Game Making: Start By Healing the Player

As Dong Zhen continued to progress, he moved from Johnny’s old age to his middle age. 

Here, Johnny stood beside the large bed River was resting on. The platypus doll was placed beside her. 

The sides of the room were filled with origami rabbits. 

[ Just enough. After we pay for your operation, we’ll have just enough left for it… So don’t you worry ] Johnny said to River. 

But she stared at him and said blankly: [ …White lie. That’s what you call it, right? ]

[ No, I’m sure we can jus– ] He tried to explain, but was cut off. 

[ Stop it. I don’t like it when you lie ]

[ I calculated our finances; I know how it’s like ]

[ Why do you try to convince me against my will? ] 

River looked downcast, as did Johnny, the circumstances had taken a toll on them both. 

In a fluster, he raised his voice. [ We need the money for your medical bills, River! ]

[ I understand that Anya means a lot to you, but this… This is just too much ]

[ I mean, she–… She isn’t even– ]

River turned to Johnny, the slight movement already taxing on her frail form. She spoke once more. 

[ Do you know what makes me happy, Johnny? ]

Through this conversation, Dong Zhen and his audience came to understand that Anya was a very important existence to River. But it was still unclear as to who or what it even was. 

After all, Dong Zhen had already explored the house earlier, as well as the previous memory scenes. He found no traces of this “Anya” anywhere. 

He had a few guesses. It could be a deceased daughter, or the platypus doll, or… A strange idea came to him… Could it be the lighthouse? It felt like an important set piece. 

So does this mean River could have been cured, but chose to refuse treatment? It seems like she insisted that Johnny use the money to finish building their dream house and watch over the lighthouse, saying she would be happy with this way. 

“Woman! Are you mad?! You don’t want to live? Is a house next to a lighthouse more important than your life???” 

Dong Zhen had conflicted feelings, his head was full of questions. 

River reached out and placed something in Johnny’s hands. It was an origami rabbit, the special one made of blue and yellow paper. 

[ Johnny? ]

[ Yes ]

[ I made this. Tell me what it is ] She looked at him with hopeful eyes. 

[ What? ]

[ Just tell me what it is ]

Johnny was surprised at the sudden question, but still replied. 

[ It’s a rabbit, like all the others you made ]

[ What else? ]

[ Um, it’s made of paper ]

[ What else? ]

[ It’s body is yellow, and the rest is blue ]

Hearing this answer, River’s eyes seemed to light up beautifully, though her face remained blank. [ Good. What else? ]

But in the end, Johnny had no idea what River was trying to say, so he changed the subject and told her about a new song he wrote for her. He wanted her to hear it. 

It’s name was – “For River”

She said it was very cliche. Johnny quickly told her it was just a placeholder name, he would think of a better one soon. 

Soon, Dong Zhen continued his memory hopping, and found Johnny sat on the ground, leaning against the half-finished frame of the house. 

What should he do? Should he use the money to treat River? Or continue the construction of the house according to her wishes. 

A friend came over to visit and console him, and after the brief conversation, Johnny announced that he would make the painful, selfish decision of saving her and abandoning the house. But Dong Zhen, his viewers, and the two doctors in the game understood that Johnny would ultimately choose to grant River’s wish. 

But why??

The dialogue shared with Johnny’s friends Nicholas and Isabelle gave more context. 

Anya was indeed, as Dong Zhen suspected, the lighthouse on the edge of the cliff. It is also the place where River and Johnny got married. 

But he still can’t figure it out!

Why is River so obsessed with this freaking lighthouse?

But there’s something else, too. 

From what they are saying, River seems to be suffering from some kind of cognitive condition, and the constant folding of origami rabbits seems to be a part of it. 

But what does it mean? She’s clearly trying to convey something. 

“God damn, I really don’t know, we need more clues lads.” Dong Zhen was still filled with doubts. 

At the same time, the chat was lively. 

• [ My little brain doesn’t have the capacity for this… ]

• [ The CPU is overloading ]

• [ Sup guys, did I miss anything? ]

• [ I keep feeling like there’s something off in this game ]

• [ Quit stalling ]

• [ Stop holding out on us boss ]

• [ I need to know what happens next ]

Dong Zhen glanced happily at his viewer count, it was holding steady and the chat was zooming by. Seems like his viewers have been captivated by the plot too. 

He didn’t know where the game would take him, but the feeling of anticipation was rising in his heart. He was really looking forward to how the game would answer these questions in the end. 

As he continued hopping through memories, he got to see much younger versions of Johnny and River. 

The two had a romantic dance at the top of the lighthouse named Anya, and were full of hope for the future. 

But this still doesn’t have anything to do with the origami rabbits. And the way she kept folding them and asking Johnny what he could see in them. 

She was even asking while on the verge of death, but that just made it more confusing. 

Dong Zhen scratched his head and ruffled his hair, “Just what in the world is happening? The rabbits chat, what do they mean??”

“God, I don’t know why, but not knowing feels awful.”

And what kind of illness does River have? The questions kept lingering in his head. 

As he continued progressing, further conversations with Nicholas and Isabelle revealed more about River. 

It turns out that Isabelle and River are both suffering from the same disorder. 

It is this disorder that makes River speak so strangely, and struggle to communicate. Making it a challenge for normal people to understand what she is trying to convey. 

“So this River girl was born with some illness that makes her unable to express herself clearly, she has social barriers?” 

With this clue, Dong Zhen had a few guesses as to what it was. Could it be Autism? Aspergers? Something to do with speech? It was hard to pinpoint, but at least it explains her strange behavior. 

Like why she kept asking Johnny about the rabbits, or why she let Johnny throw the hacky sack as far as he could and then stood dangerously close to the cliff to see how far it went. 

These quirks could now be explained. 

It is because she, who suffers from this communication disorder, cannot express herself clearly, and so she uses these hints and actions to express her inner thoughts. 

Alright, he can understand now, but there’s still a problem. 

This still doesn’t explain the reason behind the rabbits, the meaning behind them, or the obsession with the lighthouse named Anya. So much so that River is willing to give up her life for it. 

Is it just because she and Johnny got married by the lighthouse?

Surely not, that wouldn’t make sense!