Outline of collaborative research

Ritsumeikan Center for Game Studies (RCGS), a leading research base for game studies in Japan, and the University of Alberta, which has nurtured some of the leading game ventures in North America and has a depth in game-related research, have been collaborating on the “metaverse and game-like elements.”
By signing an MOU, the previously unofficial joint research framework has been successfully substantiated. In addition, as research in the field of engineering, where collaboration had not been feasible, we finally succeeded in promoting research on “contents for the elderly” and “game-like elements” in the “metaverse.” Furthermore, from the perspective of Humanities, while the effects of the pandemic lingered, we organized an international conference (“Replaying Japan”) which had been planned for some time and were able to bring together quite a few researchers from research institutions around the world. In the latter half of the project period, moreover, the members got to know each other well enough to discuss, in a like-minded manner, the “preservation of cultural heritage in the metaverse” using “game-like elements” related to the film industry in Uzumasa, Kyoto. RCGS also publishes the international journal “Replaying Japan” and aims to develop further as an international hub of game studies.

Papers, etc.

Van Khoi Le, Adrien Villars, Febri Abdullah, Mustafa Can Gursesli, Xiao You, Lara E. M. S. Roman, Ruck Thawonmas, Victor Fernandez-Cervantes, Eleni Stroulia, “VR Rhythm Game Featuring Audience Participation,” Proc. of the 2023 IEEE Games, Entertainment, Media Conference (GEM), St. Michael, Barbados, pp. 1-4, Nov. 19-22, 2023.

Symposia, seminars, etc.

• Replaying Japan 2022, 08/25-08/27/2022, Anteroom, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto
• Replaying Japan 2023, 08/18-08/21/2023, Nagoya Zokei University, Nagoya
• Game Research in Ritsumeikan and UoA: NOW and BEYOND, 10/19/2022, AI4Society, University of Alberta

Future prospects/aspiration

We hope to continue collaboration on the preservation of digital games and their use in education and other applications. We will also expand the application of game technology to digital preservation by conducting a research for virtual space development of Uzumasa Jidaigeki-production Culture. In addition, we intend to continue collaboration on hosting a digital games conference to enlarge the community of game studies.