Game 3’s Racism Problem…or Lack of…?
This game as been on my mind for months now but I never got around to really trying to delve into it until last night. Since I started playing, I’ve heard how racist Aesop and Annie were towards Ganji (for some reason I never hear people talk about Victor in this case).
This proved yet again true when last night I was watching a Twitch streamer playing IDV who had someone in their chat mention they’d never want to play Toy Merchant because they don’t want to play a racist white women who, along with two other white people, locked Ganji in a room to burn to death.
Now, that was the catalyst I needed to finally properly take a look at the Game 3 participants (also technically there are multiple Game 3s and you’ll see why).
So in this post, I want to answer two questions:
What actually happened in Game 3?
Were Annie, Aesop, and Victor truly racist?
Disclaimer: Since this is a touchy subject I want to emphasize that these are my thoughts after reading through the lore and letters of each of the participants in this game. If you disagree, that’s fine but don’t be mean about it. I tried my best but given how vast IDV’s lore is, I may have overlooked something. But thank you for reading and now, let’s carry on.
Game 3: A Competition Fueled by Desires and Unspoken Tension
Annie in her toy shop named after her mother (yes, not Metereologist Wendy). She technically had the life she wanted but the manor promised her a fulfillment of her darkest wish.
Let’s start from the reasons why each participant went to the manor in the first place.
Annie: Went to the manor in pursuit of finding out the whereabouts of her fiance and father who both worked together to swindle her out of her mother’s inheritance. Basically motivated by hatred and revenge.
Aesop: Went to the manor to find suitable subjects to embalm in order to guide them to a peaceful death. His worldview of “life and death” have been twisted to almost be practically one and the same.
Victor: The first letter he ever received for himself was the invitation to the manor. It seemed to promise a sense of fulfillment of his duties as a postman and a way to make up for his past mistakes in his line of work. Plus, the intrigue of being able to be the bearer of someone’s truest self through their secrets and innermost thoughts on paper was tantalizing because perhaps, he’d finally make a genuine human connection.
Ganji: Wanted to secure a safe and quick passage back home to India after coming to England to become a professional cricket player only to face racism and degradation as he never was allowed to play cricket under the patronage of a Duke Elgin. This was made more upsetting given the fact that soon after Ganji arrived in England, he was at first taken in by the false kindness and promises of being part of the Royal Cricket Team so he let slip about some important spices in his hometown. This led English men to raid his hometown and causing potential harm to Ganji’s family and friends.
Okay, got it? Good. There’s a reason I added more details when it comes to Ganji’s story, but more on that later.
What actually happened during the game?
Fire once again makes its 10001th cameo in the game. My lord...but this is just representative of the fire that would claim the lives of all 4 participants.
So, this game is quite interesting in the fact that the participants were required to only communicate with each other through written notes and letters which would be dropped off to Victor who would dutifully deliver them to their intended recipient.
This is pertinent because the reason this became a thing in the first place was because everyone in this group is either socially awkward or just have no social skills to speak of due to their mental health.
Annie: [Important traits to keep in mind: Insecure, Inferiority Complex]
Only truly felt comfortable and safe around her toys. Grew up with only a father who tried and failed to make her into her mother (“You useless piece of trash. Bring me back my muse!" "You're not like her at all." "Where is your ladylike demeanor?" her father to Annie.). Trusted in people until she was betrayed.
She also most likely had Avoidant Personality Disorder: a disorder characterized by having low self-esteem and a fear of being rejected. Thus, most who have this disorder aim to avoid social situations as best as they can yet, there is still a part of them that wants genuine and deep social connections.
Side note: But the image of Annie you see as the header for this post was her charity event skin. It was an event called, "One Percent of the Planet" which brought awareness to children's autism back in 2024.
Every mind in this world is like a planet in the universe. Just as the night sky is filled with countless planets, our collective minds create a unique universe. Amongst thousands of planets, you come across a special one wrapped in thick clouds. The "Guardian" says, he comes from a special child. -From the event's introduction.
It's a shame I missed it because it sounded like it was a good event. But I felt like putting this here because it seemed relevant.
Aesop: [Important traits: Reclusive, Dislikes the Living]
Truly a person who preferred the dead over the living and only showed interest in the living when it came to his deep desire to guide the living to a peaceful death like Victor. Otherwise, was rather apathetic towards living beings (even Wick he aimed to embalm…)
Aesop may have autism as well as it was apparently a reason that got him dropped from school. Yet, it also could’ve just served as an excuse to kick him out. Since I’m no psychologist and I don’t want to be accused of armchair diagnosing and/or slapping a mental disorder/illness on a character, I’ll leave that up to the Aesop lore fans and those who actually have autism to decide.
