Watch: We Tried Playing as “Chinese Parents”

We Tried is a series where RADII staff try out unique foods, experiences, and phenomena in China.  Click "Read more" at the end of this message for more from this column.  Leave us a comment if you have a suggestion. 

Warning: if any of you grew up with intense Asian parenting, think twice before watching this video. Last year, Chinese indie gaming studio Coconut Island Games released the game Chinese Parents — first in Chinese, then more recently in English — which recreates the joys, sorrows, trials and tribulations of being a child raised by Chinese “tiger parents.” On release the game garnered rave reviews on Steam, making it one of the platform’s best-selling games in a foreign language.

This game takes a newborn baby all the way to 18 years-old, where they have to navigate a series of important life events and, eventually, take the notoriously difficult gaokao exam that they’ve been gearing up for since day one. As a player, nearly every decision you make affects the final outcome of your child’s future. Needless to say, there’s a lot of pressure.

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