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Although development on his AR camera app ARama! had progressed during the INNO-vation Program’s Disruptive Challenge, in creator Makoto Morishita’s own eyes it was still at best only 60% complete. He had originally made the application as a way for users to freely create and play in an AR space. His ideal sense of freedom was still missing from the app.
“I still felt like I was just letting people use the features that I was providing for them, which made the level of freedom users had a little vague. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok are composed to let people demonstrate their own creativity to help them drive up their own communities and ecosystems. I want to create something similar that allows users to freely make their own content that they want to share,” Morishita explained about his future developments.
Every time a new generation comes along, a new technology is born with it and new features are developed from its use. Since ARama! is an app that’s continually improving, there may never be a time when it’s considered truly complete. While continuing on ARama!’s development, Morishita says his interest lies with one single concept: play.
“Play can be thought of as something that even when there’s not a clearly-defined purpose or objective, people still make an effort to actively participate in it to bring about a positive effect in themselves. There’s a word called gamification, which basically means to turn something into a game or play. For example, people might study or exercise with an innate reluctance to do so, but by turning it into a game they end up reaching their goals before they even know it. Once development of ARama is on the right track and I’m in the position to do so, I’d like to create a system that allows users to actively participate in creation while simultaneously engaging in play.”
When asked to give a message to those thinking of applying for the program, Morishita had a humbled response. “I’m just someone who happened to go through the program, I can’t really say I’ve done anything vast or grand yet, but,” he paused before giving his thoughts.
“I think people who apply to the INNO-vation Program are usually the kind of people who are doing something truly interesting that’s just not getting recognized by those around them. When I was selected as a challenger for the program, I truly felt that even if what I was doing was considered strange, if I thought it was enjoyable and didn’t compromise on what I wanted to achieve, there were people throughout the world who would find that particularly compelling. Don’t mull over whether or not it will become financially viable, but rather pour your passion into it, knowing that if it’s what you want to make, it will someday bear fruit.”
This wasn’t just a message Morishita had for others. With this inspiration in mind, Morishita will surely continue working on what he himself believes to be both fun and interesting.