Tech Connect's AI-built game wins Aeon Mall prize

Mizuno's day job is at a water quality inspection institution in Toyoshima City. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided he wanted to make a living under his own name and started writing articles about VR and AR as a writer. That was his turning point. He says he found the process of his own images taking shape to be extremely interesting and began making his own works. The prize-winning game came out of that personal trajectory, not a studio pipeline. The interactive signage contest, held in June this year, drew all 12 groups including individuals and high school students. Mizuno's entry was the one that took both the top prize and the Audience Award. The work itself is designed not to end at play: the crops caught in the game lead to rankings, production areas, recipe suggestions, and specific sales floors inside the mall. Mizuno says he wants families to get excited at the dinner table saying 'that was fun.' He also struggled to balance visual presentation with smooth operation, and even introduced a new AI model right up until the day before the event to get it finished. The stakes for this kind of solo AI-assisted production likely hinge on whether the finished piece holds up in public daily use, and on whether Mizuno can carry the same approach into the rental and AR glasses projects he says he wants to try next.