From Then to Now: Transformation in Simulation and Gaming in Japan

Abstract

Now, in the year of 2019, the Japanese Simulation and Gaming research community (Japan Association of Simulation And Gaming, abbrevated as JASAG) happily celebrates its 30 th anniversary. For us, the year 2019 is a year of "On-ko, Chi-shin". This well-known phrase among the Japanese people is quoted from the Analects of Confucius, the ancient Chinese philosopher. On-ko directly translates as "to explore the past", while Chi-shin is "to know the future". We are now reviewing the past and imagining the future. From a historical perspective, issues of fun or play are not trivial for Japanese society. In 689 AD, the Japanese emperor banned the playing of backgammon (Masukawa, 2012), which showed the popularity of the game. It continued to be played for centuries in spite of the repeated attempts to ban the game afterwards. In addition to this, Ryo-jin-hisho, the collection of Japanese songs from the Middle Ages selected by Emperor Go-Shirakawa (1127-1192), shows the importance of playing. From one of the most famous and frequently quoted Japanese songs comes the line "(Children are) born to play (Asobi wo sen toya umareken)." Traditional Japanese games like Go and Sho-gi are well-known examples of strategic games for adults. As a note of interest: while the game Go originated in China, possibly as early as 4,000 BC, Go grew especially popular in Japan. Japan not only gave it the name Go but also made important developments in the late 16 th century (Matsuda, 1989). Back then, in the early days of simulation and gaming research in Japan, the main fields of interest for the research community were: Business, international relationships and peace, urban planning, psychology, language learning, and learning by using computer games. Over time, the emphasis shifted slightly to focus on analog games, such as those used in workshops. Recently, we seem to be struggling to reestablish or reevaluate the relationship between learning and fun. The fields of interest have been expanding to include topics such as disaster management, health education, and environmental management. In this commemorable year, this issue focuses on articles of Japanese simulation and gaming studies. Although the articles are not comprehensive and do not extensively cover the current status of simulation and gaming research in Japan, readers could gain an overview of current trends in Japan.

Predictive Factors for Difficulty in Simulation Methodology in Teacher Education

“…In almost a decade, between the years 2014-2023, several studies have been published, which extolled the virtues of using simulation in teacher education. The general advantage is that more emphasis is placed on the active role of pre-service teachers, who thereby can gain insights into the nature of the process being simulated (Álvarez, 2023; Bradley & Kendall, 2014; Edo Agustín, 2021; Gibson et al, 2014; Hamada et al, 2019; Kikkawa & Crookall, 2011; Kikkawa & Ohnuma, 2019; Kriz, 2003; Kriz & Hense, 2006; Leigh & Spindler, 2004; Nygaard et al, 2012; Ranchhod et al, 2014; Speed et al, 2015,Tipton et al, 2016; Angelini, 2021, among others).…”