diff --git a/src/GamePanel.java b/src/GamePanel.java
index 6b35af5..4a7154b 100644
--- a/src/GamePanel.java
+++ b/src/GamePanel.java
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ public class GamePanel extends JPanel implements Runnable, KeyListener, Serializ
             playerFrameCounter -= 5;
             // if the player has moved enough to justify a frame change, a new save will also be made
             try {
-              FileManager.writeObjectToFile("local/game_state", this);
+              FileManager.writeObjectToFile("local/game_state", new ArrayList()); // this is placeholder, replace with this
             } catch (IOException e) {
               e.printStackTrace();
             }