Byron T. Fong is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Digital Media Studies Program at the University of Rochester. He is a recent PhD graduate of the University of Rochester’s Graduate Program in Visual and Culture Studies. His dissertation, “Interactive Forms of Movement: Video Game Aesthetics from 1985 to 1994,” explores four now-ubiquitous elements of video game design that emerged in this period: walk cycle loops, scrolling, jumping, and menus.

In addition to video games, Fong’s research addresses digital media and software design more broadly. His method of combining close reading with archival research develops a historically contextualized theorization of digital aesthetics. He has conducted archival research at Ritsumeikan University, Silicon Valley Archives at Stanford, Computer History Museum Archives, and The Strong Museum of Play.

Fong studied film and media studies at the University of Texas in Austin as an undergraduate and master’s student. At the University of Rochester, the Visual and Cultural Studies program has expanded his expertise, developing an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates art history, software studies, and post-colonialism, in addition to his background in film theory, media studies, game studies, and cultural studies.