Gia Lang

1) How did you become interested in the Global East Asia Tokyo Maymester?

When I was looking through the Maymester courses available, I read the course description for the Global East Asia Tokyo Maymester and was ecstatic. Learning about Japanese art and design in Tokyo was a lifelong dream of mine. I have always been interested in studying Japanese art, and I was intrigued by the sentimentalities that came from their designs. For example, Japanese art is often rooted in connections to nature. There are also a lot of interesting art movements that came from Tokyo’s vibrant urban subcultures that I was captivated by. Additionally, as someone interested in sustainability and urban design, I knew of Tokyo’s robust and clean infrastructure, and I wanted to know more about the design implications of their urban systems. Finally, as a game designer, many of my favorite gaming experiences came from Japanese developers. I was excited to see the origins of these games in person! The possibility of studying all aspects of design through the Maymester excited me so much – I couldn’t wait to see how interconnected these design philosophies were to Japanese culture.

2) What was your research focus and in what ways did the Global East Asia Tokyo program impact or help your research?

The class had a reading during the two weeks we spent in Los Angeles. It was called “Shikake: The Japanese Art of Shaping Behavior Through Design.” I was somewhat familiar with some of the material in this book, as we learned about design and behavior in my game design classes. I had never applied this knowledge to real life though. The second component of my research interest was studying the contrast between the dense busyness of Tokyo with the serene, natural spaces of Shinto shrines within it. I wanted to see if the design was intentional, and if there were behavioral implications of having meditative spaces throughout the city. Towards the end of the program, I tried to recreate a shrine space digitally using Maya and Unity!

Being on the Maymester provided me with invaluable resources to begin this research. I consulted our Professor Miya often, and all of the planned excursions in Tokyo granted me opportunities to study urban design and shikake in districts and design exhibits I would have never known about otherwise.

Feel free to see the presentation here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11vThoMSLndG6H6vlzEmoptvCRHcwPOQDC4M520KkOAM/edit?usp=sharing

3) Can you share any anecdotes about your experience?

There are so many it is hard to choose! But in general, I really loved getting to know everyone on the Maymester. Even if it was a simple outing like grabbing food from convenience stores, I loved every conservation that took place with my peers. I truly was inspired by every student on our trip, everyone is so talented in art and design and I love seeing their work, even after the program.

It was also so fun to spend a weekend with students from Meiji University in the countryside!

4) Is there any research or project you are currently working on that you would also like to share?

I’m currently directing the development of a USC student game called “Sorelle”! It’s a magical 3D Puzzle Platforming game inspired by Italy and the childlike wonder of Studio Ghibli films. It’ll be released this upcoming May, so please keep an eye out for it.

Take a look at the pitch deck here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_RMgizaiVOG–Z3wxudK-sCMLZJhCZ5vWhOJD-EQyok/edit?usp=sharing
or our teaser video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14QYRH6OxKtS-ObQmp7wJc_B4W9h8nplU/view?usp=sharing