Ongoing projects

Ziyi Wang This study explores the game mechanics and design features in It Takes Two and Overcooked! 2 that can potentially enhance social interaction and relationship building. The mechanisms and features in both games are different. It Takes Two mainly incorporates narrative-driven cooperation while overcooked!2 relies on task-driven chaos. However, there is limited comparative research examining how the specific game mechanics and design elements in It Takes Two and Overco

Ziyi Wang Player-character bonds are an important factor for building a successful Otome Game. However, a lack of specialized design tools often forces creators to repurpose frameworks from other genres, such as VR, whose design priorities (e.g., spatial exploration) may not fully align with otome games' focus on relational intimacy. This study investigates how a narrative framework originally designed for VR story-world creation can be adapted for otome game ideation. It exp

Xu Honglan This project studies open-source World of Warcraft bots not just through interviews, but by critical code studies on their actual code and GitHub repositories. It shows how “power gamers” frame botting as non-malicious optimization to escape tedious grind, design their scripts to prioritize safety over raw efficiency, and use platforms like GitHub to collaboratively refine and normalize these cheating practices.

Xiang Kexin With an aim to understand the unique roleplay affordances and constraints of AI companion platforms, our research proposes a new roleplaying game (RPG) category, “LLM-based single-player online freeform RPGs.” Through a case study of Character.AI, we develop a productive analytical toolkit – “roleplace space,” “four frames of collaborative storytelling”, and “gravity model” – that enables a critical examination of how AI companion roleplay operates in ways intrig

Xu Honglan This project studies open-source World of Warcraft bots not just through interviews, but by critical code studies on their actual code and GitHub repositories. It shows how “power gamers” frame botting as non-malicious optimization to escape tedious grind, design their scripts to prioritize safety over raw efficiency, and use platforms like GitHub to collaboratively refine and normalize these cheating practices.

Xiang Kexin This project examines the immersive, participatory narrative experiences in character-based video games through the lens of embodied cognition. It is expected to produce two key outcomes. First, an analytical framework for understanding players’ embodied narrative experiences in character-based video games; and second, a set of design strategies that enhance players’ embodied engagement with their characters and their characters’ stories, for either conventional v

Diego Barroso Hong Kong has been the setting of several games, like the open-world action game Sleeping Dogs. Although they may be exciting for a while, these environments often end up feeling stereotypical and lifeless. I’m developing an analysis approach that focuses on three layers of referentiality (visuals, environment, and agency) to help game designers build meaningful spaces and scholars explain them more effectively. I’ve already worked on this project by writing abo