Kakao Games to Support Assistive Gaming Devices for People with Disabilities

(From left) Kang In-hak, Director of Gyeonggi Rehabilitation Engineering Service Research Support Center; Cho Gye-hyun, CEO of Kakao Games; Han Chan-hee, Chairman of Beautiful Foundation; Kang Yoon-kyu, Director of National Rehabilitation Center, are attending the business agreement ceremony for the support project of assistive devices for disabled gamers and taking a commemorative photo.

Kakao Games has launched a support project for assistive gaming devices for people with disabilities.

On the 17th, Kakao Games announced that it had signed a business agreement with the Beautiful Foundation, the National Rehabilitation Center, and the Gyeonggi Rehabilitation Engineering Service Research Support Center for the related project.

Through the agreement ceremony held on the 16th, the four organizations plan to collaborate to ensure more systematic support for improving gaming accessibility for people with disabilities, based on each institution's expertise, including recruiting applicants, providing and installing customized assistive gaming devices, and future education on device usage and management.

For this project, Kakao Games donated 100 million KRW to the Beautiful Foundation, planning and sponsoring the overall project, while the Beautiful Foundation will oversee project operations. The National Rehabilitation Center will provide project consultation, open-source assistive devices, and devices, and the Gyeonggi Rehabilitation Engineering Service Research Support Center will be responsible for managing applicant cases and research related to project operations.

The project supports applicants by providing higher-quality customized assistive devices through expert consultation. Post-management will also be conducted, including education by assistive technology specialists on device usage and management methods, and effectiveness testing of assistive devices. Recruitment for applicants for assistive gaming devices for people with disabilities is scheduled to begin in April, which includes “Disability Day.”

The assistive gaming devices provided this time include ▲assistive input devices (keyboards, mice, switches, etc., compatible with PCs, tablets, and mobile phones), ▲assistive device accessories (armrests, stands, accessories, etc., to assist device usage), and ▲posture support devices (desks, chairs, lapboards, belts, etc., to support posture for device use).

Jo Gye-hyeon, CEO of Kakao Games, said, “For people with disabilities who have difficulty accessing games due to physical and environmental factors, four companies and institutions, including our company, have come together for the first time in Korea to support assistive gaming devices. We will work closely with related organizations to provide more practical and systematic support for people with disabilities.”