I am Zishan Lai, an independent scholar working in feminist game studies and digital media culture. I hold a PhD in Communications and New Media from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a Master of Arts in Media Practice from the University of Sydney (USYD). My work focuses on how gender, sexuality, and digital cultures shape, and are shaped by, experiences of intimacy, fandom, and consumption in East Asia, particularly through the transnational circulation of anime, comics, games, novels (ACGN), and related subcultures.

My doctoral research examines how young Chinese women produce, consume, and negotiate love and intimacy through the interconnected practices of otome gaming, fandom, and platform participation. Drawing on long-term ethnography, interviews with players and industry practitioners, and close analysis of games and fan cultures, I explore how state regulation, platform economies, and fan practices shape the production and experience of intimacy in contemporary China.

Building on this work, I focus on how design features, platforms, and industry contexts shape user engagement and consumption patterns. My research speaks to broader questions of content consumption, user participation, and evolving forms of digitally mediated consumption, where online platforms, fandom practices, and material goods are closely intertwined. It also opens up possibilities for applying qualitative insights to content strategy and cross-cultural market contexts, particularly in understanding how users engage with media, communities, and related forms of consumption across different cultural settings.