We are delighted to announce our upcoming lecture series *”New
Directions in Game Studies in/of Japan”*, which explores emerging
perspectives in the study of Japanese games and game cultures.Japanese video games have long held a place in game studies as objects
of analysis and research. While early research on such games examined
how Japanese culture is represented through video games, recent work has
shifted toward studying the spaces, economies, and histories of Japan as
processed through game texts and paratexts, screens and interfaces, or
nodes and platforms. This research asks complex questions about Japan’s
place within game studies, as well as about the institutions, archives,
and methods for conducting research on games in and of Japan.This speaker series brings together three accomplished scholars of games
and new media, each presenting their research on the growing field of
game studies within Japan, game representations of Asia produced in
Japan, and circuits of game production inside and outside Japan. Each
talk will be followed by a Q&A session.*Lecture 1*
Directions in Game Studies in/of Japan”*, which explores emerging
perspectives in the study of Japanese games and game cultures.Japanese video games have long held a place in game studies as objects
of analysis and research. While early research on such games examined
how Japanese culture is represented through video games, recent work has
shifted toward studying the spaces, economies, and histories of Japan as
processed through game texts and paratexts, screens and interfaces, or
nodes and platforms. This research asks complex questions about Japan’s
place within game studies, as well as about the institutions, archives,
and methods for conducting research on games in and of Japan.This speaker series brings together three accomplished scholars of games
and new media, each presenting their research on the growing field of
game studies within Japan, game representations of Asia produced in
Japan, and circuits of game production inside and outside Japan. Each
talk will be followed by a Q&A session.*Lecture 1*
Title: The Importance of Player Space for Game Studies
Speaker: Hiroshi Yoshida (Tokyo University)
Date: October 23, 2025
Time: 17:15–18:30
Venue: Waseda University, Main Campus, Building 11, Room 11-802
*Lecture 2*
Title: Lost in a JPEG Dungeon: Kowloon’s Gate, Digital Rendering, and
Regional Orientalism in 1990s Japanese Video Games
Speaker: Daniel Johnson (College of William and Mary)
Date: November 6, 2025
Time: 17:15–18:30
Venue: Waseda University, Main Campus, Building 11, Room 11-802
*Lecture 3*
Title: Unboxing Japanese Videogames: An Argument for Nuance
Speaker: Martin Roth (Ritsumeikan University)
Date: November 18, 2025
Time: 17:15–18:30
Venue: Waseda University, Main Campus, Building 11, Room 11-802
Contact: Bryan Hikari Hartzheim & Joachim Scharloth
