'Gokko Land' - a 'door to society' for children

Points of this service

Through the game, children's interest in the society and economic activities around them is drawn out.
Communication between parents and children is stimulated through simulated experience of various jobs.
IT IS ALSO AN EFFECTIVE BRAND PR AND CSR ACTIVITY FOR COMPANIES, AND A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL

Smartphones and tablets are an inseparable part of today's children's lives. Many parents may say, "My child is so absorbed in YouTube videos and games that I'm a little worried ....... Since 2013, Kids Star Inc. has been running a unique app that allows children to simulate a variety of jobs by playing games and gradually develop an interest in 'real jobs'. The editorial department of BabyTech.jp interviewed Mr. Zenko Hirata, the representative director of Kids Star Inc. who runs the mysterious app "Gokko Land", and asked him about the outline of the service, how it was developed, and its future development.

We spoke with...
Kids Star Inc.　Representative Director
Mr. Zenhiro Hirata

The hint was a "work game" that my own children were crazy about.

Editor: Can you give us an overview of Gokko Land?

Hirata: "Gokko Land" is a "work experience in the palm of your hand" app, so to speak. Children don't often have the opportunity to actually see or learn about their parents' jobs or the work that is being done in the world. This app aims to provide children with an opportunity to become interested in "society" and "work" by having them play "games to experience various jobs" on their smartphones and tablets. By asking sponsor companies to pay a usage fee, we develop and operate games based on those companies, and users can play them for free.

The main screen of "Gokko Land". You can experience over 30 different jobs based on real companies.

Editor: It's a very unique app. Can you tell us how it was developed?

Hirata: Originally, my son was playing with a "work experience app" from overseas, and as I watched him, I thought that if we could make an app that allowed children to experience work more realistically, they would think, "I want to actually try this job. That's what inspired us to develop this app.