The 2026 Game Science Forum, hosted by the Game Science Research Institute and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Creative Content Agency, Game Culture Foundation, and Google Korea, was held on September 4 at the International Conference Room of the National Library of Korea.

This forum redefined games and AI technology as a digital playground to help the growth of future generations, exploring how AI and games spark a new learning era for children and adolescents from the perspective of psychological, educational, and technological convergence.

"A playground is a space where children experience healthy risks, make their own rules, and learn," said Lee Jae-jung, Chairperson of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly. "In this new era shaped by AI and games, the National Assembly will also spare no policy support."

Yoo Byung-han, Chairman of the Game Culture Foundation, noted, "Society has often regarded game usage as a target of unilateral blocking and control, and as a source of conflict." He added, "I hope this forum will establish a desirable digital ecosystem based on education and utilization rather than exclusion and isolation, while presenting sustainable policy directions for future generations."

Hwang Sung-hye, Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google Korea, stated, "We look forward to building a digital ecosystem where we grow together alongside innovation." Assemblyman Cho Seung-rae, Chairperson of the Strategy and Finance Committee of the National Assembly, and Assemblyman Lee Jeong-moon, Secretary of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, also graced the event with video congratulatory speeches.

Delivering the keynote speech, Kim Kyung-il, Director of the Game Science Research Institute, presented on the impact of play and games on human development and learning. Director Kim emphasized that in an era where AI executes existing patterns and rules with sophistication, humans must cultivate the ability to create and change rules anew through play.

In Session 1 under the theme of 'Educational Synergy of Games', Professor Kim Ki-han of Seoul National University explained the impact and educational potential of the playground effect in games and esports on learning and growth.

Professor Kim Ki-han stressed, "Within the digital playground of games and esports, we can experience the playground effect—forming social relationships through mutual cooperation while co-constructing learning and knowledge by sharing observations, feedback, experiences of success and failure, and strategies. Therefore, rather than viewing screen time as something to control, it is time to think about how to design it well so that everyone plays better and learns better."

Kim Hyun-seung, a team leader at Krafton, shared private sector field experiences regarding games and AI. Team Leader Kim explained, "CPC (Co-Playable Character) is an AI character capable of collaborating and conversing with players," and added, "Combining CPCs, which are capable of conversation and action, with the gaming environment will enable diverse learning in digital spaces."

Session 2 focused on the theme of 'Creating a Desirable Game Usage Environment in the Post-Digital Era'. Professor Lee Seung-hoon of Anyang University proposed policies for creating a gamer-friendly usage environment.

Professor Lee Seung-hoon suggested, "We need to acknowledge the realistic limitations of uniform regulatory frameworks and transition to a 'coordinator' framework that utilizes public-private cooperation and platform technology." As desirable policy proposals, Professor Lee Seung-hoon called for platforms to provide user protection technology, developers to build safe designs and secure usage environments, and government authorities to shift toward a self-regulation-centric approach with flexible policy support.

Finally, Professor Jin Ye-won of Ewha Womans University introduced the direction of policy implications in the post-digital era by correcting conceptual confusion in measuring gaming disorder.

Professor Jin Ye-won explained, "Global prevalence statistics, which have served as the basis for policies and regulations surrounding gaming disorder, may have been contaminated due to conceptual confusion between gaming and gambling. Efforts are needed to more meticulously reconstruct the reality of gaming issues through more in-depth qualitative data."

A panel discussion was moderated by Han Min, head of the corporate-affiliated research institute at Sapiens Island. Discussions covered the educational potential and side effects of games, regulatory directions for user protection, and the definition of gaming disorder. From the floor, questions continued regarding the impact of AI on the expansion of social spaces in games, as well as the actual effects and future development directions of CPCs.