To think that I would actually attend a networking event is just completely out of my character, but you know what, no longer do I think that way, because I am a changed man thanks to this day...
Just this weekend I visited a private event promoting the upcoming Tokyo Game show 2017. The media was there, and a lot of big names from the game industry attented this special event held in an expensive hotel. It was all in Japanse, so I couldn't understand much of the speech held before this great feast you see in the picture, but it was still very exciting to say the least. There were so many people, that we didn't have anywhere to sit, and when it was time to start networking, the room was in chaos, or at least it seemed so for a first timer like me.
People were exchanging business cards left and right, and we were encouraged to do the same. Ogawa-san wanted us to have real experience of networking, and I must say, I was a bit uncomfortable to approach strangers who I thought I couldn't offer anything worth while to exchange my business card for. My first experience in networking was a disaster, let me tell you why....
1. I couldn't speak any Japanese that these people required for them to have a meaningful conversation with me. There was only 1-3 people who actually could speak English, So I could only approach very few person.
2. I messed up the exchange of business cards by offering my business card the wrong way (Japanese have strict etiquette how to give and take a business card). I got shouted at for this a bit, and it obviously dropped down my courage to approach other people for the rest of the network session. The person didn't acknowledge me at all after I had messed up the exchange - and why should he, I obviously was careless, and gave a very bad impression of myself. Even I would walk away form this kind of situation. This is a world of business, there is no room for wasting time on people that can't offer you anything.
3. Everyone had nice suits, and I was the only one with my Finnish friends who were wearing casual clothes. I couldn't imagine anyone to take me seriously while dressed like a commoner.
Do you ever feel like you had a bad day? Like the world just pissed all over you with no reward of trying or anything? That's exactly how I felt that moment, and if I wasn't a stronger person, that experience would have probably scared me. But I don't let a bad day ruin me, it's just a bad day, and everyone has those. These people are nothing but strangers, humans, like me - if one shouts at me for a reason or another, so what? There's more chances and more people to talk to, just look at that room in the picture!
The Hotel's backyard was this beautiful Japanese garden that held a bright red bridge with colorful nature around it and a lake filled with Koi fish (Japanese multicolor fish). There was a very beautiful woman dressed in Kimono who was taking her wedding photos for her future fiance, or so I believe (It's a thing in Japan). Could be, she was just being photographed for a magazine or something, who knows for sure...
Sorry for the bad image, but as you can see, these three people around her were professional photographers hired to take stylish portraits of her. Luckily I managed to take a picture of her, she is very beauitful, but the photo doesn't allow you to see it clearly.
Even when I had a bad day with my very first networking session at the Tokyo gameshow media event in the hotel, I didn't let it ruin my next chance of networking which happened just today. The first time, I only got few business cards exchanged with people that I wasn't so much interested about (Except two guys who run a twitch channel and do gaming in Japan, those two were very interesting). I could say, that this time around, I hit a jackpot...
Today I visited the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan. The event was held for the opportunity to talk about educational gaming which could be used for more than just pure entertainment. These games were very simple in style and design, but they actually held a very powerful meaning within them, which I am more than happy to talk about in detail. This is actually the first time ever when I took educational gaming seriously, for this event made me realize they actually have a place in this world that really helps people - So who cares if they are not Triple-A, they save lives and provide better quality in life for many people.
Don't let the dark background bother you, what is important is the presentation in front of you. There is going to be couple pictures like this ahead of you, but understand that they all try to drive the same goal in a way or antoher: Educating the young mind in business and language, health care/re-habilitation, fitness and muscle training, etc.
This game was very interesting in my opinion, for it tried to reach depressed people who have hard time dealing with their own depression, and who can't talk to other people for a reason or another, fearing people can't understand their pain. This game teaches them, that they are not alone, and that by sharing their pictures of good memories, they can overcome their depression by focusing on the good things in life. The game goes as such: You as a player will visit different places with a theme on this island that you see in the picture, and you need to battle with your own emotions and feelings. By sharing your photos in this game, like you would do in Facebook for example, you will let other people know what you have been through, and in this way others can reach out to you and share their own experience that may be similiar - this way the two can build a connection/friendship, and help each other get through their depression.
This also was an interesting game to learn about. This game is created for people in Africa who are farmers. It teaches them that they don't have to farm to only survive, but instead they can build a business around their job, so that they can become prosperous and successful people in the future. This game aims to change the fate of many struggling farmers who live day by day trying to survive by farming.
The game teaches the player the true value of products produced by farming business, and also how to sell these products with business oriented mindset. Within couple years a farmer can turn in to a businessman with his/her own company and live prosperous.
This game was designed for elderly, and it forces the old to move around more - in this case, their legs. In this game the player sits in a chair and beneath his feet snakes begin to pop out from a hole, like in a Wack a mole game found in amusement parks. The player has to stomp on these snakes, and thus it forces the player to wiggle their legs like a crazy person, which means they will have activity in their life which they normally wouldn't do, if left alone. This game has proven to produce good results in eldery health care, and games like this are currently fluding the market trying to focus on elderly as their target audience.
