Ruling in realm of imagination

Outcomes

Feng said the ups and downs in the games echo his life journey. As a boy, he grew up without classmates and friends and any sense of community.

This sense of isolation allowed him to develop a love of computer games from an early age and the desire to write his own scripts.

"It's better than movies, and players can choose how the game will end. Every step they choose influences the ending," Feng said in his bedroom late last month after World ALS Day on June 21.

"Players can try multiple times. If they're curious about other routes, for instance where the princess might meet different people, this will lead to different endings."

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a neurological illness that attacks nerve cells that control muscles and is usually fatal. Feng said SMA is similar to ALS as both are motor neuron diseases that weaken the muscles.

In China, SMA is estimated to affect 30,000 to 50,000 people and ALS around 300,000.

Since he moved in two and a half years ago, Feng has not left his apartment, which is located in downtown Shanghai near Suzhou Creek, the city's main waterway. Feng is attended to by a caregiver around the clock who sees to his daily needs.

She moves his legs when they feel numb and turns his body over three times a night.

After learning Japanese, mainly self-taught, and achieving a high level of proficiency, Feng worked part time as a translator when he was in his 20s. He translated nearly 30 Japanese novels into Chinese.

But a year ago, he stopped doing the translation work as he believed he was in a race against time to turn his thoughts and imaginings into stories.

A fellow script creator said Feng's stories cast light on characters fighting their destiny.

However, Feng said he did not feel that way when he wrote his scripts. "I don't like talking about bitterness. I believe the enemy we need to fight in our lives is ourselves rather than destiny," he said.

He added that everyone has problems to cope with.

"When we're halfway up the mountain, we fail to see the view in the distance and might feel anxious about the future. But when we keep climbing and reach a certain height, we realize all the fretting and fear are unnecessary as we've glimpsed a powerful answer," Feng said.

"For me, the answer is to stick to what I have－the games and books that I've adored since childhood. We can never satisfy our desires, but we can satisfy our needs."