KakaoGames said on Monday it won a citation from the governor of Gyeonggi province in recognition of its contributions to expanding cultural access rights for people with disabilities in the province through its Play Buddy Together programme, which supports assistive devices to improve game accessibility for people with disabilities.

The citation is the result of official recognition of the achievements and positive impact of Play Buddy Together, the first programme in South Korea to support assistive devices to improve game accessibility for people with disabilities, which KakaoGames has operated for three years since March 2023. KakaoGames is working with specialised organisations including the Beautiful Foundation, the National Rehabilitation Center and the Gyeonggi Assistive Technology Service Research Support Center to systematically manage the entire process, from selecting applicants with disabilities to usability assessments, providing and installing customised gaming assistive devices, training on how to use them, measuring effectiveness and collecting feedback.

Over three years, the programme has provided a cumulative total of 608 gaming assistive devices to 96 people with disabilities, improving their gaming environment in practical terms. On Jan. 8, it held a Play Buddy Together best practices presentation to share its results and cases that have brought real change. The event was organised not simply as a results report but as a forum to expand socially a cooperative framework among technology, the field and policy around game accessibility for people with disabilities.

A KakaoGames official said, "This citation is the result of a meaningful evaluation of efforts made through cooperation among technology, policy and the field to improve accessibility for people with disabilities across cultural content, including games." The official added, "We will continue to focus on Play Buddy Together to create an environment where anyone can enjoy games regardless of disability, and to keep working to spread an inclusive game culture."