Contributions of Japanese Gaming and JASAG

Otagaki Rengetsu, (1791-1875) one of my favorite Japanese poets from Kyoto wrote:

“My figure / back in the hometown / I played in and knew well / through springs and autumns / ah, such wistful memories.” (Haruaki ni / asobi nare ni shi / furusato no / wa ga omokage no / natsukashiki kana.

Several unique forms of play emerged from the Japanese culture. We know for example that “Lotus Moon” Rengetsu was well known for perfection at dance, some of the martial arts, and Japanese tea ceremonies. When we speak of dance, we must also include the famous “Kabuki” form of dance and theatre – and the Japanese tea ceremony uses forms of play as well (Kikkawa, 2016). Board games were widely used worldwide from the 17^th century for entertainment and education and these types of gaming activities can also be found in Japan. The game of “blooming prosperity” (zensei fuki sugoroku) from 1872 was designed for promotion purposes by the Dai-ichi-bank (Strouhal, 2015) and uses the process of moving through a city with different kinds of shops and markets. The game shinpan waridashi sugoroku (from 1860 by Kinjudo, Tokyo) illustrates a Kabuki theatre with the goal of creating a path to the stage. Although these games were designed mainly for fun and entertainment, they can also support serious learning. In addition, we can call them early simulation games as some of them try to simulate an economic and/or social process.

The International Simulation and Gaming Association (ISAGA) was founded in 1970. Recently, ISAGA celebrated its 50th anniversary conference in August 2019 in Warsaw. Our journal, Simulation & Gaming was established at the same time in 1970. ISAGA and the journal were always interested not only in games and play, but in simulation as well. As a focal point, games can be used to simulate sociotechnical systems and processes and include models that represent real systems and processes in order to support the better understanding of how a system and/or process works. This enhanced understanding of complex systems through gaming simulation can be used for various purposes, including education and training, policy and decision-making, testing of strategies, organizational transformation, and research (Kikkawa, 2014; Kriz, 2017). The founding of JASAG (Japan Association of Simulation and Gaming) in 1988/1989 was another important milestone for simulation/gaming. This year, JASAG celebrates its 30th anniversary. This association has contributed significantly to the worldwide advancement of the simulation and gaming, often working closely with other organizations, including ISAGA. In fact, in 1991, JASAG and Hiroharu Seki organized the 22nd ISAGA conference in Kyoto, which took place shortly after the foundation of JASAG. The main theme of the conference was “Global Modeling for Solving Global Problems.” The goal of the JASAG conference was in part, to contribute to the progress of science, which remains a persistent theme. Jiro Kondo, the first president of JASAG and also Chair of the respected Science Council of Japan, wrote in the proceedings (1992, p.VII): “Today the role of this methodology is becoming more and more important in the various fields such as evaluation of global environmental problems, future prospects of the world economy and international politics and the evaluation of business strategy… The field of simulation and gaming has been developing in step with advances in computer technology, and has become a valid scientific method for making predictions about the future using sophisticated computerized models to simulate complex natural and social phenomena.”

This quotation is very much up to date, as we still continually aim to improve the methodology of gaming and simulation. At the 1991 ISAGA/JASAG conference, (see book of Crookall & Arai, “Global Interdependence. Simulation and Gaming Perspectives”, 1992) further key persons for the continuous dialogue of east and west within ISAGA entered the stage (e.g. Arata Ichikawa, Mieko Nakamura and Shigehisa Tsuchiya). They continued their role as ambassadors between the associations for three decades, and integrated western ideas into the existing and rich history of gaming in Japan using a combination of policy gaming, game design, and system dynamics modeling (cf. Tsuchiya, 2012; Nakamura, 2014). In return, JASAG and Japanese gaming experts also generated many improvements in the international community. The fruitful combination of the Japanese idea of hybrid gaming and the use of agent-based modeling and social simulation with classical approaches to gaming simulation is one example of a strong contribution to international gaming and simulation that was facilitated by this exchange (Deguchi, 2004; Kaneda, 2012). This tradition was followed when the 34^th ISAGA conference was hosted in 2003 in Chiba. Organized by chair Rei Shiratori the main topic was “The Social Contributions and Responsibilities of Simulation & Gaming.” In 2015, Hidehiko Kanegae organized the 46^th ISAGA conference with the main topic “Hybrid Simulation and Gaming in the Network Society.” In addition, this conference built on the great tradition of the JASAG community: to research the interconnection of different forms of games with different forms of playfulness and knowledge. JASAG realized that our modern network society causes us to deal with increasingly complex and interrelated hybrid systems. As a result, they focus research efforts on promoting gaming and simulation to address present and future challenges (Kaneda, Kanegae, Rizzi & Toyoda, 2015).

I thank my colleagues Toshiko Kikkawa and Susumu Ohnuma for their work as editors for this special symposium issue. They invited several authors from the Japanese scientific community and led the regular review process of Simulation & Gaming. This process resulted in eight high-quality articles that show the diversity, richness and state-of-the-art of Japanese simulation and gaming studies. Some further articles from the call are still in the review and rewriting process and may be published later. I also thank my co-editors J. Tuomas Harviainen and Timothy Clapper for their support.