GAMING FOR GOD
PART 1
By Christopher Quah
GAMING FOR GOD.
Gaming for God? For many we would think that any sort of games, either app games, or computer games are the complete polar opposite of anything that has to do with God. Yet this is not the case of Gameka Sdn Bhd.
GAMEKA was started at the end of 2015 by J-Son Ho who was then a pastor in DUMC, and Jason Yuen a partner at Ernst & Young. They started this business as a hobby.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Kenny Lum, Chief Gameka Officer (aka CEO) retells the humble beginnings of GAMEKA to Asian Beacon.
“GAMEKA was never meant to be a game company with many big clients coming over for our services. We never imagined it would become as big as it is today. The two Jasons first started GAMEKA in J-Son Ho’s condo. They wanted to use their free time to make their own games. But 6 months later, they suddenly got contracted to do a game for someone else, thanks to a contact from a church member. They were paid a seven-figure amount for the project. Upon receiving the money to do the project, made their hobby became a business,” Kenny explained.
From there J-Son Ho approached Kenny to join their project.
“I was invited to join GAMKEA about a year later, in late of 2016. I too had no experience in making computer games. Before I came in, I had my other business. I was doing leadership training, business training, corporate training for about 9 years at a company called Innovative Formula. When J-Son Ho, approached me and told me we were making a game company I was instantly bought by the idea. My background was in designing physical games like board games, and team learning exercises. These games teach people how to properly delegate work, which is used a lot in our training,” Kenny elaborated.
At the invitation of J-Son Ho, Kenny moved off and came over to work in GAMEKA.
“It was kind of a rushed thing, but God was gracious. We may make plans, but God is the one who guides them to success. We were all from the corporate background. So, with the money given, J-Son Ho began to call up people to hire. Random individuals also came up to be interviewed. It was a journey of God’s grace as we had zero experience on who would be the best to hire and so on. It was indeed a very fast learning curve as we were now a professional game company. Not only that we had a dateline to keep,” Kenny explained.
Kenny said it was thanks to God’s help they found the current staff that works in GAMEKA now.
“J-Son Ho was also responsible in finding our current chief marketing officer Narish Sukumaran who has been a great asset to the company. We become known all over Malaysia thanks to his efforts. All our leads, those who contact GAMEKA with potential business prospect discovered us through Narish efforts in online marketing. In an average month, we have up to 10 to 15 leads. Then if a deal goes through, we get funding for a project. I thank God for Narish on all the rest of the staff who God has helped bring to GAMEKA,” Kenny said.
GAMES THROUGH GRACE
He testified through the grace of God, the first project that they took, finally got delivered in the late 2018. It was a business simulation game called Nettworth
“From this project, we have moved on to other projects. By God’s grace we were given new opportunities which allowed us to learn and grow bigger than before,” Kenny testified.
Kenny testifies that God has provided them with many lucrative opportunities, and they have worked with many clients.
“We were approached by a company called N2W (subsidiary of Johor Corporation), which opened the doorway for us to have a million-dollar project done with them. It was in December 2018. Just after the Nettworth app was delivered, God already provided us with new projects. So far, God has blessed us with a lot of clients, from Securities Commission Malaysia, to even Hong Leong Bank. I believe that God is using the strengths we have, as all the games we are tasked to make are corporate base. This is good, as stated earlier that me and the rest of the founders come from a corporate background,” Kenny explained.
“Aside from corporate companies we have also worked with a Christian kid’s animation company called Superbook. We made an app for that very popular show. We helped improve their app, by adding animation, and adding Bible Scriptures,” Kenny added.
Kenny testifies that God has indeed blessed them financially well.
“Among local independent gaming companies, we have the most staff employed under us, which is 30 in total. No other indie game company has that many. We have never done any outsourcing before and have delivered our games end from end,” Kenny explained.
GOD IS OUR CEO
Kenny states that the reason for their extremely fast success was that God was with them all the way. Therefore, as a company under God’s care, Kenny explains that the company is run differently from a normal company.
“God is our CEO,” Kenny Lum explained.
“Even though it states that I am the de facto “CEO” running the operation of the business while the Jasons are the board of directors, God is our true head. And I mean it in a literally sense! Here in the main office where me and the other heads sit, there is a special empty desk which we had dedicated to God,” Kenny explained as he showed Asian Beacon a special table and chair is supposed to be left empty.
“In this whole room, there is only one power cord opening, and that is behind God’s seat. So, we have a saying here, where God is there is where the power comes from,” Kenny related humorously
He also explained that this concept was conceived by J-Son Ho.
“We used to rent another building. There was much more space, and so J-Son Ho requested we dedicate the nicest room to God. When we moved, we couldn’t find much space, so we left this desk to be God’s corner,” Kenny stated.
He also said that God takes place in every matter, even in matters of hiring staff.
“I always tell the other members of the board that in anything we should bring it to prayer. Because God has the final say. For example, when HR comes to me after an interview me, I would tell them I need to pray about it. Even if I said yes, and God said no, it is of no use. He has the final say. That is how we operate,” Kenny testified.
“While most companies may have motivational pep talks, or board meetings on Monday mornings, we have morning devotion. We begin with praise and worship, then we ask for guidance, and finally we give thanks to Him for the day. After that we have a short presentation. I usually pray and ask God for what His plans are for that day. We don’t have a one year or even five-year plan sort of thing. The reason is because I literally seek God and asked Him what He would like us to do today. I compared it like the daily bread in Jesus prayer. I asked Him for directions daily, and He tells me what He would like done in the company. I only roughly know the direction which God wants me to bring the company to which is to make it become a global company,” Kenny adds.
“The only thing I do know what GAMEKA needs to do, is to deliver any project given to us with the best of our ability. Because this is also said in the Bible, that those who are faithful with the little will be blessed with more,” Kenny stresses.
To find out more about how GAMEKA operates thanks to the guidance of God, read on in Gaming with God (Part 2) https://asianbeacon.org/gaming-for-god-part-2/.
