Launched in 2021 for the Tokyo Olympic Games, the judo version has reached new heights. Ruben Houkes, 2007 world champion and Beijing 2008 Olympic medallist, now head of the IJF Judo for Children Commission, reflects on this wonderful adventure.
"It's quite incredible. In just a few years, we've created a real community passionate about the three judo-themed versions of the game. We now have over 6.3 million unique downloads. It's impressive! This number represents real players who are engaged and spend time discovering the secrets of judo.
Above all, they can learn the values of our sport, discover more about Jigoro Kano and, in the most recent version, they can also deepen their knowledge of the techniques. It's very educational.
The three countries with the most participation are USA, Japan and Germany, to which we can add the United Kingdom, Brazil and France. It all started during the draw of the Tokyo Olympic Games, when the first part of the game was released to the public. Since then, we've been moving forward from success to success.
It was important from the start that we establish a connection with the field of education. Therefore, all the universes are accessible on Minecraft Education as well. Thousands of schoolchildren can use the game in their classrooms. The number of primary schools using it is increasing every day. We can safely say that judo is becoming increasingly popular thanks to Minecraft.
Little by little, we want to expand the three worlds already available and new ones will undoubtedly emerge in the future. We also hope to develop more interaction at the national federation level and with clubs so that more and more children have access to the values of judo. All the feedback we receive is very positive and places the game at the top of the satisfaction rankings."
This is a wonderful adventure. Beyond the success it has generated, it connects the world of gaming and judo through what it has to offer: values. Don't hesitate to immerse yourself in this new world and use it to teach your children that judo is much more than a sport.
- Journey to the Great Shiai: CLICK HERE
- The Mystery of the Kodokan: CLICK HERE
- The Mystery of the Budokan: CLICK HERE