On Wednesday, December 4, 2019, April Knights Inc. and Toppan Printing Co. co-hosted the PUBG MOBILE corporate exchange game "AFTER 6 LEAGUE PUBG MOBILE TeamDeathMatch Corporate Exchange Game Powered by cogme" at RED The event was held at RED BULL GAMING SPHERE TOKYO.
The matches were streamed on the YouTube channel of EKESPO! YouTube channel, so if you want to know more about the game, please visit YouTube.
We visited the event as a reporter, but since the video was also distributed and April Knights' media published a report on the event, we at Fangler Games would like to report our impressions from the perspective of a member of society and a spectator at the event, rather than from the perspective of a "journalist" who covered the event. I would like to share my impressions from the perspective of a working person and a spectator who was there.
Entering the venue and mounting up quickly
Members of Fangler Games entering the venue. Since this is a PUBG Mobile tournament, they show off their ROG Phone II running PUBG Mobile and mount up the entire venue.
What are they doing if they are not going to compete?
Digest Report
The game will begin immediately. The moderator is Mr. Sugawara, editor-in-chief of Maru-Shiru, and the commentator is Mr. SunGame_San.
Even though it was a corporate exchange game, the fact that a professional gamer was invited to give commentary showed that this was not just a game, but a serious event.
The two players are wearing the uniform of "E1 HEROES", the e-sports club of Toppan Printing Co. I think I've seen them somewhere before.
Business cards were exchanged before the game. This is also a part of the corporate exchange event.
Since the event was held on a weekday evening, many of the participants were dressed in suits.
These are people from "PwC", a global consulting firm that is well-known as one of the world's top four accounting firms.
E1 HEROES, an e-sports team from Toppan Printing Co.
They made the letter "T" of "Toppan" with their arms to show off their company. This kind of scene is only possible at a corporate exchange event.
Renaissance Academy Corporation, which operates an education business, also participated in the tournament wearing suits.
The company, which has been on a roll in recent years, including the establishment of an e-sports course at one of its group schools, naturally had many game enthusiasts in attendance.
The sight of these crisp businessmen in suits playing games earnestly should reassure both students and their parents who are wondering whether to enroll in an e-sports course.
April Knights, Inc., a co-sponsor of the event, also wore uniforms, as did Toppan Printing. Two iPad players were there!
Jupiter Telecommunications Co., Ltd. which operates cable TV business under the "J:COM" brand also does not forget to promote itself with a "J".
Also on the desk is a stuffed animal of the company's mascot character " Zakku! They are taking this opportunity to advertise their company.
G-STAR Gaming, an e-sports team made up entirely of women, also participated. Although this is a corporate exchange tournament, these women are also members of "G-STAR PRO Inc".
"PRO", so of course we exchanged business cards before the match.
Only one of them is on a different level...
Masamasaponpon from Toppan Printing got 20 kills in the fourth match "Nishimura & Asahi vs. Toppan Printing Co".
Toppan Printing won!
And thanks to the great work of masamasaponpon, Toppan Printing was the winner!
I was impressed by the way he enjoyed the game and gave it his all, even as an adult and a member of society.
The player with the most kills, masamasaponpon, was presented with AVerMedia's "Live Streamer MIC133" as a prize for the most kills.
Now I can stream every day!
Group photo at the end
Group photo at the end with all the participating companies!
Is e-sports a possibility for corporate exchange?
The event ended successfully. The first thing I felt was that "corporate exchange through e-sports is simply fun".
First of all, the employees of the participating companies love games. Playing their favorite games for corporate exchange is less expensive and more enjoyable than the old-fashioned golfing and drinking entertainment.
I've heard that recently, companies are becoming more strict about compliance, and such methods of business entertainment are becoming less common.
(In fact, Funglr has not been invited to any drinking parties with business partners for the past several years.)
While it is nice to drink with other people who like to drink, it is difficult for people who are not good at drinking to join in, and it is also difficult to refuse.
On the other hand, games have a strong community element in that "people who like games get together" and people who don't like games are not forced to participate, and it is easy to decline.
The fact that the company is represented in the corporate exchange tournament gives a sense of tension that is totally different from that of a drinking party, and the fact that the competition is open to all regardless of business careers is also something that is unique to e-sports.
I think it is also an advantage that can not be realized at a golf or drinking party, where a new graduate in his/her first year can easily communicate with people in senior positions, both inside and outside the company.
Another big advantage is that those who are not at the event can watch the games on YouTube or Twitch.
Can it be a sales tool?
After the event, I had a chance to meet and greet with several companies, and the conversation was very lively because the entrance to the conversation was a game.
For example, from a sales perspective, it takes a lot of effort to establish a deep relationship with one company.
The sales person is not interested in the company, but must work hard to get the company to listen to what he or she has to say.
With e-sports, however, the first thing you do is talk about the game. Then, after that, we start with a light business talk like, "What does your company do?" Then, a light business talk begins, as in "What does your company do?"
The commonality of e-sports and games creates a desire to do business together.
I felt it was very innovative and meaningful that such a corporate community could be formed simply by playing the game of one's choice.
A game communication tool to promote corporate interaction is coming soon!
April Knights Inc., a co-sponsor of this event, is developing "cogme", a web communication service that promotes internal communication and corporate interaction using games as a common language.
The beta test is scheduled to start in January 2020, and we are currently accepting registrations for the service.
If your company is interested in this service, please register now.
cogme https://cogme.jp/