Smilegate Hope Studio (hereinafter Hope Studio) announced on the 20th that it is launching the "Seongnam Youth AI Creation Workshop - Our Neighborhood Player" (hereinafter Workshop) together with the Seongnam Cultural Foundation. A total of 28 participants, including 20 youths and 8 young mentors, will take part in creating games.
The workshop will run for six weeks starting November 6, with five youths and two mentors working as a team. Participants will find inspiration in surrounding everyday spaces such as school commute routes, parks, and subway stations, using AI to produce game narratives, art, and sound. Afterward, they will publish their games on a hosting platform and showcase their work through presentations and exhibitions to peers and parents at a results-sharing event held at the Jeongja Youth Center on December 18.
The participating youths belong to the After-School Academy at the Jeongja Youth Center under the Seongnam Youth and Young Adult Foundation. The young mentors consist of software and AI majors as well as young adults interested in AI-based creation. The After-School Academy is a program that provides integrated services including activities, protection, welfare, and guidance to youths in need of care, helping them grow into healthy leaders.
Through this collaboration, the two organizations aim to foster youth's AI capabilities and expand a creative environment in the local community. The Seongnam Cultural Foundation will support project planning, operations, and administrative work, while Hope Studio will handle program planning, operations, and mentor training.
Preliminary mentor training was held on the 16th at the Seongnam Cultural Foundation. During the session, Hope Studio introduced game creation projects, a mentoring manual, and a guide to safe creation using artificial intelligence.
Yoon Jeong-guk, CEO of the Seongnam Cultural Foundation, said, "This project is a meaningful example of the foundation acting as a public mediator connecting businesses with the local community to create points of collaboration," adding, "We will continue to expand cooperation with various local entities to broaden opportunities for youth in cultural and artistic creation."
Kwon Yeon-joo, Executive Director of Hope Studio, said, "We are establishing a sustainable creative environment in cooperation with local institutions so that youth in the local community can develop future capabilities," adding, "As a platform that spreads hope to future generations, Hope Studio will continue to broaden its collaboration from various angles with local communities as well as public and private sectors."
Hope Studio collaborates with Hope Partners, including game companies and IP holders, to support future generations and promote a culture of donation through a gamification-based platform.
