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The ‘Tobii Eye Tracker 5,’ designed to track eye movements and act as a mouse. The ‘QuadStick Mouse,’ which is used by biting and moving the head or by breathing in and out. The ‘Chin Plus Mouse,’ operated by placing the chin on a surface and moving it.

On the 8th, these gaming tools were showcased at Kakao’s AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. On the same day, Kakao Games organized the ‘Together Playverdi Excellence Case Presentation 2025’ and shared the results of its customized assistive device initiative. This project aids in creating personalized assistive devices for individuals with disabilities who encounter difficulties even when sitting in front of PCs or consoles, allowing them to enjoy gaming experiences together. Kakao Games partnered with the Gyeonggi-do Rehabilitation Engineering Service Research Support Center, the Beautiful Foundation, and the National Rehabilitation Center to provide 608 customized assistive devices to 96 people with disabilities over the past three years.

◇Broadening Dialogue with the Global Community

Individuals who shared case studies during the event expressed that this initiative went beyond offering entertainment tools and instead acted as a means to reconnect with society. The presenters—players known by the usernames ‘Judy,’ ‘CK,’ and ‘Sally’—all utilized wheelchairs and took several minutes to move up and down the stage, highlighting their restricted mobility.

Player CK, who once aspired to be an actor, became paralyzed in the cervical nerves after a fall and could only move his fingers. After eight years of isolation due to despair, a gaming assistive device obtained through his family’s application marked a turning point, helping him reconnect with society. Online, he found freedom of movement and communication, even securing first place in an online gaming competition for people with disabilities. Later, he collaborated on research for assistive gaming devices, created YouTube content, joined a poetry club, and enrolled at the Korea Open Cyber University. He said, “I now want to contribute more to society,” adding, “This project changed my ‘I can’t’ into ‘I can.’” Kim Hyukgeon, a member of the rock band The Cross, who participated in a panel discussion, also noted, “The biggest change was better computer accessibility. Beyond just gaming, being able to use tools helped me work with music programs and other computer applications.”

Kakao Games projected that the social impact generated by this project would amount to roughly 710 million South Korean won within three years, spanning from 2024 to 2026. The program enhanced access to information for individuals with disabilities, provided them with autonomous leisure time, and enhanced the overall quality of life for both the individuals and their caregivers and families.

◇Employing ‘Disability Testers,’ Artificial Intelligence, and Other Methods

In the United States and Europe, ‘game accessibility’ has already evolved into both a right for individuals with disabilities and a new market—no longer just a social initiative but a significant business area. Microsoft estimates that between 400 million and 450 million gamers globally have disabilities, representing 15–20% of all players. In 2018, Microsoft launched the adaptive controller (XAC), while Sony introduced a 360-degree operable circular controller at CES 2023. The gaming journalism and community site ‘Can I Play That’ offers accessibility reviews and guidance for players with disabilities. Last year, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) established an accessibility tag standard, enabling consumers to review a game’s accessibility features prior to buying. In the global market, accessibility features are now seen as a key measure of game quality.

Domestic game companies started implementing structured systems around 2023. Smilegate established a D&I (Diversity & Inclusion) department under its top management in 2022, making it the first Korean game company to do so. In February 2024, the company directly recruited ‘disability game accessibility testers’ to integrate feedback from players with hearing, speech, and visual impairments into the development process. In October of the previous year, it partnered with the Korea Creative Content Agency to create and release the ‘Visual and Hearing Impairment Game Accessibility Guidelines,’ aiming to establish industry standards.

NCSoft introduced an ‘Accessibility Option Development Guide’ in its 2023 sustainability report and implemented it in games currently being developed. For instance, the PC game *‘Throne and Liberty’* features accessibility settings like ‘color vision deficiency correction’ and ‘photosensitivity adjustments.’ In 2024, the NC Cultural Foundation enhanced its alternative communication application ‘My AAC’ by incorporating NC AI technology. This app helps people who have difficulty communicating through speech or text by transmitting messages using voice and images. An industry expert stated, “Accessibility is not only important for a particular group but also a basis for drawing more users into the gaming world. These initiatives may lead to ‘games for all’ becoming an industry norm.”