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Current Research Projects

Development and Evaluation of the Inclusive Conversational AI Service for Game accessibility Enhancement

Research Goals:

  • Develop and evaluate an inclusive conversational AI service to improve game accessibility for players with disabilities.

  • Enable individuals with disabilities and their support networks (e.g., families, social workers) to discover and utilize appropriate game accessibility technologies.

  • Integrate the needs of players with disabilities into the AI development process through participatory design.

Research Methods:

  • Creation of training datasets for conversational AI development.

  • Design and prototyping of AI services based on participatory design.

  • User testing to identify improvements and assess effectiveness.

Timeline:

  • May 1, 2024 – April 30, 2027

Partners:

Smilegate D&I Council, Nexon Intelligence Labs UX Analysis Team, Samsung Corporate Design Center Cross UX Team, Korea National Rehabilitation Center Department of Assistive Technology, SpecialEffect (UK), Chung-Ang University Department of AI, KAIST School of Computing, KAIST Department of Industrial Design

Funding:

  • National Research Foundation of Korea (Mid-Career Researcher Program)

Preserving the Haenyeo Legacy: A Serious Game for Social Impact

Research Goals:

  • Co-design a serious game with the Haenyeo community of Jeju Island to preserve and promote their cultural heritage.

  • Highlight the global contributions of women in fisheries and environmental stewardship.

  • Inspire individual and societal behavioral change related to climate action and sustainability through gameplay.

  • Facilitate intergenerational knowledge transfer within the Haenyeo community and support their adaptation to social shifts.

Research Methods:

  • Participatory Action Research with the Haenyeo community, including interviews, focus groups, and observational fieldwork.

  • Iterative co-design sprints in collaboration with KAIST’s Games and Life Lab and students from both KAIST and Brunel University.

  • Application of behavioral change theories (Self-Determination Theory, Social Cognitive Theory) to inform game design.

  • Development of a serious game design document and a design framework for social impact.

Timeline:

  • June 1, 2025 – September 30, 2025

Partners:

Brunel University London Games Reserach Lab, Haenyeo Museum, the Haenyeo communities of Sinrye-ri, Daepyeong-ri, and Yeongnak-ri in Jeju

Funding:

  • Leverhulme Trust (International Fellowship)

Previous Research Projects

Real-Time XR Interface Technology for Environmental Adaptation

Research Goals:

  • Develop a platform for creating and managing meta-objects and immersive visual-haptic experiences using intelligent XR interfaces.

Research Methods:

  • Development of user experience models based on individual interactions with objects in the field.

  • Enhancement of user experience models incorporating social interaction metrics.

  • Integration of remote and field-based user interaction metrics into final design models.

Timeline:

  • April 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025

Partners:

Anipen, bHaptics, NYU, UniSA, Fraunhofer XR

Funding:

  • Institute for Information & communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP)

Towards Inclusive Digital Museum Innovation

Research Goals:

  • Explore inclusive and ethical digital transformation strategies for arts and heritage organizations.

  • Support museums in understanding digital culture and leisure in a post-pandemic world.

  • Investigate sustainable futures for digital economies and the creative industries.

  • Facilitate international collaboration on inclusive, gamified digital museum prototypes.

Research Methods:

  • Organize workshops and networking events to foster discourse on digital inclusivity.

  • Co-develop inclusive solutions with museum partners.

Timeline:

  • February 12, 2022 – July 2023

Partners:

University College London, National Folk Museum of Korea, National Library of Korea, Nam June Paik Art Center, National Science Museum of Korea, Science Museum Group, British Library, V&A Museum

Funding:

  • UK Economic and Social Research Council

Player Preference Types for Artistic Experiences in Games

Research Goals:

  • Develop a classification system for player preferences related to artistic game experiences.

  • Collect data on players' artistic experiences.

  • Analyze subjective, psychological, and behavioral characteristics associated with these preferences.

Research Methods:

  • Use of Q-methodology and survey instruments.

  • Gameplay workshops for typology validation.

Timeline:

  • August 5, 2020 – December 31, 2022

Funding:

  • Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA)

Assistive Technology R&D Project for People with Disabilities and the Older Adults

Research Goals:

  • Understand how youth with Cerebral Palsy relate video games to their social and emotional well-being.

  • Identify desired experiences in future video games.

  • Provide insights to families of youth with Cerebral Palsy.

Research Methods:

  • In-depth participant interviews.

  • Gameplay workshops.

Timeline:

  • April 1, 2021 – October 15, 2021

Partners:

National Rehabilitation Center

Funding:

  • National Rehabilitation Center

Expanding Mobile Game IPs Through MZ Generation Player Community

Research Goals:

  • Identify in-game features that promote community activity among MZ players.

  • Examine the link between community engagement and game IP success.

Research Methods:

  • Data crawling and conversation analysis.

  • Focus group interviews.

Timeline:

  • September 1, 2021 – February 25, 2022

Partners:

NCSoft

Funding:

  • NCSoft

Investigating Success Factors for Global Game IPs

Research Goals:

  • Analyze characteristics of globally successful game IPs.

  • Identify strategies for future IP development.

Research Methods:

  • Classification and analysis of game IPs using qualitative data from user reviews.

Timeline:

  • December 1, 2020 – March 18, 2021

Partners:

NCSoft

Funding:

  • NCSoft

Development of Middle-Aged and Older Adult Game Play Support Technology and Service Model

Research Goals:

  • Enhance gameplay experiences and digital literacy among older adults.

  • Promote intergenerational communication through games.

  • Develop support technologies and design guidelines for older adult gamers.

Research Methods:

  • Living Lab methodology and action research.

  • Qualitative and quantitative data analysis.

Timeline:

  • April 1, 2019 – December 31, 2021

Partners:

KOCCA, Yes Lab (Yonsei University), Music & Brain Research Lab (KAIST), Heartverse, Careyou

Funding:

  • Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA)

Game Culture Awareness Big Data Research

Research Goals:

  • Address negative biases in Korean game research.

  • Provide a socio-cultural data framework.

Research Methods:

  • Web scraping of reviews/comments from Naver and Steam.

  • Thematic analysis and cross-cultural comparison.

Timeline:

  • August 1, 2019 – November 30, 2019

Partners:

Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA)

Funding:

  • Ars Praxia, Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA)

Game Design Workshop for Reflecting Values in Games

Research Goals:

  • Help game designers identify and integrate personal/social values in game design.

  • Analyze existing "serious games" for value-driven design insights.

Research Methods:

  • Workshops and thematic analysis of discussions and case studies.

Timeline:

  • May 1, 2018 – August 30, 2018

Partners:

NCSoft

Funding:

  • NCSoft

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