Huang, Z., & Barroso, D. (2026, August). Ludoforming strategies in small-scale open worlds. The design philosophy of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. In Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (pp. 1-14). Zidong Huang and Diego Barroso This study examines how the ludoforming strategies of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (RGG Studio) serve not only as methods for translating real urban spaces into virtual environments but also as core principles within t

Diego Barroso Hong Kong has been the setting of several games, like the open-world action game Sleeping Dogs. Although they may be exciting for a while, these environments often end up feeling stereotypical and lifeless. I’m developing an analysis approach that focuses on three layers of referentiality (visuals, environment, and agency) to help game designers build meaningful spaces and scholars explain them more effectively. I’ve already worked on this project by writing abo