Barroso, D., & Huang, Z. (2026, August). Beneath the dragon: the evolving topography and scenography of Kamurocho. In Replaying Japan 2026: The 14th International Japan Game Studies Conference. Diego Barroso and Zidong Huang By analyzing models and architectural drawings across different scales, this research reveals the specific spatial translation strategies employed by RGG Studio. At the macro-urban scale (first modality), drawing upon Kevin Lynch's "Five Elements of the C

Barroso, D., & Huang, Z. (2026, June). The final frontier of space in video games. Spatio-narrative design in Judgment by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. In Proceedings of DiGRA 2026. Diego Barroso and Zidong Huang In video game environments that hold a referential relationship to preexisting spaces, such as Kamurocho from the Yakuza/Judgment series and Kabukicho in Shinjuku, the narrative and ludic content in the virtual world reflects the personal urban understanding/experiences of t

Huang, Z., & Barroso, D. (2026, May). Ludoforming strategies in small-scale open worlds. The design philosophy of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. In Foundations of Digital Games 2026 (FDG 2026): Research through Games; Research for Games. Association for Computing Machinery. 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

Barroso, D., & Huang, Z. (2025). Urban (Re) Development for Video Games. Effective Ludoforming and the Work of Ryu Ga Gotoku. CEEGS 2025 Landscapes Cities Localities. Diego Barroso and Zidong Huang There are multiple reasons to use preexisting spaces in fiction, from nostalgia to faithful simulation. Cities are sometimes used as settings for books, films, and video games, with their own completeidentities. Still, more often than not, those cities are an inspiration, their ess