Gyeonggi Conjinwon solves IT accessibility of socially underprivileged class with 'functional game'

Korea's aging index (the ratio of the elderly aged 65 or older to the youth aged 0-14) has been steadily increasing since the 1980s. It reached 181.2 in 2024, following 67.2 in 2010. The rising trend of the aging index is a result of the simultaneous increase in the proportion of the youth population and the increase in the proportion of the elderly population due to the decrease in mortality. As the baby boomers are about to enter the elderly, the aging index is expected to continue to rise.Amid the accelerating aging of

, only 12.0% of the elderly could conduct e-commerce, 20.2% of financial transactions, and 17.9% of the elderly could order and receive kiosks. While the IT industry for providing convenience in life is unfolding in many parts of society, the elderly and the IT society are moving away as the aging population accelerates.

All over the world, solutions to improve the accessibility of the elderly to the IT society are being solved through 'games'. The game has expanded beyond recreational activities for hobbies to "functional games" created with other special purposes such as health, treatment, and education. The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) approved the use of games as a digital treatment for ADHD, and game development is being activated to expand cultural enjoyment opportunities and promote health for the disabled and silver generations. People with disabilities are preparing solutions such as building a game environment so that they can experience the same popular games on the market as the general public, and therapeutic use of games by the smart silver generation.

With the importance of "functional games" to improve access to social functions due to these environmental factors, Gyeonggi-do Province and the Gyeonggi Content Agency implemented "social value creation type game production support projects" necessary for the production and expansion of functional game contents based on specific needs of relatively socially disadvantaged groups such as the disabled and the elderly.

List of companies and productions selected for the 'Social Value Creation Game Production Support Project'

"Social value creation type game production support" is a project to improve net function through the use of games as a means of solving social problems. It aimed to create social value through game content production for a specific class that has difficulty accessing IT. In order to promote the support project, six companies were selected, including Gyeonggi Rehabilitation Engineering Service Research Support Center (hereinafter referred to as "Gyeong Performance"), Mango Soft Lab, KiumTech, Creacube, Meerkat Communications, and Smilegate, after screening in May, and produced related results.

Companies selected for the support project showed results at the Gyeonggi Content Festival held at the Suwon Convention Center on the 13th. The exhibition provided visitors with opportunities to experience "Kiosk Education Games," "Brain Cognitive Improvement Learning Parcels and Software," "Functional Board Games for Improving Cognitive and Physical Ability," and "Adaptive Game Controller."

It is demonstrating the special input switch "Adaptive Game Controller" developed by the Gyeonggi Rehabilitation Engineering Service Research Support Center.

Kwon Sung-jin, head of Kyung Performance, who developed an adaptive game controller and participated in the exhibition, said, "The disabled experienced the controller's mouse and keyboard integration, key mapping, and switch interface that can connect various switches. In the future, we plan to develop it in a way that simplifies the user setting process and expands accessibility in the game environment," he said. The Korea Economic and Social Development Institute participated in the production support project in line with the center's direction to expand digital accessibility for the disabled and opportunities to participate in games and the purpose of the support project. It aims to contribute to creating an environment where the disabled can enjoy leisure and communicate the same as the non-disabled.

A large number of visitors are demonstrating the "Excerbrain" developed by Mango Soft Lab.

"We developed it to help the elderly manage their cognition and physical health in line with a super-aged society in the era of 10 million elderly population," said Mango Soft Lab's "Director Ahn Byung-ho," who developed the kiosk educational game "Excerbrain." We wanted to increase the digital familiarity of the elderly, promote social interaction, and contribute to resolving the sense of isolation," he said. The Exverbrain, which allows a large number of people to participate at the same time by using a 150-inch large-screen interactive screen, was developed to maximize fun and immersion by naturally cooperating and competition between the elderly. It is being piloted by selling content to a domestic daytime protection center and a silver house in Tokyo, Japan, and plans to create new content that reflects two key keywords: prevention of sarcopenia and satisfaction of learning needs.

The Gyeonggi Content Agency's "Director Tak Yong-seok" is explaining the results of the "Social Value Creation Game Production Support Project" to visitors.

Last year, the Gyeonggi Content Agency pushed for a wide range of support under the business name of "Functional Game Production Support," and this year, it set the disabled and elderly generation as representative social specific classes. "The ultimate result of the project is the creation and contribution of positive effects by producing pure functional game contents needed by certain social classes," said Tak Yong-seok, director of the Gyeonggi Content Agency, who promoted the project. "We are working together to distribute game contents for the elderly throughout the province by signing a business agreement with the Gyeonggi Senior Welfare Center Association," he said. "We will expand the field of certain social classes and expand the scope of production support."