K. T. Wong received his PhD in Visual Studies from the University of California, Irvine. Prior to joining HKUST, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University. His current research focuses on videogames and animation, particularly the production, distribution, and consumption of such media, within the socioeconomic and geopolitical context of East and Southeast Asia. He is working on a monograph that explores the impact of the formalization of videogame economy on the gaming culture in Southeast Asia. Specifically, he is interested how this phenomenon has intensified the involvement of Southeast Asian state governments in shaping their respective national game industries with the aim of utilizing videogames to strengthen their presence within the global digital economy. He has published journal articles related to this monograph in Games and Culture and Media Industries.

Research Interests

videogames, animation, digital media, media industries, nation states, regional production, Global South, postcolonialism

Representative Publications

“Restructuring and Redeveloping Final Fantasy: Square Enix’s Strategic Survival in a Tumultuous Industrial Landscape, 2000-2020.” In Handbook of Japanese Games and Gameplay, edited by Rachael Hutchinson. Japan Documents, 2025.

“Heterogeneity and Globalization: Locating the Malaysian Indie Game Production Culture.” In “Local Digital Game Production,” edited by Chris J. Young, Emilie Reed, and Brendan Keogh. Special issue, Media Industries 11, no. 1 (2024): 35-56.

“Is Kingdom Hearts a JRPG?: The Racialized Labor of a Japanese Anti-Auteur’s Disney-Licensed Videogame.” Journal of Cinema and Media Studies 63, no. 5 (2023–2024): 77–100.

“The Data-Driven Myth and the Deceptive Futurity of ‘the World’s Fastest Growing Games Region’: Selling the Southeast Asian Games Market via Game Analytics.” Games and Culture 18, no. 1 (2023): 42-61.

“Absence, Disappearance, and Obfuscation: Reading the US Anime Market via the Nonpresences in Crunchyroll’s Yaoi Catalog.” In “Queerness in the Digital Age.” Special Issue, Velvet Light Trap 86 (Fall 2020): 3-15.