Poster | Image by Smilegate
Smilegate Hope Studio (Chairman Hyuk-bin Kwon) announced it will hold the ‘2024 Play Fun&Good Forum’ on November 15 at 3 PM at BEXCO Exhibition Center 1, Room 303, in Busan. Co-hosted by the Korea Association of Game Industry (KGames), the forum will focus on “Sustainability of Social Contributions Through Collaboration Among Diverse Entities in the Gaming Industry.”
The event will feature presentations by prominent figures, including Professor Tae-Jin Yoon from Yonsei University, DiGRA Korea Chapter President; Soonju Lee, Director of Devsisters Oven Games; Jae-hyung Park, CEO of indie game studio OldIce; and game streamer Seorim Park. Caster So Rim Jung will lead the event as the moderator.
Hope Studio will share successful cases at the forum where it created social value with various game companies and users. Team Manager Jaehee Park will discuss the 2024 Youth Esports Festival with Nexon Foundation, Kakao Games, and the Daejeon Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency, highlighting collective impact in social contribution activities.
Professor Yoon will present “Restoring Healthy Communication Between Game Companies and Users.” Jae-hyung Park, CEO of OldIce, will showcase Flawless Darkness, an award-winning game that enhances accessibility by allowing users to navigate a maze through sound alone.
Hope Studio Director Yeon Ju Kwon commented, “Hope Studio aims to provide a platform where game companies and users can engage with social issues and explore solutions. We will continue our efforts to spread hope and positively impact society.”
Pangyo Techno Valley is a global integrated R&D hub focused on IT, BT, CT, and NT, integrating Research (R), People (P), Information (I), and Trade (T). As Gyeonggi-do’s representative innovation cluster, Pangyo Techno Valley was established to secure national new growth drivers such as technological innovation, human resource development, job creation, and enhancing international business competitiveness. As of 2023, 1,666 companies employ 78,751 people, and it has positioned itself as the most innovative hub in South Korea, with sales amounting to 167.7 trillion KRW (125.5 billion USD).
Furthermore, the Techno Valley Innovation Division of the Gyeonggi-do Business & Science Accelerator (GBSA) holds monthly events such as the Pangyo Evening Meet-Up, Pan-Pan Day, and the Pangyo Startup Investment Exchange “In-Best Pangyo” to maximize the value of Pangyo Techno Valley. They also support the Pangyo Overseas Promotion Program to publicize information about Pangyo’s companies, products, and services to domestic and foreign investors and the media, thereby facilitating foreign investment.
