Leading the Popularization of Coding Education... Now Going All-In on a Lowered-Hurdle 'Metaverse'

Interview with Yang Young-mo, CEO of Redbrick, Leading Coding Education Popularization through Wizschool
Recent Rebranding and Name Change to Transform into a Metaverse Platform
'WizLab' Platform Covering Coding Education to Content Distribution
100,000 Registered Creators, 300,000 Accumulated Contents

Yang Young-mo, CEO who made waves in the industry with the coding education company 'WizSchool,' recently revamped the business direction to focus on the metaverse and rebranded the company name to 'RedBrick.' The photo shows CEO Yang Young-mo introducing the metaverse platform he is developing. Photo by Kim Hee-yoon

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “The Alpha generation, who enjoy short-form content in their daily lives, are creators accustomed to making and sharing snack games themselves. Our goal is to provide a space of opportunity where they can freely realize their dreams in the metaverse.”

Yang Youngmo, CEO who made waves in the industry with the coding education company ‘WizSchool,’ recently shifted the business direction to the metaverse and rebranded by changing the company name to ‘Redbrick.’ Founded in September 2018, WizSchool launched as an educational platform that helps anyone easily learn coding, create software, and generate new value through it. Although the government designated coding as a mandatory subject in 2018, there have been issues with a shortage of educational personnel in the field. CEO Yang said, “I challenged myself to start a business to solve the problems in the coding education market, where people are unsure why and how to learn coding.”

WizSchool operates through WizClass, based on video lectures; WizLab, where students create and share applications; and WizApp, which distributes apps produced in WizLab. In particular, it was praised for leading the popularization of coding by devising and distributing its own coding program to break the stereotype that coding classes are difficult. The recent rebranding declares a focus on the metaverse using the existing capabilities of WizSchool. CEO Yang explained, “From the time we were developing an internal platform and transitioning from 2D to 3D, we felt the need to shift the expertise we built in 2D into 3D by focusing earlier on the metaverse. More than 100,000 active creators registered on Redbrick through WizLab are specialized in creation, and we noticed the need for a foundation to help them operate more quickly in the metaverse world.”

Game production demonstration screen created by a creator through Wizlab. Photo by Redbrick

A Platform Where Anyone Can Create and Distribute Games and Software

The new name, Redbrick, is derived from ‘Red,’ symbolizing passion, and ‘Brick’ from the creative tool ‘block coding,’ which allows anyone to easily create software. The coding program provided by Redbrick is based on block coding, enabling easy program creation without advanced skills. Originally, WizSchool’s distinctive feature was not only completing software through education but also providing a platform to showcase and distribute it to others. Redbrick creates social value and improves learners’ skills by offering distribution and network channels for software created directly by creators.

Developer CEO Yang, formerly of Samsung Electronics, said he wanted to share the sense of accomplishment he felt when creating something new through coding, so he left the company and developed a coding education program. The metaverse industry is becoming a new activity area for creators nurtured through the education program he built. CEO Yang emphasized, “Although there is high market interest in the metaverse, global metaverse companies like Roblox have a high difficulty level for all users to access, and Facebook focuses mainly on VR content, creating entry barriers. Redbrick lowers the development hurdle with block coding, making creation much easier while maintaining the same quality, thereby securing global competitiveness.”

At G-STAR 2021 held last month, Redbrick received great responses by setting up a booth where visitors could create and experience games firsthand. CEO Yang said he felt proud that the process of visitors creating games in 3D through a three-dimensional builder conveyed the message that anyone can make games.

Redbrick holds 101,200 creators through WizLab and 308,000 pieces of content they have produced, and these numbers continue to grow steadily. CEO Yang stated, “The average age of active creators is 14, showing the Alpha generation, digital natives, that coding and game creation are not just subjects but play and content. Based on meeting the metaverse demand in educational settings, such as providing regular class programs to the Incheon Office of Education in collaboration with MS, we will lead the global standardization of the metaverse through education.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.