Social | Relationship with Regional Communities

Games are a relatively new cultural phenomenon with little academic research, and discussions tend to focus on the detrimental effects rather than the educational aspects. Recently, recognition by WHO of gaming disorder made headlines as did the establishment of the Kagawa Prefectural Ordinance on Countermeasures for Addiction to Internet and Computer Games. However, video game creator is a popular future career choice among children, and programming and other such lessons will be made compulsory in Japanese elementary schools starting in 2020. Many private sector efforts are also underway, including opening programming academies for youth. Considering these developments, it is reasonable to expect that the number of children hoping to become game creators will increase.

Given this, with a desire to promote social understanding of games, we accept visits to our offices from primarily elementary and junior high school students and conduct on-site classes at schools to promote sustainable economic growth and social development. Class programs have three sessions: Career Education introduces the work done in a game company and its challenges and rewards; Game Literacy Education helps students use their judgement to build a healthy relationship with games; and CAPCOM: Work × Mathematics shows students how mathematics—typically not a favorite subject—is used in work. These programs have been well-received with schools, and Capcom is incorporating educators’ feedback to improve them. In addition, based on prior feedback expressed by educators we launched an online program starting in fiscal 2021, which also allows us to hold classes smoothly even during the COVID-19 pandemic. These initiatives have enabled us to respond flexibly over a wider geographical area than before.

Altogether, Capcom has welcomed 3,532 children as part of 412 different field trips to its offices (as of March 31, 2023). Capcom has also held 232 on-site classes for 19,557 students (as of March 31, 2023).

As a game publisher, not only are children customers that play with our products but they are also potential future leaders that may become employees. Needless to say, a stable environment is necessary to play games, but education is essential for choosing a profession.

In the fiscal year ended March 2023, we again donated to three organizations that are working on the healthy development of children, including the Fund to Support Children’s Future. We also sent another donation to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to support refugees from Ukraine and made a new donation to support victims of the 2023 Türkiye-Syria Earthquake.

In April 2022, Capcom expressed its endorsement of the goal of the Japan Volleyball Association to foster humanity while contributing to both the healthy development of children and young people as well as to the mental and physical growth of the nation through the greater promotion and advancement of the sport of volleyball. We are supporting the activities of the Japanese men’s and women’s volleyball teams in Japan and abroad as well as the promotion of the sport of volleyball.

We also signed an agreement with Cerezo Osaka in August 2022 establishing Capcom as a Top Partner. We will continue to support Cerezo Osaka, the representative soccer club of Capcom’s hometown, so that through both gaming and soccer we can realize our slogan of "From Osaka, to the World."

Signed an official sponsorship agreement with Japan Volleyball Association

Entered into a sponsorship deal to be a Top Partner of Cerezo Osaka

The appeal of video game content was demonstrated to the world during the opening ceremonies of the preeminent international sporting event of summer 2021 held in Tokyo when video game music was played to accompany the entrance of the athletic teams. In the same vein, Capcom is following a Single Content Multiple Usage strategy for our content, which we deploy in a wide range of fields beyond video games. As such, we are proud to have a high level of recognition and popularity among men and women, young and old alike.

Based on our corporate philosophy of making people happy through games, since the mid-2000s Capcom has been engaged in the following four regional revitalization activities not only in Osaka, where we have our head office, but across Japan:

1. Economic promotion that supports the local tourism industries
2. Cultural awareness raising that supports education concerning local history and culture
3. Crime prevention education through coordination with the police
4. Raising awareness about voting in elections in coordination with the Committee for Election Administration