Korean game maniac named faculty member in US

A "game maniac," who spent three hours playing games on weekdays and all day on holidays during high school years, has become a professor at a prestigious state university in the U.S.

Korea Advanced Institute of Technology said on Wednesday that Park Tae-woo, 32, who acquired a doctoral degree in game development at the institute last February, will join as professor for game design and development at the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media at Michigan State University in August. There were cases wherein KAIST graduates with doctoral degrees became professor of a prestigious overseas university, but it is quite unusual that an alumnus of the Korean school has been named a faculty member immediately after acquiring the doctoral degree without having experience as researcher.

According to KAIST, Park received favorable assessments in eligibility review for faculty appointment by presenting specific ideas on daily living-oriented games. He has been conducting research to generate diverse effects in the field of intelligence development, improvement of sociability, exercise, education and medicine by applying games to routine daily living.

Having entered KAIST after studying one extra year after graduating from high school, Park enjoyed games so much that he chaired a game club called “HAJE.” As a result, he would confess that “As I was engrossed in games too much, I had difficulties focusing on studying curricular subjects for my major.” At the recommendation to develop games for his doctoral degree by Prof. Song joon-hwa at the computer science department at KAIST, Park acquired his doctorate with the thesis entitled, “Pervasive social exercise game and design and development of platform supporting the game,” which addresses planning of games and analysis of techniques to present them. He developed a “Duck Boat” game, which enables two persons running on treadmill to adjust the boat on the screen in tune with speeds at which they run, and enjoy exercise, which otherwise can often be boring.

Park said, “Based on mobile devices and ubiquitous technology, I wish to continue development of games that are helpful to our daily living.”