Victor: [Important traits: Scopophobia - the fear of being looked at or being watched. This is another sign of anxiety. | Socially Awkward | Talented in anything not involving human interaction (no I’m serious, this is listed under his “Talents”) | Dislikes people looking at or talking about him. | Reticent | Withdrawn | Insecure]
Victor is similar to Aesop in that he isn’t particularly interested in other people unless it suits his desire surrounding being a messenger of letters (secrets).
Ganji: [Important Traits: Insecure, Suspicious, Lack of Self-control, “Rejects social interaction in unfamiliar environments”]
Impulse Control Disorder: ”They’re a group of behavioral conditions that involve an inability to control impulses and behaviors, like angry outbursts and destroying property.“ -Cleveland Clinic
This is clear in the fact that Ganji is stated multiple times as being uncontrollable and irritable in his actions with sudden outbursts. This is usually due to being provoke in some way or from an increase in tension and anxiety from his environment and other people.
So, as you can see, each person in this group had something heavy going on that affected their personality and how they interacted with people (or rather, a lack of interaction with other people).
From the Autism Charity Event PV. I highly suggest watching the whole thing.
I’m genuinely surprised the mental health aspect of this game isn't talked about more. Genuinely. I didn't even know most of this stuff until I sat down and actually read through their lore.
Instead, people want to focus so much on the racism aspect of this game which while it is important to highlight racism when it comes up, I think mental health is just as important. This is coming from someone who’s Black and has had her fair share of mental health struggles for years now. Even reading and watching part of the Autism PV made me tear up and I'm not autistic.
But going back to the original point, up until now, the only racism that has been mentioned is in Ganji’s lore with that duke who refused to allow Ganji to actually play cricket. Instead, he used Ganji like some “toy” and force him to pick up cricket balls off the field after the other players had finished for the day. Not only that, but he used Ganji’s own words against him in order to probably help colonize or take over Ganji’s hometown back in India over the profitable interest in spices.
The duke and his family in question.
Then, where is the racism accusations coming from in this game?
NetEase enjoys suffering, pain, and more suffering when it comes to their characters. He looks SO SAD...my heart...
Well…let’s look at how each participant describes Ganji, starting with apparently the most problematic one (as mentioned at the start of this post):
Annie: “He was unlike any other before him and seemed to harbor hostility toward everyone. Especially the noise he made by throwing his stuff on the table—it felt like everything would be stirred up by him. I tried my best to act calm and avoid drawing his attention, but I couldn't control the nervous smile on my face, and I had my incessantly trembling hands clasped behind my back.” -From her 2023 birthday letter.
I mean, I guess you could cry wolf at her saying he was unlike any other before him, but that’s just a simple observation. Clearly, when meeting him for the first time as well, due to Ganji’s intensity and intimidating demeanor, Annie feels incredibly anxious. Right after the passage above, she feels the need to rush back to her room to a safe space to plan out what to do next.
Aesop: "Since entering the manor, I have been looking for the right person to attempt a new start. That flakey girl won't do, and neither will that cranky guy with a strange accent." -From his 2021 birthday letter.
And that's about all Aesop says about Ganji. From what I've seen a lot of people point to Aesop describing Ganji as having a "strange accent" as a sign of his racism, but...no? I mean, it is rather rude to call it strange and not just say accent but considering Aesop's attitudes towards people in general, it's not surprising.
It's just not enough to cry racism especially when after reading Aesop's lore, it just seems like he divides people into two categories regardless of the color of their skin: Living and Dead, and he much prefers the latter.
The living are just waiting for their turn to be graciously and respectfully be guided to their new lives into the afterlife. Despite not being suitable candidates, Aesop still planned on guiding Annie and Ganji to the afterlife when the time was right...which he does when eliminating them both.
Victor: "I didn't want to open the door, as I had encountered someone as irritable as him before. I was unsure how to interact with him due to that experience." -from 2021 birthday letter
"One by one, they knock on my door--some anxious and scared, some urgent and irritable, and some calm and composed..." -from 2023 birthday letter.
I said it before but Aesop and Victor are quite alike in the fact they just don't care for people until their profession demands it and then they gladly interact with them whether that's embalming them or delivering their letters respectively.
Granted, Victor truly is the one I have to say the least on because there's really not much there, at least in terms of mistakenly perceiving him to be racist. Perhaps that's why no one talks about him that much when bringing up the "racist" Game 3 crew.
For the next part, let's focus on Annie specifically as she appears to be the one people point to as being the worst of the bunch. But why?
