Preserving the Haenyeo Legacy: A Serious Game for Social Impact
2025
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 Research Lab, Haenyeo Museum, the Haenyeo communities of Sinrye-ri, Daepyeong-ri, and Yeongnak-ri in Jeju
Funding:
Leverhulme Trust (International Fellowship)
Project Homepage: