Building a "Factory"

If you're reading this Blog, you already know that Onomappu Factory is a company created as a spin off of the popular YouTube channel "Onomappu"!

It was playfully named "Factory" because of it's pursuit to create physical games and experiences to boost everyone's language learning. But what does it take to build a factory? That's what this blog is about!

Creating the Concept - I knew that because of all the support of my viewers, I wanted to create something that had a strong relation to my YouTube Channel "Onomappu". So the game had to be about Japanese Onomatopoeia!

Onomatopoeia in Japan are derived from sounds, smells, feelings, things directly tied to our human senses. So using the human body to convey them with gestures felt like the perfect match!

Creating a Prototype - The game was designed and prototyped using the software "Canva". This software is user-friendly and chock-full of free-to-use icons that made it easy to mock-up my initial vision. After creating the design, the first prototype was made by printing at Japan's famous combini and hand-gluing the components together!

Refining the Design - The initial prototype was first reviewed by my partner (and gaming industry engineer!) who helped refine the English text and polish the game's mechanics to be fun and easy to understand. The visuals were reviewed by professional designers who gave detailed improvement suggestions. The mechanics were further refined through play-tests with friends and at indie game cafes in Tokyo as well, with feedback received from both Japanese Locals and International players! Watch one of our early play-tests here!

Printing the Game - To support local business as well as to simplify logistics - I sought out a card printing company in Japan. The search was challenging but eventually I was able to find one that could maintain a low price for our customers, had good quality control and were personable and easy to work with. This company enabled final prototyping as well as mass-print testing to ensure we meet the quality we're aiming for. They also allow us to order-in-bulk, so we'll always have stock ready on-hand to process orders immediately!

Shipping the Game - International shipping was also a large challenge that needed to be solved. After consulting with several international shipping options in Japan, I was also able to select a reliable, reasonable shipping company. My engineer partner was also able to use APIs to automate the process of generating shipping labels. This whole end-to-end process was tested with an actual international shipment as well!

Packing Orders - Because this is the first game of the start-up company, I (Hitoki) plan to handle all packaging myself for initial orders. But I also have friends and family members who I've talked to and are all willing to help me if I receive a quantity of orders that are too difficult to handle packaging by myself alone.

Crowdfunding - The final part of getting the "factory" up and running was to figure out funding for the initial game bulk-order. If I place orders for the game on-demand, the cost would be astronomically higher and may face processing delays. So a bulk order is definitely the way to go. In the future, profits can help fund these bulk orders. But I needed to figure out how to fund the initial big bulk order. For that, I launched a KickStarter!

If you're a Japanese learner yourself, or if this process of creating a "factory" interested you, Check out the KickStarter to learn more - and if you feel like being part of the mission to bring a little more fun into the process of learning Japanese consider giving it a share as well!

Want to learn more about the process of creating Onomappu Factory? Check out the Onomappu "Adventures" series on YouTube! Onomappu Adventures Playlist