Sinjin Jung, founder of Peking Duck Studios, shared his fascinating journey from esports to Web3 gaming and how his experience shaped the development of his current game, My Angry Yakuza Girlfriend. I hope you enjoy Sinjin's thoughts on gaming, Web3, and his insights from decades in the industry.
Can you give us a little bit about your backstory and what led you to where you are now?
“I'm 48 years old, so I'm a little old... I started in esports back in 1998, if you can believe it.” Sinjin began his journey working with Samsung in Canada on the World Cyber Games. He managed StarCraft Brood War teams and even considered becoming a professor after studying theology.
His path took a turn into online poker, eventually becoming the original Director of Asia for PokerStars in 2007. “I ended up legalizing poker in Macau,” he mentioned, opening multiple markets and pioneering poker across Asia. Later, he ventured into fintech, microfinance, and family offices before finally diving into Web3.
During the pandemic, he discovered Axie Infinity and realized, “These axies are actually a better form of microfinance.” This realization led him to invest heavily in the space and eventually start his own game studio.
What exactly is it that you’re working on right now?
Sinjin’s current project is a Web3-native game called My Angry Yakuza Girlfriend. He described it as “a competitive game,” featuring a storyline around “Miki Sung... trained since birth to be a lethal assassin,” who sets out to rescue her lover after he’s kidnapped.
Set in 1990s Tokyo, the game offers a unique arena-style experience. Sinjin emphasized, “It's set in the kind of nineties Tokyo kind of nightlife... That's the arena.”
How do you see your long history in Web2 across various gaming, financials, and poker specifically helping you and setting you apart from developers who have only started in Web3?
“Because I'm older, we never looked at games like genres... it was like a new game, and we're like happy to get whatever game it was,” Sinjin explained. He has witnessed the evolution of gaming firsthand, from Command & Conquer to Diablo, and believes in viewing games as unique experiences rather than by genre.
His extensive background in poker and open economies gives him a distinct advantage. “In online poker, for real money, there are players who are depositing, there are people players who are winning, and there's also players who are losing,” he pointed out, highlighting how his understanding of open economies informs his approach to game design in the Web3 space.
What’s the biggest challenge for Web3 gaming right now?
According to Sinjin, the biggest challenge is “finding its own identity.” He explained, “Everyone who's invested in this space wants something now because we're coming out of this kind of NFT crypto space, which is highly speculative, right? Making a game is not a speculative process.” He emphasized that creating a game takes time, effort, and a clear understanding of what makes Web3 genuinely distinctive.
He criticized developers who replicate existing games: “They pop out a game in like four months, six months, whatever... But they're not progressing the space further.” Sinjin believes that Web3 games should be more than iterations of Web2 models, pushing to explore what makes Web3 truly unique.
What would be your tips for someone looking to make the jump into Web3 gaming full time?
“You have to just really want it and love it... Because it's such a grind, right? But it's a beautiful grind that, if that fun comes, I mean, it's the best fucking thing in the world,” Sinjin advised. He emphasized that passion is crucial, as Web3 is still finding its footing, and the path to success isn’t always clear.
For those entering the space, he cautioned that Web3 development requires dedication and is often more about contributing to the future of gaming than chasing quick profits.
Final Thoughts
It was fascinating to learn more about Web3's larger-than-life character. He has a mountain of experience and stories. His grounded yet optimistic passion for the space is far more encouraging than unbridled optimism. Plus, his constant beating of the peons truly helps to keep the space in check.
I always look forward to talking to him, and I hope you found the conversation interesting. Listen to the full thing on Spotify.
Comments