The Digital Games Research Association Japan has been launched to develop digital technology and educational digital software.
About 100 digital game developers and researchers took part in the inaugural meeting Friday of the Japanese chapter of an international academic society dedicated to the field.
The group serves as the local chapter of DiGRA, a nonprofit group of academics and professionals of various countries that research digital games and associated activities.
"We will support Japan's digital game industry, of which we were proud of," said Akira Baba, a 48-year-old professor at the University of Tokyo's graduate school who was selected the first chairman of DiGRA Japan.
In a statement, the association said that although Japan is a huge game powerhouse, its academic studies on games lag behind those of other countries because collaboration between industries and universities is insufficient.
According to the group, the association will also try to develop visually impressive game software using the latest image processing technologies and promote academic-industrial collaboration by providing newly developed technologies to companies.
Anyone who is interested in digital games and agrees with the society s aims can become a member by paying an annual fee of 10,000 yen.