Tencent is a global technology company whose video game development, publishing, and operating platform activities lead the world. They are also a world leader in innovation and technology investments, and stand out in the fields of financial technology, cloud services, digital media (the company has messaging and calling apps). its own free-to-play streaming platform, WeChat, known as Weixin in China) and its own Netflix-like streaming platform, Tencent Video. Tencent’s Interactive Entertainment Group (IEG) is responsible for the growth of the interactive entertainment segment of the company’s business, including games and e-sports.
Jia Wang, a veteran leader in data science and engineering in the interactive entertainment industry recently sat down with WIPO Magazine to share her views on the future of the gaming industry. playing video games and the role of intellectual property (IP) in her day-to-day work. Jia Wang is currently the Vice President of the Technology Service Center at Tencent’s office in Palo Alto, California, USA.
Tell us about your role in Tencent video games?
I am the Vice President of the Technology Service Center for the North American Team of Employees, part of Tencent IEG. My team works on cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, and cloud capabilities. Our role is to optimize the gaming experience and ensure that everything runs smoothly so players can enjoy their games.
How did you get into the video game industry?
My first encounter with video games came when I was in college studying computer science. One of my first projects was to create a video game. But my passion for video games only really took off when I joined King, the creative team of Candy Crush, where I worked as a data scientist with a really creative team in their Stockholm office. Now, I can’t imagine working in another field. Working with video games is a lot of fun, both professionally and socially. I work with a great team, and we bring so much joy to people’s lives.
Jia Wang (pictured above) explains Tencent sees the virtual universe (metaverse) as part of “digital surrealism”, an idea that integrates the digital world with reality to create a fusion experience, which will allow people to connect more deeply with the virtual world (photograph: provided by Tencent).
What challenges do you face as a woman in the video game industry?
Women in all fields face challenges. In the video game industry we are definitely in the minority. So grateful that that is changing. In Tencent USA, there are many women in leadership positions and there is a strong belief that women can succeed here. The company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is one of the reasons it’s a great place to work. The good thing about this industry is that it requires a wide variety of skill sets, with roles available for designers, creators, production and project managers, developers, data scientists, and developers. more than that. That creates a lot of opportunities for everyone. In 2020, recognizing the need for “talking and doing”, at Tencent USA, we created a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Group (DEI-Group). The team works to reinforce these values within the company and raise awareness of the unconscious biases we all have.
How do you see the global video game scene evolving?
The video game landscape is changing rapidly as new technologies are flooding in. A few years ago, people played video games on consoles or on personal computers (PCs). Video games really took off as smartphones and other mobile devices entered the market. That, along with the advent of free-to-play models, has really boosted the popularity of games and created momentum for growth. Today, technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way people interact with technology and creating opportunities for experiences. play better role-playing video games. That, in turn, creates an opportunity for video game studios to develop more innovative and dynamic games for players to enjoy. It also means that they are releasing their video games on multiple platforms. And that’s great news for players.
“A lot of investment is focused on developing technologies that can bring the ‘real world feel’ into the virtual world so that people develop stronger emotional connections with it and have a better experience.” better video game experience.”
Jia Wang explains (photo: EvgeniyShkolenko/iStock/Getty ImagesPlus)
How do you think the upcoming video game industry will develop?
The video game industry will continue to grow because as technologies improve, we can do new exciting things. Every player wants to find a video game they like, this will create the improvement and development of new game genres for players to step into the universe of video games. The focus now is on better understanding our customers to deliver the video games they want. We truly live in the “golden age” of video games. The industry is booming thanks to great storylines, new gameplay and next-generation technologies. And many more great things to come.
Tencent works with many companies around the world, and our goal is to create a global video game universe that can help their success. That’s important to me because, when video games are a bright industry, it creates many job opportunities and is a major source of entertainment for hundreds of millions of people. It also has great potential to promote the development of innovative and creative solutions in other areas of social need.
