At the age of 18, medical professionals estimated he had only three hours remaining to live. He engaged in playing video games from his hospital room—and subsequently, he has established a video game company generating $10 million annually.

What started in 2008 as a minor nosebleed had escalated into a critical, life-threatening situation: his body was severely deficient in blood platelets, and at one juncture, medical professionals informed him he had merely three hours remaining to survive. Yang managed to pull through, but only after a two-year period of intermittent hospital stays.

During that difficult stretch, Yang found an unexpected lifeline: video games like League of Legends, Minecraft, and World of Warcraft.

“Games like League of Legends weren’t really made to help me, but in the end, they basically saved my life,” Yang, now 35, told Coins2Day. “What if I start making games with the intention to help people? What kind of power would that be able to unlock?”

These inquiries persisted as he relocated nearer to his origins at the University of Colorado Boulder and commenced studying business. Using a $1,000 starting sum, he established Serenity Forge, a venture focused on creating and distributing games, founded upon the objective he jotted down between classes: “We create meaningful and emotionally impactful experiences that challenge the way you think.” 

Over ten years on, the studio, which employs more than 40 individuals, has released approximately 70 games, such as Lifeless Planet and Doki Literature Club (amassing 30 million downloads), and generates between $10 million and $15 million each year. However, Yang doesn't measure achievement by units sold or income earned, but rather by influence.

Financial gains aren't the ultimate objective, a concept championed by the ex-CEO of Whole Foods

Prior to founding Serenity Forge, Yang completed summer apprenticeships at Wells Fargo and the Federal Reserve. However, it was a quote from John Mackey, who is the cofounder and former chief executive of Whole Foods, that he encountered during his studies, which had the most significant impact on his professional path: “Just as people cannot live without eating, so a business cannot live without profits. But most people don’t live to eat, and neither must a business live just to make profits.”

This perspective has become central to Serenity Forge's approach: advancing the industry with enduring, imaginative, and resonant gaming adventures. However, adhering to this objective frequently necessitates declining profitable ventures, Yang acknowledged.

“There are so many games over the years that were pitched to us where we looked at it was like, ‘Yeah, this is gonna make us, like, $20 million but we’re gonna say no to it, because it’s not a Serenity Forge game,’” Yang said.

And while emphasizing impact isn't always straightforward, Yang mentioned that it's strengthened by the firm's clientele, who even approach him in public spaces.

“There will be all these fans, teenagers, that would line up, talk to me. They will cry, they would give me hugs and tell me, ‘you’re the reason that I realized that I was in an abusive relationship and I’m now way healthier and way happier because of the art that you created,’” Yang told Coins2Day.

“That, I think, has always been the thing that drives me way more so than the bottom line or like your employee count or all the other stuff.”

Yang's counsel for entrepreneurs: experience setbacks frequently—and do so swiftly

According to Yang, the key to achievement isn't innate ability or opportune moments—it's mastering the art of navigating setbacks swiftly and with purpose. This principle holds particularly strong in saturated sectors such as game creation, where countless development teams vie for notice, and merely a small fraction manage to gain recognition.

He referenced Rovio Entertainment, the firm responsible for Angry Birds, which developed over 50 other games prior to achieving significant success with the mobile game series. Serenity Forge has encountered its own share of this situation, with Yang being the first to acknowledge that not all of its titles have been successful.

However, founders possess the ability to direct their subsequent actions, Yang suggested, preferably with thoroughness and self-control.

“Life can be complicated,” he said. “When you’re starting a business to do things, be as nuanced as you can about it, and try to try to keep an open mind about the realities of the world.”