From Festival Support to Utilizing Vacant Houses: Discovering Crews to Tackle Regional Challenges with a Game-Based DAO

Key points of this article

1.MACHIDUCREW DAO
A game-style DAO run by a public-private "third sector" body in Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. It's built around a mechanism where people contribute to local issues by having fun with RPG-like quests, lowering the psychological barrier to entry in order to cultivate new participants, including young people and those with ties to the area from outside the city.

2.Staged quest design
Quests are set up in phases, from raising awareness to making actual contributions. YASSA tokens, earned by reporting completed tasks, make each person's level of contribution and trust visible. This has created a virtuous cycle that broadens people's interest and involvement beyond just running festivals, extending into diverse challenges like reviving vacant houses.

3.Participation in decision-making, and what's ahead
The design deliberately strips out speculative elements, which makes securing sustainable funding a challenge. Going forward, the aim is to link contribution levels and voting results within the DAO to actual regional policies and decisions — such as selecting tourism ambassadors — establishing a sustainable model of self-governance in which a diverse range of people can take an active, self-directed role.

──What kind of activities does Machizukuri Mihara engage in?

Taiki Izumi (hereafter, Izumi): Machizukuri Mihara is a third sector organization*1 aimed at revitalizing the central urban area of Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. It was established through joint investment by Mihara City, the Mihara Chamber of Commerce, the Mihara Tourism Association, and others. We tackle various urban challenges, including town management, utilizing vacant stores and houses, supporting startups, organizing markets and festivals, collecting data with AI cameras, and creating a connected population.

Personally, I leveraged my experience in community development from my university days in other regions and returned to my hometown of Mihara to start working with Machizukuri Mihara. I believe it's crucial to consider 'who communicates what' in the community, and currently, I also serve as the president of the Mihara Chamber of Commerce Federation and vice president of the Mihara Tourism Association.

──How did the 'MACHIDUCREW DAO' initiative, which began its trial in November 2024, come about?

Izumi: Our company focuses not only on hosting events but also on increasing the number of people involved in community development. We aim to create a system where not only the government but also citizens, businesses, students, and people from outside the city and prefecture can continuously engage with the community. MACHIDUCREW DAO emerged as part of this effort. We have built a system that visualizes contributions to Mihara City's community development, allowing participation in a game-like manner.

──Can you explain the specific mechanism?

Izumi: Many people may perceive 'community development' or 'volunteering' as burdensome or difficult to join unless they are stakeholders. Therefore, this project does not present regional challenges as immediate 'duties.' Instead, it sets quests like a role-playing game, allowing gradual and enjoyable involvement in community development. Completing quests accumulates 'YASSA Tokens,' which can be exchanged for rewards or level-ups, making contributions to community development visible. Ultimately, we aim to cultivate leaders who will invigorate Mihara City's traditional festivals, such as the 'Yassa Festival' and the 'Floating Castle Festival.'