Illustrators in South Korea’s video game industry

Based on field data collected from 2009 to 2019 in a video game company in South Korea, this article contributes to documenting the worlds of video game production through an anthropological analysis of the place of manhwaga (illustrators). Manhwaga, who feel that their presence in the video game industry is merely a stage, seek to dedicate time in their work to train and patiently perfect their art. Their positions can therefore be seen as steps towards developing skills deemed necessary to work in more valued industries such as that of comic books.