5.21.2012

studygift supports the school expenses of the university student


Team "Liverty" which a Japanese serial entrepreneur Kazuma Ieiri organized released crowdfunding platform to support the school expenses of the university student "studygift". This became the pros and cons in Twitter or Facebook immediately. And negative comments and abusive languages gradually increased. The doubt that she might not study eagerly was given.

On the other hand, studygift collected aim amounts of money in only 55 hours! The aim amount of money was 940,000 yen(about 12000USD). 

This is very cool service. Recession and the poverty spread through Japan more and more. Besides, Low birthrate and aging and government is stupid. From now on, the time when an individual helps an individual will come. 

Utsuppo helps an early case of our depression

I wrote about Social Networking Service "U2plus" to help recovery from depression before.
See Also: Community "U2plus" which supports a melancholiac

They released cool service again. It's "Utsuppo" ("Utsu" means depression in Japanese)


Japan is stressful country. Furthermore, there is still huge prejudice in mental health. Now, the cause of death that teens and twenties in Japan have most is suicide.

Utsuppo has possibility to change this situation.


The service is very simple. If our familiar people are symptom such as the depression, we can enter the name and email address of them with signs of depression.


Then the email reaches them by anonymity. Stress check survey and  information of the improvement method of the depression are written on email. They can know whether they really are depressed or not by answering survey.

This is the service which can help people freely. Because a feeling is easy the person who sends email than we ask directly "Are you depressed?".

Utsuppo was created by U2plus and Liverty helped them. Liverty is a project team organized by Japanese representative serial entrepreneur Kazuma Ieiri. Ieiri is investor of U2plus as well.

5.20.2012

Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency announced “Complete Gacha” (Kompu Gacha) is illegal at last.

Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency starts regulation of “Complete Gacha” (Kompu Gacha) on July 1. However Complete Gacha before it dates back and does not punish it. The developer adding Complete Gacha in a social game is not punished if they remove it within June. But, most main developers have announced that they will stop Complete Gacha within May.

How many times was the new business regulated in Japan? Japanese social game developers, escape early from Japan!

Press release of Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency (PDF)

5.15.2012

Shocking news: mixi may be sold to other companies

Shocking news ran through Japan just some time ago. According to Nikkei Business online, mixi CEO kasahara examines the sale of the stock of the company. And he begin the negotiations to sell mixi to the other companies. The bid to decide sale is going to be carried out in a few days, and GREE and DeNA participate in it.

It is still unknown whether this is a fact. mixi announced the press release which denied this news immediately.

mixi is still Social Networking Service of the biggest in Japan. However, both the number of the active users and the sales decline. Besides, they failed to keep up with the wave of the social game. Most of my friends say "mixi is a haunt of stupid and Information illiterate".

If DeNA or GREE purchases mixi, big crustal movement occurs in the social media industry of Japan.

5.13.2012

What is “Complete Gacha” (Kompu Gacha)?

I wrote a lot of news of the “Complete Gacha” (Kompu Gacha) regulation in Japan this month. Then emails of some questions came from the foreign countries. "What is “Complete Gacha” (Kompu Gacha)?"

Probably this is the virtual goods sale system which there is only in Japan.

Example: Doraemon Gacha in Ameba Pigg
Gacha in social games virtual worlds imitate the real vending machine of capsule toys(real vending machine is called Gacha, too). Various items come out of Gacha at random.

Six kinds of items come out of this Doraemon Gacha. However, users can't know what kind of item can buy every time. Because it is random. Gacha one time is 200 Ameba Gold. Ameba Gold is virtual currency of Ameba Pigg(1 Ameba Gold = 1 yen).


And users can get a limited item as a reward, if six kinds of all items are got.
In Doraemon Gacha, users can get Doraemon parka. I yet get only three kinds :) If we can get Doraemon Gacha most cheaply, it is 1200 Ameba Gold(1200 yen). However, it is almost impossible. Users must play Gacha many times to get a limited item.

This is “Complete Gacha” (Kompu Gacha)". Ameba Pigg is a normal virtual world. So, the game system is not incorporated in a virtual goods. However, the social games are different. The system which can play a game advantageously is built into the virtual goods of a social game. Especially in a social game with a battle, this is an important element. Users play Gacha many times to get a limited item and use a lot of real money.

Why does the Japanese use much real money to a virtual goods? Probably it is because there is Gacha.