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| Government will invest 22.4 billion won to support local game producers. gettyimagesbank |
By Park Han-sol
The government will invest a total of 22.4 billion won ($20 million) this year to support the game industry, the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) announced Wednesday.
To strengthen the global competitiveness of the domestic gaming industry, including startups, KOCCA will beef up its budget and raise the number of projects that qualify for aid from 46 to 66. The program will be divided into four categories ― General, Emerging Technology, New Market and Functionality. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will also offer support.
Some 11.1 billion won of the budget was earmarked for the first General category. KOCCA said it will specify the fields of its support according to different gaming platforms, which include mobile, PC and cutting-edge technology such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). Each project can receive up to 400 million won.
Two categories ― Emerging Technology and New Market ― have been newly included this year, receiving budgets of 4.8 billion won and 4.4 billion won, respectively. Production companies eligible for the "Emerging Technology" category must utilize blockchain, artificial intelligence or cloud-based technology for their game content development.
The New Market category aims to support gaming platforms that are relatively overlooked and vulnerable in Korea, with an aim to create new markets. It is divided into console games, arcade games and board games.
Lastly, the Functionality category amounts to 2.1 billion won and is geared toward content that combines gaming elements with social objectives. More specifically, one qualification is to be able to align the game's aims with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations. These games can also contribute socially through the fields of education, sports and medicine.
The selected game projects are also eligible to receive focus group testing and quality assurance by international beta-testers and experts before their releases.
KOCCA will hold a live information session, Feb. 26, on its official YouTube account for more details in regards to its program and application process. Game production companies can submit their applications online until March 10.
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