PAPERS & CREATIVE WRITINGS
[
]
Academic and creative writings
PUBLICATIONS
“The Mirror Between Us: A Relationship Power Dynamics Sandbox TTPRG”
Full Paper accepted for presentation at the 2025 Games for Good Conference, Becker School of Design & Technology, Clark University.
(Originally developed from a CHI Play 2025 submission; this version focuses on the social and educational implications of sandbox game design.)
Abstract: The Mirror Between Us is an original two-player tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) designed to explore the psychological and interpersonal dynamics of romantic and family relationships concerning systemic power, emotional attachment, and identity within intimate partnerships. Drawing from social psychology, couples therapy research, and attachment theory, the game invites players to roleplay as two individuals in an arranged marriage, navigating mismatched expectations, hidden agendas, and evolving emotional bonds. Through asymmetric information, strategic decision-making, and immersive storytelling, The Mirror Between Us becomes a reflective sandbox in which players can experiment with different relational behaviors, confront the consequences of their actions, and practice essential relational skills. The game fills a gap in learning-oriented game design targeting emerging and mid-life adults, individuals navigating pivotal transitions in identity, relationships, and life directions. By offering a structured yet creative space to explore underexamined themes such as relational power and the psychological complexity of love, it becomes a compelling medium for both personal reflection and pedagogical application.
The Mirror Between Us: A Relationship Power Dynamics Sandbox TTPRG
“Player Psychology and Decision-Making in Board Game COUP”
Accepted by Analog Game Studies, in the processs of editing
Abstract: This study explores player psychology and decision-making in the social deduction game COUP using self-collected telemetry data. Analyzing gameplay across multiple sessions, we identify key patterns shaped by risk sensitivity, uncertainty aversion, and emotional responses such as revenge. Despite the game’s emphasis on bluffing, most players lied less often than expected, with success rates influenced by both cognitive load and strategic context. We also observed meta-gaming behaviors and irrational coin-based decisions tied to perceived scarcity. Our findings suggest that COUP serves as a compelling model for studying human behavior in socially dynamic, high-stakes environments.
Player Psychology and Decision-Making in Board Game COUP
GAMES STUDIES
In my Mixed Research Methods for Games class at Northeastern University, we studied different research methods and their applications in game studies. Students worked in groups of four and spent 3 to 4 weeks per project conducting games-related research using a method chosen by the instructor. Below are two of our academic papers written in the fall of 2024.
(Note: These pieces are joint student work, so the tone across sections may vary. Authors are listed in alphabetical order.)
Paper 1:
Playing Aloud: Usability in Super Mario 64
Abstract:
Games are an incredibly intricate media that is digested differently by different people and can take a lot of work to design intuitive and fun systems. There are a myriad of considerations to have, especially with the increased fidelity of graphics that newer technologies have afforded to game developers. This can cause developers to forego some design implementations in favor of higher-resolution graphics. Using think-aloud methods By using think-aloud methods we are hoping to gain insights into the player’s experience and build a model through the participant feedback while they livestream their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. With the participants playing Super Mario 64 (1996) we want to compare their experience to modern games experience to give more Quality of Life (QoL) improvements for the game design of 3D platformers to enhance the player’s experience and satisfaction. Because older games had to work with more limitations in terms of technology, a lot of their workarounds can be adapted into modern games to make considerable improvements to the user experience.
Playing Aloud: Usability in Super Mario 64
Paper 2:
Sound in Video Games: How does sound impact the identification of elements and immersion in Dark Echo?
Abstract:
Creating convincing in-game environments is essential for delivering immersive gaming experiences. Sound provides critical information about the game world, enhancing environmental awareness and aiding object identification while deepening immersion. Using the game Dark Echo as our test case, we examined how sound affects gameplay immersion and overall player experience. Participants were divided into two groups—one playing with sound and one without. Data collected through interviews and questionnaires allowed us to assess immersion levels using statistical analysis. Our findings confirm that sound plays a critical role in creating gameplay immersion and helps players identify in-game objects and understand context.
Sound in Video Games: How does sound impact the identification of elements and immersion in Dark Echo?
AWARD WINNER - GAME NARRATIVE SUMMIT:
GAME NARRATIVE REVIEW GDC 2025
I participated and won the Gold Award in the Game Narrative Review Competition held by GDC Vault 2025.
