In the autumn of 2008, Zhenghua āZā Yang was a freshman at the University of Illinois when a sudden nosebleed spiralled into a life-threatening emergency. Doctors found his platelet levels dangerously low and, according to accounts later reported by Fortune and republished by other outlets, warned he had only a few hours to live.
Yang ultimately survived, but spent the next two years in and out of hospitals battling what has been described as chronic refractory idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a rare autoimmune disorder that can cause severe bleeding risks.
How video games became a lifeline
During long stretches of treatment, Yang threw himself into video games, which he has credited with helping him cope through a grim and isolating period. Titles such as League of Legends, Minecraft and World of Warcraft became more than a distraction. They shaped a question that would later drive his career: what if games were designed deliberately to help people, not just entertain them?
From hospital bed to business plan
After transferring to the University of Colorado Boulder to study business, Yang began building what became Serenity Forge, starting with about $1,000 and a mission focused on emotionally meaningful, reflective experiences.
Serenity Forge is widely reported as having been founded in 2014 in Boulder, Colorado, and has since grown into a developer and publisher with more than 40 employees.
A studio with hits and real revenue
Today, Serenity Forge has published around 70 games. Its best-known releases include Doki Doki Literature Club, which has been reported as reaching about 30 million downloads, alongside titles such as Lifeless Planet.
Financially, the business is no longer a bootstrap experiment. Recent reporting has put the studioās annual revenue in the $10 million to $15 million range, placing Yang, now 35, in the category of a self-made multimillionaire founder.
Why he says the āmillionaireā part is not the point
Yang has argued that the more meaningful metric is impact. In interviews cited by outlets covering the story, he has described hearing from fans who say the games helped them recognise harmful relationships or rethink difficult life situations.
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