An Interview with Carlo “GM Waukeen” Ople, Brand Manager Ragnarok Online Philippines

Game!’s The Doctor had a chance to interview Mr. Carlo Ople aka GM Waukeen aka Waukster, Brand Manager of Ragnarok Online Philippines. We got to ask about GM Waukeen’s best and worst experiences working as a Brand manager, his advice for those who are interested in working for a gaming company and much more.

When did you start as a Brand Manager for Ragnarok Online?
I actually started my professional career in the online gaming industry as the community manager for all the titles of netGames, this includes Fly for Fun, Pangya, and Khan Online. The natural career paths for Community Managers is to go on and become Brand Managers because of their product exposure and the training they get from their boss. I was very fortunate to have a very good and patient mentor who taught me the ropes and it helped me a lot when they eventually promoted me to Brand Manager of Fly for Fun. When the merge finally came into effect, management decided to change the brand I was handling to Ragnarok Online. If I remember correctly, this was around October of last year.

What does a brand manager do?
It’s a very difficult but enjoyable job! Primarily it’s marketing, however since the product is a game, we also have to be hands-on when it comes to IT, product development, operations, creatives, and customer support. Being a Brand Manager is like being the “mini-CEO�? of your product. You provide the direction and lay-out path that everyone else in the team will follow. Business-wise, the Brand Manager is responsible for the growth of the product (revenues and acquisition).

What was your initial reaction when you were assigned as a Brand Manager for Ragnarok Online?
Humbled and challenged at the same time! Ragnarok is the breadwinner of the company. It is still the most successful MMORPG in the country, and I was really surprised to find out that upper management trusts me enough to handle the responsibility. I was also challenged because the game is already 4 years old, and there are a lot of new games coming out this year. It’s a big task, but I’m up for it. Ragnarok is the game that started everything, and I truly believe that it will forever be the home of the Pinoy Gamer.

What are your plans for the game?
We have a lot of projects lined up for 2007! We’ve already launched the Item Mall, wherein players can also buy in-game items using top-up cards. Of course we have the Ragnarok Philippine Championships (RPC 2007), which is the biggest online gaming tournament in the country. We want to reach out more to the players because that’s what I wanted from Level-up when I was still a gamer. My personal favorite project is the Ragna Rally ’07.

What is this Ragnarok Rally thing? Will Poring really run for office? o_o
Hahaha! Actually one of my goals in my stay as RO Brand Manager is to make the content and projects more relevant to the Filipino gaming community. This is even seen in our in-game events. We recently concluded the People Power and Ati-atihan events in pRO. Players need to do quests and they are rewarded with Filipino-themed headgears and items.
For the Ragna Rally, we wanted to take advantage of the hype of the May elections. We used the Poring as the standard bearer for the project because it is the symbol of RO that has the highest recall. Ragna Rally is actually a series of parties in almost 20 locations in the country. We’re literally rallying old and new RO gamers and thanking them for the support they’ve given us. This is also a venue for the management team to talk and listen to the players so we can launch more effective programs in the future.

What is the most enjoyable experience in your job?
Being able to solve the problems that pissed me off when I was a player. The first thing I did when I was assigned to Level-up was to question the No Hack compensation policy, and I’m very happy to say that this will be corrected soon. I’m also very hands-on when it comes to fixing of game bugs and exploits. I still remember one player who was my bitter enemy in RO when I was still active. After a few months of me being Brand Manager, he sent me a YM message saying that I was doing a really good job, and that he was happy RO was now in better hands.

What was the worst thing that happened in your job?
Everyday is a challenge. Each time you fix a bug or solve a problem, something new comes up the next day. There is literally no rest and you have to be on the go 24/7. We’ve had month long rollbacks and on-site event problems. There is no singular worst experience – I’d rather call them challenging problems that need urgent and effective solutions.

What was the funniest thing that happened while on the job?
There was this one time I came in and one irate player was talking to our receptionist. Kulang na lang, sumigaw siya. I then heard him saying that he was an RO player and he even mentioned my name. I just stood behind him until he finally calmed down and I tapped him on the back and introduced myself. He was so shocked that he dropped the book he was carrying, hehe.
We sat down after and fixed his problem. Apparently it was one of those in-game bugs that hit his account.

What educational background does a person need to get a job in a gaming company?
It really depends on the position. Working for an online gaming company is just as serious as working for Colgate or any other multinational corporation. There are metrics and revenue targets, and you have to do your best to be able to hit those numbers. If you want a marketing job, then make sure you have that in your resume. If you want a sales job, make sure you studied sales.

If ever I was a fresh graduate, can I immediately apply as a GM or any related job?
Yup, but we really prefer it if you were a gamer.

Have you applied anything that you learned from school/college here in the game?
I’ve been very thankful to my Atenean education because the insane curriculum there trained me to become resilient and resourceful. Problems and targets will never change even if the worse thing happens to your game (bugs). You have to think outside of the box and continue to deliver day-in and day-out.

What inspired you to apply at a gaming company?
Hahaha, now this is a good question. I was actually inclined to follow in the footsteps of my late Grandfather, Senator Blas F. Ople. I was being groomed to become a politican. However, as much as I wanted to, there was no passion in me to go on and pursue a career in politics. At that time, one of my interviews as a community figure in Ragnarok aired in MTV. The president of netGames at that time, Axel Kornerup, was able to watch the video. He was actually a close friend of mine because we used to frequent his internet café in Katipunan (Netopia). He called me and asked me if I wanted to join the netGames team. I immediately said yes. I’m a passion driven person, and if my heart is not in it, then I don’t think I’ll be able to do a good job. Gaming is one of things close to me, so I decided to jump in and just do my best.

There are two types of workers in an online gaming company, one is a gamer and one who was just accepted because he/she passed the qualifications.

Is gaming experience necessary for an optimum performance in your job or it can be a learning process?
I’d say the best would be a gamer who also has the qualifications for the job he or she is applying for. It can be a learning process for non-gamers or those with little qualifications, but it will cost the company time and resources. The world will not wait for you, so you really have to hit the ground running.

Do you learn new things in your job?
Everyday! I learn a ton of stuff just by talking to RO gamers. I enjoy talking and getting feedback from RO players on how to bring the game to greater heights.

What is/are your advice(s) to student gamers with regards to their studies/course?
I totally disagree with the saying that “everything in moderation is key�?. While in school, keep gaming at low levels and focus on your studies. Graduate and become a responsible man/woman who can stand on your own two feet. Make sure you always prioritize the right things.

What is your message to our dear Ragnarok players and Readers?
Be a responsible gamer. Play hard, but study harder! By the way, feel free to visit my blog at www.waukster.com. I update it daily and you’ll see a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how it is working for an online gaming company. ROK ON!

Any exclusive info/sneak peek before we end? About… RO 2, maybe?
One thing is sure: Level-up Games will bring Ragnarok 2 to the Philippines. Development is still on-going in Korea but we’re hoping to release it within the year. There are already a lot of fan sites about RO2, and I’m pretty sure it will be one of the biggest games in the Philippines.