Better Ground
BETTER GROUND is a program by KRAFTON and JA Member Nations (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, and Thailand) for students aged 15 to 18 exploring careers in the gaming industry.
This programme aims to prepare students with the skills and knowledge for emerging career in the world of game development, storytelling, and emerging career opportunities in the gaming industry.
The program is structured into several phases:
Better Ground Global Kick-off
Better Ground PLAY
Better Ground DAY
Better Ground UP
Better Ground FINAL
Global Kick-off: Students from all countries joined an online global session featuring engagement with Krafton developers and an introduction to the full program structure and process.
Better Ground PLAY: A 3-hour online workshop introducing students (most of whom are new to game development) to GDevelop, a beginner-friendly game engine. During this session, they were also briefed on how to write their game plan.
Better Ground DAY: Shortlisted teams will attend an intensive one-day training session.
Better Ground UP (development phase): Selected teams will be shortlisted based on their game plan submissions. These teams will have approximately two months to develop one playable level of their proposed game. During this period, industry mentors will be assigned to guide and support them.
Better Ground FINAL: Teams will present and showcase the developed game level.
Recap: Better Ground 2025
Better Ground 2025 marked JA Malaysia’s first year of implementing the programme, successfully engaging 20 participating teams from across the country.
The top three winning teams were:
Champion: DinnerBone Studios
Second Place: NYAN Studio
Third Place: Toffee Game
As the national champion, DinnerBone Studios represented Malaysia at the Global Showcase in Seoul, South Korea.
We would also like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the industry professionals, mentors, judges, and partners whose guidance and support contributed significantly to the success of this journey.
Jihoon Kim, Game Designer, PUBG Studio
Yee I Van, Ecosystem Manager (Games), Asia Pacific University
Alex Tan, Co-founder of Hidden Chest Studios
Nathalie Tay, Business Director & Editor-in-Chief, The Magic Rain
Vie Eik (V8), Director, Ghost Machine
Sabine Ong, Development Producer, Metronomik
Michael Ooi, Game Architect, GOAT Collectibles Sdn Bhd
Thong Wing Yee, Marketing and Communications Strategist, Weyrdworks
Jeremy Ooi, Game Designer, Kaigan Games Entertainment
Keshavar Ganesparan, Founder of Hidden Chest Studios and the Director for the game - Midwest 90 Rapid City.
Yeoh XIN (Jack Yeoh), Game Designer / Game Programmer, Lemonsky
Maya Umar, Co-Founder & Project Manager, Blamorama Games AB
Oliver Yeung, Game Developer/Designer
Nurshamine, Digital Game Art Lecturer, Raffles University
Ahmad Helmi bin Zainal Ariffin, Game Programmer, Persona Theory Games
Bazil Akmal Bidin, Studio Operations & Development Senior Manager, PlayStation Studios Malaysia
EuJin Tan, Co-Founder, Metropolice Studio
Jonathan Tang, Game Programmer, Metronomik & Chapter Lead of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Malaysia
