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This project focuses on how the book's content replaces reality. It is adapted from The Bookworm by Pu Songling, which explores how obsessive reading and intellectual escapism can gradually reshape one’s relationship with the real world. We are not presenting the “book” as a symbol of wisdom or enlightenment, but want to show that, when people only rely on books to interpret reality, it would be distorted. During the whole experience, players would have the chance to choose between “answering reality” and “continue reading”. At first, the book seems to be harmless and philosophical, discussing concentration and distraction. However, as the outside world becomes more chaotic, complicated, and stressful, the contents in the book seem more “useful”. Players are not being forced to escape from reality, but slowly and willingly internalize the book’s logic because it appears easier to navigate than human interaction. The project also explores emotional withdrawal and intellectual isolation in contemporary life. The subway, office, and living room are expressed as environments full of noise, obligation, and overstimulation, while the book provides clarity and control. As the player depends more and more on the book, the boundary between it and reality becomes blurry. At last, players do not want to encounter the world directly, but only use the calm and abstract language to understand reality. This reflects the original story, The Bookworm.

Besides adapting from the story The Bookworm, our idea comes from the observation and experience of how we “escape” from reality nowadays. As people who live under great pressure and massive amounts of information, a lot of us would escape from the anxiety and loneliness we feel in reality through novels, games, shorts, or the internet itself. Although the story The Bookworm is written in ancient times, the descriptions of “being addicted to the world of texts” reflect how people in modern society rely on the virtual world. So, we wanted to connect the ancient story with the modern world through games, discussing the complicated relationship between reading, illusion, and reality. The subway, office, and home spaces in the game are all derived from real-life experiences. They symbolize the mechanized and repetitive lifestyle in modern society, while the book serves as an emotional outlet. We hope that players not only experience a story, but also reflect on how modern people seek spiritual sustenance in the face of pressure and loneliness.

WASD - Look around

TAB - Open & close the book

Click - Interact with NPCs & computer