Cycle of Delivery
Cycle of Delivery is a narrative exploration game where players alternate between two opposing roles — a food delivery worker and the designer of the delivery algorithm. Each character’s choices subtly affect the other within the same system.
Across five acts, players move through a repeating loop. Each character’s “Inner Conflict” gradually builds over time, leading to a moment of choice — awaken or return. Those who fail to break free start the loop again from the start.
Time: 2025.7.3 - 2025.10.20
Role: Programmer, Designer, Writer
Tools: Unreal | Blender | PhotoShop
Personal Project | Prototypes
A photo of the meeting room taken after a long day of meetings
I Deliver in Beijing
The Story
Transitional Labor
Characters
Name： Amanda
Age：22-25
Role： Algorithm Designer of a food delivery company
“Am I shaping the system—or becoming part of it?”
Name： Lin
Age：21-24
Role： Delivery rider
“How long can I keep pushing before I crash?”
Five-Act Narrative Structure
The game unfolds over five acts, with each choice affecting an "Inner Conflict" value.
In Act 4, the awakening option appears only if the "Inner Conflict" value reaches a threshold.
Only choosing the awake option breaks the loop—otherwise, the story resets to Act 1.
Why this Structure?
I designed the loop because, to me, being trapped in a system feels like living inside an endless cycle — days repeat, rules reinforce themselves, and little truly changes.
This structure reflects one thing I’ve learnt: only by being aware of the system, questioning it, and choosing to step outside, does the loop end.
Why this story?
I used to work as an iOS developer at a large tech company.
There, I experienced what it’s like to be “just another cog in the machine”, such as spending a whole day having meetings in a small meeting room or developing features that were predefined.
As I felt increasingly detached from my own work and life in Beijing, I also became more aware of my role as a worker within this system, which led me to notice the labor of others that often goes unseen, like delivery riders and couriers.
Through my games, I want to tell their stories — and mine.
Story Overview
Amanda is tasked with optimizing dispatch efficiency, while Lin strives to earn high rankings and income through long hours and hard work.
As algorithms evolve, Amanda’s decisions tighten control over the system, while Lin pushes himself to keep up, risking his health.
They never met before the final act, but their actions affect each other indirectly through the shared delivery system.
Rising tensions lead to riders resisting and protesting against the system’s pressures.
In the final act, Amanda uncovers evidence of exploitation and shares it with Lin.
Theme
Behind the platform’s efficiency, people are shaped into replaceable units by algorithms.
Follow Amanda, an algorithm designer, and Lin, a delivery rider, as they struggle with rules, expectations, and personal desires within the same system.
It’s not about defeating the system, but staying aware within it — recognizing one’s own desire before the system rewrites it.
ACT 3 (Amanda's part) mainly takes place in Amanda’s team’s office and the meeting room.
Players move through the space in first person and piece together the narrative through observation, interaction, and dialogue.
Gallery(ACT 3)
