McDonalds Japan Using Nintendo DS 'eSmart' to Train New Employees

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McDonalds Japan Using Nintendo DS to Train New Employees

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Nintendo and McDonalds Japan are teaming up on an employee training tool being developed for the Nintendo DS.

The program, titled “eSmart,” reportedly cost 200 million yen ($2.2 million) to produce and will be used to train part-time employees. Two DS systems will be in each of the 3,700 Japanese McDonalds locations.

It’s unclear how the program would work, but McDonalds Japan is hoping it will appeal to younger generations and cut training time in half.

Between November 2004 and December 2009, the Nintendo DS and DS Lite have sold 29.92 million units in Japan and 125.13 million worldwide.

McDonalds Japan’s Nintendo Zone

Last year, Nintendo and McDonalds Japan partnered together for a DS Download Station called “Nintendo Zone.” DS users visiting participating McDonalds in the Greater Tokyo Area can wirelessly connect to the store’s DS console and download game demos and coupons.

DS Download Stations are simply DS cartridges given to stores that allow visitors to connect to a retailer’s console and retrieve exclusive content. In North America, participating GameStops and EB Games have cartridges that offer temporarily downloadable game demos for DS users.

Nintendo DS Going to Schools

Shigeru Miyamoto, a video game designer and producer who developed Super Mario and Donkey Kong titles, wants to develop Nintendo titles to be used in Japanese schools.

In an effort to reach a broader audience, Miyamoto and Nintendo have been developing a project for educational environments that he hopes will be released into elementary and junior high schools in the new year.

Nintendo at Museum of Western Art Tokyo and Seattle Mariners

Nintendo has slowly expanded its download stations outside of game retailers and restaurants. The National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo ran a trial service to help visitors with maps navigate on their Nintendo DS systems.

In 2007, the Seattle Mariners offered a $5 service that allowed fans watching baseball games at Safeco Field to order concessions and look up stats from their seats through the Nintendo DS.A limited edition Nintendo DS Lite was released, marked with the Mariners logo. The team is owned by Nintendo of America.