Connecting Families and Fostering Generational Empathy Through Games... Seongnam City's 'Game Fam Picnic' a Great Success

350 Attend Seongnam's 'Game Fam Picnic'

Games Become a Bridge for Family Communication

'GXG 2026' to Be Held in Pangyo on September 11-12

Can games really become a tool for family communication? The 'Game Fam Picnic' organized by Seongnam City served as an occasion to confirm that possibility. Parents and children enjoyed games together, collaborated, and broadened their understanding across generations.

On the 12th at Jeongja Youth Center, participants are experiencing various game contents at the '2026 Game Fam Picnic'. Provided by Seongnam City

On July 13, Seongnam City (Mayor Shin Sang-jin) announced that the '2026 Game Fam Picnic (GAME FAMily piCNIC)', held at Jeongja Youth Center on the 12th, was a great success, with 100 families and over 350 participants in attendance.

This event, co-hosted with the Seongnam Game Healing Center, was designed for families residing in Seongnam with children in grades 4 to 6 of elementary school. Leading Korean game companies such as Nexon Foundation, Netmarble, and Supercell also participated, organizing programs that enabled parents and children to communicate and collaborate naturally through games.

At the venue, a total of 17 hands-on programs were offered, including a 'Hello Maple' coding experience, a live-action version of 'Modoo Marble', board game and tablet experience zones, 3D printer keyring making, a game rating OX quiz, a metaverse game creator experience, and family TCI (Temperament and Character Inventory) counseling.

In particular, the 'Family Cooperation Match', where parents and children formed teams to complete missions, and the 'Reward Mission Event', which provided rewards based on participation in the experience programs, were especially popular among participants.

Participating families expressed high satisfaction, saying, "We newly realized that games can be a great medium for family conversation," and "It was an opportunity to better understand the gaming culture enjoyed by our children."

Seongnam City continues to implement policies to prevent game overindulgence, promote healthy gaming culture, and foster the local gaming industry, centered around the Seongnam Game Healing Center, the first of its kind in the country.

A Seongnam City official stated, "The Game Fam Picnic demonstrated that games can be more than just entertainment—they can become a cultural content that leads to family communication and generational empathy. We will continue to expand various programs to enable citizens to enjoy a sound gaming culture."

Meanwhile, Seongnam City will host the game culture festival 'GXG (Game X Generation) 2026' around Pangyo Station from September 11 to 12. GXG is an urban game culture festival that encompasses the gaming industry, culture, experiences, and exhibitions, providing an interactive event where people of all ages can enjoy games as culture and share empathy and communication across generations.

Following this Game Fam Picnic, Seongnam City plans to provide citizens with an even richer gaming culture experience through GXG and further strengthen its status as the leading city in Korea's gaming industry.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.