Rate My Professor Xavier Ho

Xavier Ho is a Senior Lecturer in Interaction Design in the Department of Design at Monash Art, Design and Architecture (MADA), Monash University. A queer Taiwanese migrant residing on Bunurong Country in Naarm/Melbourne, Ho earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Design from the University of Sydney in 2019, focusing on idea network visualisations in game jams and roguelike games under Professor Martin Tomitsch. Prior qualifications include a Bachelor of Engineering (First Class Honours) in Software Engineering (Advanced Studies) from Griffith University in 2012 and a Diploma in 3D Animation and Visual Effects from Vancouver Film School in 2008. Ho's research investigates LGBTQIA+ narratives in videogames and tabletop games through design practices, archival research, interviews, and exhibitions, contributing to queer theory, game studies, and sexuality studies. Ho holds concurrent positions as Visiting Fellow at the Hunt-Simes Institute in Sexuality Studies at the Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre, Elected Ordinary Member of the Digital Games Research Association of Australia (DiGRA Australia) Board, and forthcoming 2025 Powerhouse Research Scholar in Residence at the Powerhouse Museum.

Ho's contributions have earned the inaugural CSIRO Medal for Diversity and Inclusion for LGBTQIA+ awareness initiatives, Good Design Award in Social Impact for curating Pride at Play, Finalist status in the Victoria Premier's Design Awards for the Early Algal Warning System front-end, and selection for the ABC TOP 5 Arts media residency in 2023, among others including the Midsumma Art Prize Finalist for Infinite Colours. Creative projects encompass Roguelike Universe, Smoke and Fire, and Golden Fleece, with exhibitions at the Victorian Pride Centre, Sydney College of the Arts, Tin Sheds Gallery, and more. Select publications include 'Queer Lives Are Not Side Quests' with Cody Mejeur in Public Books (2022), 'The Gaming Audience is Queerer Than Ever. So How Are Game Creators Responding?' in The Conversation (2023), 'Drawing Queer Intersections through Video Game Archives' in The Bloomsbury Handbook on Games and Sex/Sexuality (2025), and 'Queering Games' in Meanjin (2025). In education, Ho advises the Monash Furry Society and employs methods like Design Jams and Market Fair to cultivate student agency.