Gwanak District Launches First Customized 'Game De-Talks' Program for Youth

Exploring Careers in E-sports
and Developing Healthy Gaming Habits

Gwanak District in Seoul (District Mayor Park Junhee) will launch the '2025 Game De-Talks' program this month to help young people use games in a healthy way. This program is a pilot project being introduced for the first time in Gwanak District this year as part of the 'Seoul Future Education District' initiative, a collaborative model between local districts and the Office of Education.

The purpose of 'Game De-Talks' is not to simply view games as something to avoid, but rather to transform games into engaging educational content and teach proper ways to utilize them.

The program will be held a total of 12 times (each session lasting 120 minutes) from this month through November, starting with Nanwoo Elementary School, and will target elementary, middle, and high school students in the district. The focus of the program is on providing education to prevent excessive gaming and addiction, helping students understand the field of e-sports, and offering opportunities to explore related career paths.

Moving away from conventional, rigid, and tedious education, the program includes special lectures on gaming ethics, career exploration with e-sports professionals, and hands-on game play sessions, all designed to encourage students to participate with enjoyment. In particular, a customized curriculum will be applied to suit the age and learning levels of elementary, middle, and high school students in the district.

Elementary school students will experience both fun and learning through hands-on game sessions, education on preventing excessive gaming, and special lectures on e-sports careers. Middle and high school students will select one topic-either a hands-on game session with gaming ethics education or an e-sports career special lecture-for more in-depth learning.

The district expects that this program will help students develop healthy gaming habits, gain an understanding of the various professions within the gaming industry, and explore potential career paths. Through PC game practice, students are also expected to develop teamwork, creativity, and strategic thinking skills.

Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak District, stated, "E-sports is now an important field that will lead the future job market, and its educational value is growing day by day. Through customized education that covers all students from elementary to high school, we will help students in the district develop healthy gaming habits and support them in achieving their dreams in the field of e-sports."