Japanese students have long days filled with school work and after-school activities. For students who need extra help or want to get ahead, there are plenty of “cram schools” available. If a family can afford it, there are private tutoring services available.
Though the emphasis is placed on schoolwork, a new company wants to help students excel at a more entertaining activity.
Gemutore is Japan’s first online tutoring service for video games.
Gemutore, a combination of “game” and “training,” is offering a private tutoring service for young gamers. While kids may want to become famous eSports players or Minecraft YouTubers, the service isn’t focused on fame.
Gemutore isn’t advertising its service to make Japanese children famous but focuses on education. Their programs train young minds and enhance communication skills through video games.
There are three main goals students can learn through Gemutore. The lessons include training the brain through gaming. While some don’t believe that gaming could help young minds, the service hopes to dispel those myths.
Gemutore also strives to improve communication through gaming. Many games are now online, which is how Gemutore also connects with children. First, children will connect via a video call (or a phone call if they are too shy.) Training is done in a team of three children around similar age groups with one tutor. Individual guidance will be given as seen fit.
Most importantly, Gemutore wants to help build up children’s self-confidence. For kids who don’t attend school, they may become sad as they lose touch with friends. Gemutore helps to make children smile with the power of gaming. As their gaming skills improve, their self-confidence will rise.
The tutoring service treats video games like any other extracurricular activity kids might be enrolled in, like playing the piano or sports.
The company’s founder, Kazuki Obata, gave more information about why he started the service on Gemutore’s website. He stopped attending school for ten years but went to university. After graduating, he decided to start his own company.
While he wasn’t attending school, he was playing more than ten hours of video games a day, which he estimates to be more than 30,000 hours. Gaming turned into a communication tool for him while he was away from his classmates and friends.
As he used his gaming skills to win competitions, it helped improve his self-confidence at the same time.
Kazuki began Gemutore with hopes that others can use gaming to enrich their lives.