And what does the virtual universe include?
Despite a lot of buzz surrounding what many call the metaverse, it’s still unclear what it is or how it will develop. At Tencent, we see it as part of “digital surrealism,” an idea that integrates the digital world with reality to create a fusion experience. It will give people an immersive experience in real time and will allow them to connect with the virtual world more deeply and to seamlessly transition between the two. It will spark people’s imagination and push the limits of ability. I can see a whole new creative landscape emerging. It’s very interesting.
What is the role of AI and machine learning in the video game industry?
AI and machine learning are used in different ways. For example, they make it much easier for artists to quickly create landscape paintings. They also allow us to include more real elements in our animations by ensuring that the movements of the characters we create are like real life. A lot of investment is focused on developing technologies that can bring the “real world feel” into the virtual world so that people develop stronger emotional connections with it and experience it. play better video games. As mentioned, my team is working on cutting edge technologies like AI, big data and cloud capabilities and we are super excited to be able to bring them to the global market and to help the Other video game studios, including new entrants to the market, realize their dreams.
What role do video games have other than mere entertainment?
There is a lot of creative work in this area. Video game technologies are also being used to develop a diverse number of small applications for social interaction. For example, video games are an effective way to preserve historical and cultural elements of art and make them accessible to everyone. In 2018, Tencent developed a super interesting 3-D AI technology that can recreate the structures of old buildings, such as the Great Wall of China, allowing users to explore the structures. that structure from its primitive, primitive form. The level of detail the technology achieves is astounding.
“Technology for the Good” is the central feature throughout the Tencent Universe.”
Other applications are being developed for use in the healthcare sector. A recent example is a smart eye test to screen children for eye disease. It has been developed by LightSpeed Studios, a leading video game studio of Tencent, in partnership with the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC) at Sun Yat-sen University in China. In that test, children were shown a two-minute video in which they participated in a mission to save baby turtles. The compelling storyline requires them to focus their eyes on the bright spot to find the turtle eggs. The test is completed in less than 5 minutes, 90% faster than traditional eye exams, and also provides lessons about environmental protection for children.
How long does it take to develop a video game and what makes a successful video game?
From a design perspective, a successful video game allows players to start playing without paying for anything. At some point in the video game, they will be given the choice to purchase the game or unlock the level, but whether or not they do that is entirely their choice.
“It can take years to develop and launch a successful video game.”
In our video games, we often offer “skins” – a downloadable graphics pack that allows players to purchase to change the appearance of a video game character. What people often don’t realize is that producing one of these beautiful “skins” is both an expensive and lengthy creative process that can take years to create.
What role does intellectual property play in your daily work?
Tencent has strong commitments to intellectual property and recognizes its supportive role in creating a more vibrant, creative, and innovative ecosystem for video games and industries. our other business. A video game is the product of creativity and both technology and intellectual property protect both. There’s a lot of intellectual property involved in the video games we develop, from the technical mechanics that enrich the player’s experience to the story and the heroes we create in the game. .
Video game development involves working with various partners. Each partner is responsible for creating a different element in the video game industry. My team understands that we need to update our knowledge of the IP field because it represents important business interests of the company and our partners. We have clear instructions for what and when to do. We make sure our partners know that, while protecting our intellectual property is a top priority, we are also aware they need to protect their work as well. When discussing a project, we always clarify IP boundaries to make sure we don’t cross them. It’s a reflex. It ensures that everyone’s intellectual property rights are respected at all times. But it’s important to balance the need to protect intellectual property with the need to support the creative process because ideas that come together spark more creativity.
“Within Tencent, there is a general perception of the importance of IP to our business.”
What is your message to young people who want to get into this industry?
Follow your passion. The video game industry is full of passions, and there are many interesting individuals with similar dreams. Most people work for a salary but at Tencent, many people work to realize their dreams.
Source: WIPO Magazine of INTERNATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
https://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2022/04/article_0002.html
