal is to contribute to creating an environment where NC’s games can reach more global players. I want to create a cloud system that can make it possible to launch a global service tomorrow. As a system engineer, I’m ready to do everything that I can to achieve this goal. I will continue improving on-premises software and cloud infrastructure to optimize them for the global environment so that more users can find them convenient.