Annie Lester and Ganji Gupta: A Case of Mistaken Hostility and General Distrust
I still have COA fever, guys...probably cause nothing up coming particularly interests me. But y'all still enjoying COA? Also, yes, I do like this moment a lot in the funny moments video for COA VI. Had to split it up in 2 GIFs tho...
To put it simply, there's a build up of factors that contributed to their fractured distrusting relationship.
For instance, it seems like Annie and Ganji’s rooms are near each other, or at least close enough for her to hear him using his cricket ball against the wall. This is also important to point out since Annie’s anxiety increased due to hearing the constant sounds of something striking the walls from Ganji’s room. However, in turn, Ganji practiced cricket in his room to calm himself down.
Annie didn't know this and allowed her imagination to run wild. And she certainly wasn't about to confront him about the sound either.
Then we have her 2025 letter which describes how she felt right before her fatal meeting with Ganji though: "When I meet Mr. Gupta tomorrow, they'll be there with me. There is still time to set things right, so long as we follow the rules; then things won't turn out too badly. When we talk, I hope he can loosen up a little, stop clenching his fingers until the knuckles go white, so I can get the original without any trouble."
Here, she’s basically just describing how nervous he seemed. Evidentially, Annie has been the only one in the group to show any sort of interest and curiosity towards Ganji from the beginning (which I know is not a high bar to overcome in this particular group but worth noting). Since the beginning, she was mainly trying to figure out if he could be an ally or a rival.
Unfortunately, this fell through due to the events that took place as described in her experiment file from 2024 where apparently the manor staff helped plant pieces of information “about the scattered spices” which was first discovered by Annie and she shared what she found with the others. She held the hope the others had similar knowledge of information about the spices but they did not except Ganji who said nothing.
Eventually, Victor would find some more information related to the spices (which seem to be planted by the manor staff with some minor misdrection) and shared it with the others. Still, Ganji kept silent despite understanding the deceptive elements of the spices knowledge. This time, Annie caught this and her “fragile trust” in Ganji diminished further.
Now, time to pause here to discuss the fact that the drugs usually administered in these games seemed to effect Annie and Ganji the most. As it increased their aggression and anxiety the most respectively.
Interestingly, however, it is noted in Annie’s experiment file that even under the influence of the drugs, Annie’s “desire for vengeance was directed toward her mother and her betrayer. Without hatred to drive her, 3-1-2 kept the other three men at arm’s length, unwilling to form close bonds.” It also mentions that not even the drugs were enough to help Annie get over her avoidant personality.
Also, not going to lie but the wording above is a bit off since it seems to imply Annie has some vendetta against her mother which is not the case. It is against her father and her fiancé as mentioned before. Not sure why it appears that way but y’know this isn’t the first time they’ve messed up the English translation.
Mother's Day art of Annie with her mother if she had stayed alive. She clearly loves her mother despite her father trying his best to mold her into a copy of her. Some people would start resenting BOTH parents.
Anyways, another important key is the fact that Annie held no hatred towards any of the men. Trepidation, yes. Fear, yes. Distrust, yes. But no hatred, perhaps not even a dislike.
I fear the main reason people believe she’s racist towards Ganji is because they misunderstand the reasons she appears to be frightened of Ganji and for whatever reason think it's because she has a fear of foreigners because he’s “unlike any other before him.”
The only thing I saw about Annie that was rather abhorrent in her relations with Ganji and actual cause to dislike, if not outright hate her, is that she indeed helped kill him with the help of Aesop.
As described in Ganji’s experiment file from 2024, when Annie met with Ganji, she brought with her a lamp to induce symptoms of agitation in Ganji since she and the others were aware of the fact that bright lights can cause the onset of his instability.
Now, the assumption she brought it to trigger Ganji is in his experimental file written by Orpheus most likely who I swear sees the worst in everyone (once you read enough files).
"A so-called 'seer' who knows nothing" always gets me lol. But it's interesting because some of pointed out how Orpheus highlights what appears to be the worst traits of people (perceived or not) while Alice brings to light that there's usually more to it than that.
Anyways, in Annie's 2025 birthday letter, where she writes her last entry before going to meet Ganji, appears hopeful that with the help of Aesop, they can at best deescalate the tense situation between him and the others and at worst, continue to see him as a threat to winning the game.
I'm sorry but I actually do feel quite bad for Annie here since she sounded so hopeful things would work out:
"I've already figured out the pattern of the cipher machine. There's still time! That blurred photograph of a plea for help is clearly a reminder--the one who summoned me here wants to keep digging...There's still a little time before the appointed time. I suppose I'm more or less ready...All right, I'll bring a light with me after all. I'm ready."
I honestly implore you all to read her letter and judge for yourself. It sort of sounds like she was on the fence in bringing a light which I suppose is the lamp.
