Minimap CGO George Jeong speaking at PGC Summit Korea | Photo provided by Minimap
Pocket Gamer Connects (PGC), one of the world’s leading game business conferences, held its first “PGC Summit Korea” in Goyang on October 31, placing Korea’s gaming ecosystem at the center of the global network.
The event marked the first time the global conference series—attended by over 64,000 industry professionals from more than 70 countries—was hosted in Korea. It featured discussions on industry trends and networking opportunities. The summit featured four major tracks with over 30 international speakers, an indie showcase, investor–publisher matchmaking programs, and business meeting systems.
During the afternoon session, George Jeong, Chief Growth Officer (CGO) of Minimap (CEO Seonghee Cho), took the stage to emphasize that in an era when more than 19,000 games are released each year, simply launching a game is no longer enough. He highlighted the importance of building data-driven communities, saying, “Today, community operations centered on users and data have become the key to a game’s survival.”
Having previously worked as an interpreter for the LCK and gained experience on the global esports stage, Jeong now also serves as a community manager at Minimap, directly building a worldwide gamer network. He also runs a podcast featuring interviews with indie developers, expanding the bridge between creators and players. “A community isn’t just a group of people who love a game,” he explained. “They can be playtesters, voluntary marketers, QA specialists, and even creative directors—essential assets to a developer.”
He presented three key factors for building a thriving community. First, he stressed the need to segment target players clearly. Developers should accept that not every gamer will enjoy their game and focus on genre-based communities on platforms such as Reddit, Discord, and Facebook groups. Second, he advised analyzing performance data across channels and adjusting strategies based on content analytics. Lastly, he emphasized that community building is a long-term effort, not a short-term campaign. “You can’t expect results in a week or two,” he said. “Sustained data management and consistent communication with users are essential.”
Minimap CGO George Jeong speaking at PGC Summit Korea | Photo provided by Minimap
Jeong also outlined core principles for community management: start early, set clear rules, maintain consistent communication, and be transparent. “Fans can forgive a delay,” he said, “but they won’t forgive dishonesty.” He emphasized that transparency and consistency build trust within a community. “Community management is an extension of marketing,” he added. “You should invest at least one to two hours a day interacting with users.” His talk concluded with the phrase, “Rome wasn’t built in a day—neither is a community.”
PGC Summit Korea served as a platform to showcase Korea’s gaming ecosystem’s dynamism to the world. The organizing committee described Korea as one of the most exciting and high-potential gaming markets globally and announced plans to continue hosting the event in the country. Industry participants praised the summit for offering domestic developers meaningful opportunities to connect directly with global publishers and investors.
This conference marked an important milestone in Korea’s journey toward a broader global stage for gaming. George Jeong’s presentation reaffirmed that in an increasingly competitive era, community and data are essential to success—and that for games, launch day is not the end but the beginning of a journey with the community.
