Kids in Japan are set for a real treat later this month as a PC-building amusement center attraction opens at Kidzania Tokyo. From June 26, lucky children will be able to experience the daily work of a ‘PC Factory Worker,’ and assemble a computer. Kidzania says that children will “learn about the computer's structure and functions, enjoy the process of manufacturing, and deepen your understanding of computers.”
The Kidzania PC Factory has been put together with the help of Mouse Computer. This Mouse has nothing to do with the usual theme park favorite, Mickey, it is actually a Tokyo-headquartered PC maker established back in 1993. Mouse Computer is big in Japan and offers PC and laptop ranges to address content creators, gamers, professionals, and more.
Using real computer parts
Once at the ‘PC Factory’ pavilion children learn about computer components from a video and attendant helpful staff. After an introduction, they will process a PC customer order sheet, pick the correct parts, and begin PC assembly. According to a press release about the new Kidzania experience, the kids will fit “a real CPU, memory, graphics card, etc.” Furthermore, at the end of the experience, they will check that the computer is correctly assembled and that it boots.
An image and description of the PC Factory experience attraction confirms there will be room for up to eight 'computer factory workers.' On the workbenches in front of the children there appear to be open PC tower systems plus a screen with a tutorial video. Behind the main working area, you can see what appears to be a large number of computer parts bins.
The computer factory experience is said to last a rather brief 30 minutes. General admission to Kidzania Tokyo costs about $28 for school-age children, but we don’t know if there are surpluses to participate in some experiences, like the PC DIY assembly attraction, for example.
PC DIY isn’t as oddball an amusement center activity as you might think. Kidzania also advertises work-inspired edutainment experiences where children work as dentists, opticians, surgeons, car mechanics, radio presenters, call center operators, and many other vocations.
