Edward Huang is an undergraduate student in Sociology and East Asian Studies at the University of Toronto (St. George), where he is completing his Bachelor of Arts (2023–2027), and was an international exchange student in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2025–2026). In 2026, he founded the IGWT Institute for Games, Written-narrative & Tropes, a Canadian not-for-profit research institute and publisher based in Toronto.
His work focuses on long-form criticism and research on digital games, visual novels, interactive narrative, animation, and internet visual culture. Alongside his independent criticism, he has contributed to user and market research, content editing, marketing communications, and character design at Tencent, NetEase Youdao, and ChillyRoom. He is a native speaker of Mandarin, with professional working proficiency in English and conversational proficiency in Cantonese.
Research interests
- Games as an art form and narrative design
- Visual novels and branching written narrative
- Interactive narrative, player agency, and metagaming
- Animation and East Asian popular media
- Internet visual culture and character tropes
- Player research and media sociology
Education
University of Toronto
B.A., Sociology and East Asian Studies
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
School of Humanities and Social Sciences, international exchange
Experience
Founder and Director
IGWT Institute for Games, Written-narrative & Tropes
Directs the institute's research and publishing programs, including the peer-reviewed journal Ludotextual Studies and the critical magazine IGWT.
Research Assistant and Content Editor, User and Market Research Department
Tencent, Interactive Entertainment Group
Authored long-form research articles and provided user-research support, including desk research and interviews, for game titles.
Marketing Communications Fellow, MPR Goose Camp (Cohort 2), Group Marketing and PR Department
Tencent, Corporate Development Group
Selected through a national university competition and contributed to nine research projects.
KOL Marketing Intern
NetEase Youdao, Guangzhou
Supported key opinion leader marketing initiatives at NetEase Youdao in Guangzhou.
Character Design Intern
ChillyRoom
Contributed to character design at ChillyRoom, developer of Soul Knight.
Selected essays
When the Cat Becomes the Monster: Nested 'Save the Cat' Structures in Resident Evil Requiem
Can Subject Matter and Tone Be Conflated? On Their Application in Visual Novels
Who Killed the 'Beautiful Girl'? Rethinking the Author-Player Relationship in Chinese Visual Novels
Social Immersion Through the Lens of the 'Defense of Super Shanghai'
The Roots of Key's Nakige (Tearjerker Visual Novels): An Analysis of Kamome's Route in Summer Pockets
How Do Visual Novels 'Punish' the Player?
Narrative Dilemmas Behind the Gacha Spectacle: Characterisation Challenges in Anime-Style Mobile Games
Can AI Breathe a 'Soul' into Game Characters?
On Romance Elements: What Trade-Offs Do Visual Novels Make Between Immersion and Storytelling?