On Sat, Oct. 15th, the Kanagawa Institute of Technology eSports Symposium 2022 was held in a hybrid venue, on campus and on broadcast, and was attended by a very large number of people. From keynote speeches to panel discussions, it was a meaningful symposium where speakers from industry, academia, and government exchanged opinions and shared information about e-sports, and discussed future development together.
Mr. Hiromichi Takeda of the Yokohama Marinos Ltd Brand Strategy Department, who is involved in the operation of F. Marinos eSports, delivered the keynote speech. The theme was "What is the 'power of sports' in e-sports? He talked about the results of their games, their efforts with fans and sponsors, their activities in their hometown, and future possibilities.
Next, Associate Professor Mari Ueda, Department of Information Media, and Associate Professor Hajime Iwata, Department of Information Network and Communication, reported on the results of their research as part of the university's efforts. The KAIT eSports Club, an official club of the university, also introduced its activities. During the Q&A session, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Department of Yokosuka City contacted the KAIT eSports Club about supporting the club in e-sports events, and the club showed great interest in the university's efforts.
＜Research Results of the University＞
■Role of auditory information in e-sports
Mari Ueda, Department of Information Media
■Verification of the impact of network latency on e-sports operations
Hajime Iwata, Department of Information Networks and Communication
The first part of the panel discussion in the latter half of the event focused on the theme of "regional revitalization through e-sports" and featured speakers from the Yokosuka City Culture, Sports and Tourism Department, Odawara City Economy Department, and Atsugi City Policy Department, all of whom are involved in the e-sports business. Interest in Yokosuka City, which has a number of achievements in hosting tournaments and regional revitalization, was particularly high, and questions and opinions were actively exchanged.
In the second part of the panel discussion, three researchers working on network technology, physical communication, and auditory displays took the stage to introduce their research and answer questions on the theme of “engineering research approaches for the development of e-sports”.
＜Part 2: Panelists' Research＞
■Network technology to solve the latency (lag) problem
Takuya Fujihashi (Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University)
■Vitality and Bonding Nurtured by e-Sports - Physical Communication through “Moderate Play”
Takashi Matsui (Sports Innovation Research and Development, University of Tsukuba)
■Auditory display rendering sound space
Yukio Iwaya (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering, Tohoku Gakuin University)
In closing remarks, Professor Shigeki Shiokawa (Department of Information Network and Communication), Director of the e-Sports Research Center, thanked everyone for their support and reported that the university plans to construct a new facility to serve as a base for e-sports as one of the projects to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Kanagawa Institute of Technology. The university will continue to contribute to the development of e-sports in cooperation with industry, academia, and government. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone inside and outside of the university who cooperated in making this event possible.
Sponsored by Kanagawa Institute of Technology, NTT East, NTTe-Sports
Supported by Atsugi City, Research Committee on Sports Acoustics, Acounstical Society of Japan