Regardless, when she did end up meeting Ganji, who had received her letter to meet (which I'll discuss in a moment), a brawl that broke out between him and Annie. I tried my best reading through the perspectives of all 4 of the participants but I'm still unsure of who started it. I just know that Annie became increasingly anxious and scared of Ganji whose behaviour had become impulsive and hostile again.
Their symptoms were only exacerbated by the drugs in their systems. This in turn, caused them to break the lamp that would cause a fire to break out. In the ensuing chaos, it seems as if they escaped only for Ganji to still be eliminated by Aesop and Annie due to his increasingly erratic behavior.
In turn, Aesop then eliminated Annie as it was his plan all along. In the mean time, Victor, fearful over the letters being lost forever to the flames, went into the fire to save them but lost his life in his attempt.
Since the subject of his fascination had died along with the chance of guiding him to a peaceful rest, Aesop allowed himself to die in the fire as well.
Due to the participants all dying before the game could properly start, new victims were found for a reboot of Game 3...which also failed. And thus, a THIRD Game 3 commences...but with who? We still don't know.
And that's it. That's about all we know of the events of this game. Obviously there is still little bits here and there but my main point of this post was to address the potential racism found in the Game 3 cast.
Ah, there is one more thing I wanted to address that's important: the letter Annie sent Ganji asking him to meet up with her which will prove to be their end.
So this letter in question was what caused Ganji to fully embrace his feelings of distrust and dislike towards the rest of the group. He actually went to the meeting with the purpose of going home and possibly eliminating the sender of the letter.
Now, see...this is where I become irritated towards the manor staff (to say the least) because they intercepted Annie's letter to Ganji and changed it to sound more threatening.
Original: "If you are open to discussion, please meet me at ten o'clock this evening in the room at the end of the second-floor corridor. I look forward to meaningful conversation."
Altered: "As a sign of good faith, I wish to inform you that among the documents I recovered, there are several pages of peculiar medical records. I believe these may be relevant to your interests. I sincerely hope that our conversation tonight can be founded on mutual understanding, so that I need not seek assistance from the other two gentlemen."
Foul. Absolutely foul to do that. And yet, it was unfortunately rather easy, almost too easy to manipulate this group as the seeds of distrust and animosity were there before they arrived at the manor. Each person in this group was fueled by their own strong sense of purpose for being at the manor.
In addition, due to each participant having a condition that made it near impossible to form healthy social connections with each other, it was no wonder this group killed each other off before the game had even started.
In Conclusion...
Honestly, no one in this group was really nice to each other honestly. But it’s not 3 white people ganging up on the one foreigner. It's literally the usual people being people toward each other really...
No. There's really no racism in this game at all. I feel like the only reason this notion is still even prevalent in the community is because not enough people actually take the time to read the lore and/or understand it. I've talked about this before and it still holds true that people don't like to read in general these days.
Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe further down the line it'll come true that this is the group of racism. As of right now though, it just feels like we're dealing with a group where half of them don't care for human beings (black, white) ~equally~ while the other half have their personal issues and mental health issues that debilitates them in social situations and thus their actions and words can easily be misconstrued. Though it seems everyone is suffering from some sort of medical condition which makes that even worse.
I'm so serious when I say how dumb the manor staff and Orpheus were in bringing these people together thinking they could do a proper game with them. But I guess hindsight is 20/20. Plus, mental health was largely poorly misunderstood back then (look at White Sand Orphanage/Asylum...)
Anyways, apologies for sounding a little upset in this section. This game just seems to be the most misunderstood one from what I've personally seen. Yet, perhaps one of the easiest to clear misconceptions. I didn't like the casual accusations of racism and wanted to do my own research. It's too easy to allow your opinions and knowledge to be formed by hearsay and superficial readings of the lore.
Thank God for Alice. Some of the people I've seen discuss this game and other parts of the lore need an Alice in their life...really.
Ironic, how the central theme of IDV's lore in general revolves around rumors which every character has and is subsequently clarified by Alice in her investigative notes and in side stories (like Closing Night and hopefully Game 0 soon? Please NetEase). And yet, a good chunk of the IDV community falls for these rumors and gossip. It's kinda funny actually.
Well, thank you for reading all this. It was a lot and even then I could've added this or that, but I think I got my main point across and I don't need this to be any longer than it needs to be. Personally, I hope this game gets a side story sooner rather than later to help clarify things more.
Until then, I look forward to getting more lore on the group (everyone is due to receive birthday letters this year again with Aesop and Ganji being the earliest in May). Fingers crossed it'll be some good ones.
Also leaving this here for obvious reasons but also because it truly is a lovely video.
