The mobile game “Colony Life☆PLUS” (COLOPL,Inc.), which promotes regional tourism by using mobile games, has attracted attention. Initiatives supporting regional revitalization, including increased sales at souvenir shops in Nikko and tours held across Kyushu, have been highlighted.
The mobile game “Colony Life☆PLUS” uses location data to award virtual currency based on distance traveled, allowing users to develop their own in-game city and interact with other users, encouraging young people to go out in the real world. The game also works with stores, allowing users to obtain rare in-game souvenirs when they make purchases at souvenir shops in Nikko.
The representative of the game operator, COLOPL,Inc., explained that the system was created to encourage young people to go out in person. Participating stores are screened for quality in advance, which is said to be one reason for the high level of customer satisfaction.
COLOPL,Inc. held 2 one-night, two-day bus tours around Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Saga in August and September 2009. The tours included a workshop visit at Shingama, a producer of Arita ware, and attracted approximately 120 participants. Reservations reportedly filled up in less than 1 week after sales began.
Current membership exceeds approximately 730,000 (as of 25 December), with many members being office workers in their 20s and 30s in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Interest is also high in tourism programs involving participating stores in Kyushu. In partnership with JR Kyushu, COLOPL,Inc. also began selling the “COLOPL☆Unlimited-Ride Pass,” and programs visiting locations across Kyushu are being developed.