EDUCATION PROGRAMS
PLAYABLE LEARNING FOR THE FUTURE.
Program Details
New Course at Yonsei Univesrity in South Korea (Fall 2026)
NEW MEDIA & DIGITAL STORYTELLING WITH ROBLOX (KOR 2314)
수1,금 2,3 영어/PBL/혁신
Instructor: Theodore Jun Yoo
This course begins with a simple but ambitious question: how can a game platform like Roblox become a lifeline for newcomers trying to survive in Korea? Students will work in teams to design and build an original Roblox world that teaches “survival Korean language,” everyday cultural norms, and basic legal knowledge to refugees, migrant workers, and their children. Rather than relying on step-by-step software tutorials, the course adopts a learning-by-doing approach through problem and project-based learning (PBL). Students will prototype, test, and refine interactive experiences while developing technical skills in an organic and applied way.
In partnership with LunaTone and UNHCR Korea, the course positions Roblox as a dynamic platform for digital storytelling. Students will examine how multimodal elements such as images, narration, video, music, and interactive environments, along with platform features like rankings, user feedback, and in-game communication, can work together to engage and empower diverse global audiences. In this context, Roblox becomes more than a game engine. It functions as a participatory narrative space where users actively engage with and reshape stories of migration, survival, and belonging.
This creative work is grounded in urgent global realities. Worldwide, more than 120 million people have been forcibly displaced by conflict, persecution, and human rights violations, including over 40 million refugees. Displacement has become one of the defining crises of our time. South Korea, once shaped by war and displacement, continues to recognize only a small percentage of asylum seekers as refugees despite rising applications. This reflects ongoing tensions within a largely homogeneous society. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of foreign workers sustain key sectors of the Korean economy while often facing precarious conditions and limited protections.
In response, the first half of the semester explores Korean history, culture, and representations of migration and displacement through literature and film. The second half shifts to collaborative PBL, where students design and develop a pilot Roblox environment in partnership with UNHCR Korea. Through this process, students will approach Roblox as both a living archive and an interactive classroom, integrating narrative, simulation, and social interaction to model real-world challenges. The course ultimately asks students to bring together creativity, critical awareness, and technical experimentation to design accessible and meaningful digital spaces that support communities navigating life in a competitive and often exclusionary society.