This picture really doesn't tell much, there were people blocking my view, so this was the best I could do. The tablet you see in the picture plays a simple game of shooting balloons. What makes it interesting is that you need to use your eyes to shoot the balloons. The game has eye sensor controller, which detects where your eyes look at and thus shoots the balloons if you look at them. What was surprising about this feature was that the sensor was very precise. I mean, Fuck the kinect, this thing literally can do what it is designed for. If you looked next to a balloon, the game character didn't shoot the balloon, no matter how long you tried to fool it. The moment you actually looked at the balloon, your character shot it down, smoothly and precisely.
If they are going to make a triple-A game with this eye sensor controller, I will defenitely give it a shot, for now I can be sure that it actually works like promised, unlike kinect... Sorry, I just had to say it, I mean... it just sucks Soooooo-o much! There were two Kinect games in the room, and while the idea of the two games were fun, the controls were HORRIBLE because of the Kinect's bad sensor, I mean dear god were they bad. It just reminded me how a fun game can totally be ruined by bad controls.
There were many other games discussed in this event, but to sum it all up in one sentence: They were very creative and hold more meaning to them than just being pure entertainment. I am actually glad to learn that there are a lot of passionate people studying video games to build the kind of future that can benefit the mankind. Like these people holding the presentation liked to say: "Let's save the world through video games!"
After all the presentations were over, it was time for another networking session. There were people from game industry and other parts of interesting fields like graphic design, animation, etc. There even was a person from a smaller company who does Nintendo games for mobile. I knew this was my moment, I knew I had to talk to these people, for many of them were the kind of people who could perhaps help me with my future in Japan as a digital artist. I spoke to as many as I could, and I exchanged so many business cards, that I actually ran out of my own, which i had prepared well over 30 or so.
I spoke to the CEO of Monkeybizniz game company and made plans to grab a drink or two with him, hopefully very soon, I still need to email him. He is an aritst, like me, who have done lots of artwork for his games. The picture below is from one of his games, and he drew the characters you see below.
I spoke to some Japanse people who couldn't speak much if any English. I tried my best to communicate in Japanese, and surprisingly people understood me pretty well without having to correct myself in English. I was able to speak to another graphic designer who studies the same field as me: Video game concept art. She showed me her portfolio and I was blown away by how good she was. She told, that she had studied art for 3 years in school, and again it proved to me how quickly one can learn to become a professional through an art school. This is why I have to get to FZD school in Singapore, no matter how expensive it is, for that is one of my dreams.
I also had the pleasure to meet a singaporean man, who have been living in Japan for 15 years without knowing any Japanese. I asked him how is this possible, and he explained to me, that he have been married to a Japanese woman who takes care of all the important work for him, so he doesn't have to lift a finger when it comes to Japanese language. While I don't find this a positive thing, it does prove to me, that a person can live in Japan without knowing the language, which I believed to be impossible until now. Though I shouldn't believe everything people tell me, this person seemed like worth trusting - we have planned to go for couple drinks to continue our night's interesting conversations.
A japanese person who was the host of the event, gave me the honor to speak with him about the Japanese high level education and ways for foreigners to get to Japan and study here. He gave me couple good tips that can help me come here again and stay permanently if I so desire, but it won't be easy - Then again, when ever was there a moment in my life when something was easy? If something is easy, I probably don't find it worth my time. I do have plans of my own how to live in Japan, but if nothing else works, this route is one to bet all my money for.
Lastly but not least, I met a person who is looking for graphic designers for his game company, and he was ineterested about me enough to give me his business card. I couldn't give him mine, because I had already ran out of them at this point. This business runs in Tokyo, so if by any chance they were interested of my skills, this company can provide me a steady job in Japan, in English. It's a possibility I guess, and I'm going to go for it, but before that I need to rebuild my art portfolio, because I know my current one is not going to cut it, it's far too old for my current skills in art.
Obviously there were many more who I spoke to and exchanged business cards with, but only few are truly worth mention. I have began to like these networking events, and I have to thank Ogawa-san and Kato-san to allow me this opportunity. These two networking sessions have truely changed me as a person by building courage and most importantly, experience. I hope I can have at least one more chance to attend a networking session, but if not, I am glad that I could do it more than once, because today's event changed me as a person, for the better.
Within two days from now, I have been 1 month in Japan, and so many amazing things has happend to me so far. I am truly happy that I came here, and I can literally say that my life has just begun. I also know for a fact, that when I return back to Finland, I won't be the same person who I was when I left, because Japan has changed me in so many wonderful ways. Already I am fired up to jump back to my work chair and continue building my future towards living in Japan. I want to cherish this day, I want to put it in a special place in my heart, for I think I will look back at this day many years from now and remember how it was the day that made me successful in life.