My game review is based on the game Eliza (2019), an innovative visual novel that makes the bold attempt to directly address an increasingly relevant topic – the future relationship between humans and technologies. Players take on the role of Evelyn, the former designer of the AI program Eliza.
In this article, I gave a detailed breakdown of the game's narratives, game design highlights, and what makes it stand out from other games within the same genre.
I specifically discuss two aspects: its realism and presentation of diverse moral views.
Eliza adopts a rather realistic approach to storytelling, unlike many visual novels that tend to feature high fantasies and drama. Every character in the game is convincing and complicated, flawed but fascinating. They possess unique motivations worth digging into and analyzing deeply. Like real people, these characters have many sides to them and rarely express what they truly think. They are well-written and fully developed, allowing players to understand and feel their strong emotions despite the absence of hyper-intensive dramatic scenes where characters scream or cry. Characters struggle with relatable real-life problems and respond to their crises in believable ways such as using avoidance or complaining endlessly. While playing, aside from exploring the main story, players can also take on the role of detectives, parsing through character psychology in fascinating and exciting games of psychoanalysis.
Eliza Game Narrative Review: Paper
Another excellent design element of Eliza is its presentation of various views and ideologies regarding AI and technology's relationship with humans. The game does not dictate which is the correct answer, instead providing players with ample room to reflect before making their own choices. Witnessing a diverse set of beliefs and how they clash and collide provides valuable experiences for the audience, as players can better understand their personal understanding by identifying what they align with and what they don't, both cognitively and morally.
Eliza Game Narrative Review: Poster
Game Developers Conference 2025
GAMES IN FUTURE EDUCATION
This is an old paper from my undergraduate studies in 2023. The link below opens a PDF page. It is my final paper for the Digital Literacies and Video Games class. My essay, Video Games and Interactive Media: The Path to Future Education, features an overall discussion of why video games are good supplements to traditional education. The paper covers the following topics:
-
Skill training and basic knowledge learning
-
How Video Games Motivate and Engage with the Audience to Improve Learning
-
Self-Reflection, Ethics, and Metacognition: Can We Teach Ourselves to be Better Thinkers/Individuals?
I am currently writing a new paper that covers the following topic:
-
The definition of educational games and "serious gaming"
-
The importance of using games for education
-
The current game genres and existing educational games
-
The lack of more educational and "serious" games
-
The potential drawbacks of using video games in education
-
The future of educational games
A link to the new paper will be attached to this cite when finished.
Video Games and Interactive Media: The Path to Future Education
(Spring 2023)
AN ORIGINAL SHORT STORY
Princess Peach Blossom is a piece of my own writing inspired by a dream. I revised it and used it for the final project of my Crafting the Short Story class. I also drew a portrait of the Princess, which is part of the plot. The Chinese-translated version of the story can be found in the additional link below.
I am re-editing the English version. The updated version will be uploaded to this site soon.
Chinese Version
Princess Peach Blossom, 2022
A POEM FROM THE NO WAY OUT UNIVERSE
I wrote a collection of short stories and poems in my Introduction to Creative Writing class. Similar to how video games sometimes tell stories through snippets of documents and clues the player finds throughout the game, I weaved my main plot into different pieces of writing and poems.
This story takes place in the same vampire universe I described in the previous Games & Projects section (No Way Out). Now, I am also working on revising this story collection. It has been three years since I finished the original version. Nevertheless, I decided to include a poem in this portfolio, a simple little snippet.
I don't write poems very often, but experimenting with novelty is always a pleasure.
Invitation, Watercolor, 2021
Random Thoughts Before Dinner
Cheers to another exhilarating night
The feast has yet to commence
I see the flashes of neon lights
The glass tubes filled with chemical gas
They shine and dazzle like priceless gems
But are as cheap and brittle as a mortal’s life
Drowning in beams of diverging light
Their faces distort and glow in sweat
Pulses dance through throbbing veins
Sweet scents spread across escalating beats
My eyes track every stream that shimmers in joy
Wondering who shall win tonight’s prize?
I am
Undeniably
A mindless shell
Within which a debauched devil dwells
Though I warn those
Who rush to judge -
No one
Is immune
To the poison I took
It eats away your sanity it devours your soul
While you willingly, deliriously, blissfully suffocate
In this everlasting torture
It
Is not a spell nor a charm
But it is more magical and perilous
Than any darkest curse you know
Its name -
Power