Production of Entertainment Content for the Dissemination and Inheritance of Cultural Resources: Representing Showa-Era Movie Theater Culture Using a Game Engine

Abstract

This study uses a game engine to represent the movie theater culture of the Showa era (specifically, the silent film period) as interactive CG. The goal is to construct a VR system that allows users to experience the atmosphere of theaters from that time, the presence of katsudō-benshi, and the audience's reactions—features that have nearly disappeared in the modern era. In this system, the player takes on the role of the katsudō-benshi, and based on the player's voice input, the audience (NPC) responds in real time. By recreating Showa-era movie theater culture as entertainment, this research also presents new possibilities for cultural preservation.