Borderless Performance: PLAY Pan
Breaking Game Boundaries with Gugak Fusion
Kim Jung-wook, Chairman of Nexon Foundation
"Integrating and Continuing Cultural Diversity Projects"
[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] The ‘Borderless Performance: PLAYpan’ by the Nexon Foundation, which continues the legacy of the late Kim Jung-joo, Nexon’s founder who personally oversaw various cultural and artistic events and even took to the theater stage, was held. The late founder’s lifelong dream of breaking down the boundaries of games and deeply embedding them into our society as cultural content moved gamers to tears and laughter, presenting new possibilities.
On the 11th, the main performance of the 1st ‘Borderless Performance: PLAYpan’ was held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Borderless is a social contribution project by the Nexon Foundation aimed at supporting experimental artistic creations using game intellectual property (IP), spreading the cultural content value of games, and expanding the base of the arts.
At the event, Kim Jung-wook, director of the Nexon Foundation, said, "Nexon has had a long-standing interest in culture and the arts and has steadily carried out related projects," explaining the purpose of the performance, "‘Borderless’ signifies the integration and succession of Nexon’s cultural diversity projects." Director Kim added, "When we held a contest while planning the performance, we realized there was a lot of interest in various cultural fields, including traditional Korean music (gugak), which we hadn’t expected, and I was surprised at how games could be utilized in this way. It made me think that the planning of the performance was actually a bit late."
Director Kim also recalled the late founder’s strong commitment to social contribution during his lifetime. He said, "The founder was more active and cheerful than ever when participating in social contribution activities, such as helping to establish the country’s first integrated children’s rehabilitation hospital," and emphasized, "Yoo Jung-hyun, the founder’s wife and the new representative (head) of Nexon and NXC auditor, also has a high interest in social contribution activities. Support for such activities will continue to be strengthened."
On the 11th, the main performance of the 1st 'Borderless Performance: PLAYpan' was held at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The performance drew intense interest, with all 300 seats filled. The audience included teenagers as well as many in their 30s and 40s who came to reminisce about games from their childhood. The main performance was a traditional Korean performance commemorating the representative monster ‘Slime’ from MapleStory, blending gugak, Bongsan mask dance, and funeral procession songs into a modern reinterpretation.
When the monster Slime appeared as a character lamenting, "We are ultimately nothing but experience points," laughter erupted from the audience. Additionally, as the game’s backgrounds and characters were recreated on the actual stage, the audience responded enthusiastically, as if they were immersed in the game itself. A high school student who watched the performance shared, "I came to watch the performance to soothe my regret about not being able to play games after entering high school," and added, "I wiped away tears during the scene honoring the monster’s spirit."
The Nexon Foundation plans to engage in various cultural activities using Nexon IP starting with the 1st Borderless Performance. Director Kim said, "We are continuously thinking about whether there is a way to help our society or culture without any boundaries," and revealed, "We plan to hold the 2nd contest selecting fresh and experimental art fields where games meet traditional arts."
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