Heemang Studio Sets a Milestone for K-CSR with Its 'Gamification' Platform 2026-08-11
Which companies in Korea are doing corporate social responsibility (CSR) well? And what kind of change has their CSR created?
JoongAng Ilbo's public-interest section "The Butter" published the "2026 CSR Guide," introducing companies that have created meaningful social impact through outstanding CSR activities. The book takes a detailed look at what social issues companies are trying to solve and how they've worked with partners to create change.
Smilegate Heemang Studio (Chairman Kwon Hyuk-bin) was listed alongside 40 companies including Hyundai Motor, SK Telecom, and CJ Olive Young. The book highlighted Heemang Studio's efforts to create meaningful social change through its gamification-based platform "Heemang Studio" and its creative community "Palette."
Smilegate Newsroom took a close look at what CSR activities of Heemang Studio were highlighted in the "2026 CSR Guide," and what results they achieved.
Gamification-Based Platform 'Heemang Studio' Pursues 'PLAY for GOOD: Fun Participation, a Better World'
"Heemang Studio," operated by Smilegate, is a gamification-based CSR platform where users can experience fun, fulfillment, and personal growth through volunteering and donating. It transforms donation into an immersive, game-like participatory experience, and builds a virtuous cycle by giving users rewards and performance feedback that encourage them to participate again. Its defining feature is applying game concepts like "completing quests" and "leveling up" to donation and volunteering.
Based on the slogan "PLAY for GOOD: Fun Participation, a Better World," Heemang Studio carries out a wide range of CSR activities. It makes multifaceted efforts to maximize social value by leveraging resources from the gaming ecosystem, such as game communities, and encouraging user participation.
For example, during last June's National Merit and Veterans Month, adventurers from Smilegate's MMORPG "Lost Ark" community — including Loa-wa, Lopeg, and Illoa — took part directly in a volunteer activity called "The Hidden Heroes Among Us." The adventurers carried out volunteer work aimed at emotional exchange and improving living conditions for 75 elderly veterans of national merit.
The activities of "Heemang Speakers" are another distinguishing feature of Heemang Studio. Heemang Speakers refers to influencers such as game streamers, as well as communities, who spread and practice positive influence together with Heemang Studio. Last December, the "2025 Heemang Wings Concert," a children's choir performance featuring Heemang Speakers, was held. It is a growth-oriented project that helps children and adolescents from vulnerable backgrounds strengthen their sense of self-efficacy and build social skills through music education and the experience of performing on stage.
Streamers such as Kim Basso, Sinseonhan Manchi, and Gomkae joined the event as mentors. This served as an example of a streamer on the Heemang Studio platform extending their talent into donation-based content, and was noted as a model of user-led talent sharing.
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The "Youth Esports Festival," hosted by Heemang Studio together with the gaming industry, IT companies, and public institutions, is another cultural festival that showcases Heemang Studio's role as a platform. The Youth Esports Festival is an event organized by Heemang Studio to help children and adolescents at community children's centers nationwide develop an interest in games and esports and explore related career paths.
It is carried out through multilateral cooperation among Heemang Studio, the Nexon Foundation, Supercell, Kakao Games, the Korea Creative Content Agency, Big Picture Interactive, the National Council of Community Children's Centers, Amazon Games, and other game companies, IT firms, and government institutions. For example, the Nexon Foundation sponsors the "KartRider Rush+" game IP along with scholarships and souvenirs, while Supercell provides the "Brawl Stars" game IP and merchandise. The Korea Creative Content Agency handles event operations, the Daejeon Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency provides free use of the venue, and Amazon Web Services provides souvenirs, among other contributions. Through the Heemang Studio platform, companies and institutions from various fields participate and bring their expertise to create synergy in social impact.
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'Palette': Building a Creative Environment for Children at Community Children's Centers
The book also highlighted how Heemang Studio's creative community "Palette" has continuously and systematically built a creative environment. "Palette" is a creative community that helps future generations envision a happy future for themselves through interest-based creative experiences, regardless of their upbringing or economic background. It is building a creative environment where children can grow into the protagonists of the future in a rapidly changing society.
Just as one might choose different colors on a palette to paint a picture, Palette supports children in designing and completing a variety of creative activities on their own — such as games, webtoons, videos, and merchandise — based on their own interests.
Young mentors called "Heemang Creators," made up of college students and others, support children's creative activities. Every year from September through February of the following year, these mentors visit community children's centers weekly to explore interests together with the children and carry out creative projects together from planning to completion. During this period, they create a variety of works, including games, videos, and merchandise. Then, in February of the following year, mentors and children gather together to hold the "Palette Festa," where they share their creative works.
At "Palette Festa 2026: Becoming the Resonance," held this past February, around 250 people gathered together, including children and adolescents from 12 community children's centers nationwide — spanning the greater Seoul area, Gangwon, Daegu, Busan, Jeonju, and more — along with center staff and young mentors. On this day, the children and mentors presented the games, videos, merchandise, and other works they had created together, and interacted with one another by experiencing each other's creations.
"Palette Meister," made up of Smilegate employees, is another strong pillar of support. Smilegate employees and CEOs of alumni companies from the Orange Planet startup foundation serve as Palette Meisters, providing feedback on creative activities and career mentoring not only to children and adolescents at community children's centers but also to the young creative mentors. This takes the form of sharing game planning and development experience, or directly passing on know-how in creating comic and game characters. A defining feature of Palette is this structure in which children, young mentors, and industry professionals learn from and teach one another, growing together.
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Meanwhile, since its launch in 2019, Palette has had a cumulative total of 16,572 children and adolescents participate across 114 community children's centers in 14 regions nationwide. Over that time, children have carried out 193 creative projects in areas such as games, IT, video, music, and art.
However, when quoting content in articles, please credit it as “Smilegate Newsroom.”
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