The following three guests will give keynotes for DiGRA 2019 in order to enhance our understanding of “Game, Play & the Emerging Ludo-Mix” to look towards the future.

Eiji Ōtsuka  (Aug. 7,2019)

Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies
Theme: The Origin of the Media-Mix (With Simultaneous Translation)

The World Renown Researcher in the field of the Media Mix, he has been also known as the original author for  Manga “Unlucky Youngmen (アンラッキーヤングメン)” and “coup d’État（クウデタア）” among others.  He is also a renown critic whose recent works include “Style of Mickey Mouse”（ミッキーの書式）and “Proposition of Astronomy”（アトムの命題）.

As an editor, his works include “The Media Mix For Propaganda”(動員のメディアミックス). Upcoming works include “Osamu Tezuka and Media Theory during the Wartime” (手塚治虫と戦時下のメディア理論), and “The Yokusan Family and the Media Mix during the Wartime”. He also manages “World Manga Workshops” with his pupils who had gone overseas, and he has held 10 workshops around the globe.

He also self-publishes an academic journal focused on Manga and Anime researches titled “Tobio-critics”(トビオクリティックス), providing young researchers with a research platform and an opportunity for publication.

T.L. Taylor, Ph.D (Aug. 8,2019)

Professor, Comparative Media Studies, MIT
Theme: E-sports in the age of networked broadcast

Dr. Taylor is a qualitative sociologist who has focused on internet and game studies for over two decades. Her research explores the interrelations between culture and technology in online leisure environments.  Some of her works are Raising the Stakes: E-Sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming (MIT Press), and Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture (MIT Press, 2006).  She just published Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming from Princeton University Press.

Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Aug. 9,2019)

Project Professor, Keio University, Graduate School of Media Design
Theme: The Future of Ludo-Mix

Game Creator; Tetsuya Mizuguchi has been actively involved in creating highly unique, sensory-stimulating experiences in the form of video games and other media. At the core of his work is synesthesia, the crossing of the senses, and activating one’s imagination through the power of technology-driven interactive arts. One recent example is the award-winning virtual reality (VR) game Rez Infinite, paired with the Synesthesia Suit — a full body suit augmenting the visual auditory sensory experience with the sense of touch. The Synesthesia Suit was showcased in several cities around the world, including the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, SIGGRAPH and Media Ambition Tokyo. This work led to the formation of the Synesthesia Lab, an experimental R&D lab formed through an alliance for like-minded teams. Their first work is the Synesthesia X1 – 2.44, a device equipped with 44 vibrating actuators where letting go of your body makes you feel as if you’re wrapped in a world of sounds, lights and vibrations. Your consciousness is honed as you naturally become a part of the flow. He is also a co-founder of EDGEof, a GameChangers’ Studio based in Tokyo. His game credits include Rez (2001)/Rez Infinite (2016), Lumines (2004)/Lumines Remastered (2018), Child of Eden (2011) and Tetris Effect (2018), all of which have received high praise and awards.

Yosuke Hayashi(Aug. 10,2019)

Managing Director of KOEI TECMO GAMES

Mr. Hayashi joined Tecmo (now Koei Tecmo Games) in 2001. He was involved as a game designer in the development of various Team Ninja titles including the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series. When Tecmo and Koei merged in 2010, forming what is now Koei Tecmo Games, Mr. Hayashi served as producer for Team Ninja titles. In 2015, when he became head of Team Ninja, he co-directed the production of Nioh.

At Team Ninja, Yosuke Hayashi developed games such as the Dead or Alive series and Nioh that incorporated Japanese historical motifs while simultaneously targeting the international market. During his keynote address, Mr. Hayashi will share valuable insights on the circumstance of the production of these titles.

Furthermore, this keynote address will be hosted in collaboration with the Replaying Japan 2019 -Seventh International Conference on Japan Game Research- conference. Attendees from both DiGRA 2019 and Replaying Japan 2019 are invited to join this event.