Chinese Parents Review: Growing Up Chinese
After living in Shanghai for the past nine years, it's safe to say I've experienced my fair share of Chinese culture. I've been to the HaiDiLao Hotpot and the karaoke, exchanged moon cakes, and sung “Tian Mi Mi” at the spring festival galas. But one thing I've never had is Chinese parents. Originally released in 2018 and developed by Littoral Games, Chinese Parents is a life simulator that places players into the shoes of your average Chinese kid. Not being Chinese, I was naturally curious about the title and, of course, the authenticity of the experience. What I found was a pretty fun satirical view of Chinese adolescence and an exciting game to boot!
In Chinese Parents, you take control of a character for the first eighteen years of their life. Your gender is randomly generated, and the game takes place in rounds with the ultimate goal of taking the gaokao. For those unaware, the gaokao is a big university entrance exam typically taken by students in China during their senior year in high school. It's a big moment in the life of a Chinese citizen, and the goal of Chinese Parents involves progressing from childhood to gaokao exam day. This mirrors the importance of education and getting into a good school which is emphasized in many Chinese households, but as in life, of course, many scenarios are thrown your way that will affect your path.
When I first started Chinese Parents, I really appreciated the animated cartoon-like style of the game. If not done well, this game could easily be the most offensive thing on the market, but the animation adds to the satirical nature and lightheartedness Chinese Parents attempts to convey. From here, the actual gameplay gets a bit more complex. I needed to manage my character's stats, such as IQ, EQ, memory, etc., to fulfill parental expectations and social interactions. My parents wanted me to get into a key elementary school that required an EQ of 500, so I spent the next few rounds trying to meet my parents’ wishes and build up my EQ. On top of that, I had to manage my stress and satisfaction levels by maintaining a fun and challenging schedule.
Chinese Parents isn’t always totally predictable, though. Sometimes I thought that scheduling an activity would increase a certain stat, but it didn’t always turn out to be the case. Sometimes play and study sessions would go wrong and lower the stats I wanted to grow in the first place! In a way, I think the lesson the developers are trying to convey is that life itself is uncertain.
The replay value here is high as well—mostly in terms of what job you'll collect by the end of the game, with different paths leading to different outcomes. What's more, when you start over again as a baby collected items and skills will reappear. It's almost like your accomplishments are passed from generation to generation, so it's worth playing a second round to see where your path leads.
Little events like “the tradition of the dynasties”—a ceremony that happens on the first birthday of a child and predicts what career the child might ultimately have—add to the cultural awareness Chinese Parents offers. At numerous points throughout, the game even stops to ask players if they've had similar experiences. Some of these scenarios were darker than others, like "a parent trying to steal and replace me with a girl." That’s something that, as far as I know, NEVER happened when I was a youth. Nevertheless, as a non-Chinese person, I really wanted to know whether Chinese Parents accurately portrays adolescence.
To figure this out, I turned to a friend who is from China’s Anhui province and is obsessed with Chinese Parents. For me, this game gave me the opportunity to experience a perspective I’ve never had before. For her, it is a nice bit of nostalgia that reminded her of some of the fonder memories of growing up. She didn't find the title offensive but wonders if the game still accurately portrays the youth in China today, especially in terms of parental expectations. She was more interested in the perspective of someone not raised by Chinese parents.
My conversation with my Chinese friend made me wonder how a game called “Black Parents” would go down and if these games are indeed a tool we could use to share a piece of cultural knowledge. Pondering that thought made me appreciate what Chinese Parents bring to the table all the more.
Chinese Parents succeeds at what any game's first intent should be: a fun experience. I had fun playing the game and managing my character. But what sets Chinese Parents apart and really makes me recommend it is the uniqueness in introducing an insider cultural perspective to an outsider. Anyone looking to learn a bit more about life on the other side of the tracks—or the other side of the world—should give this one a shot.
SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
PLAY IF YOU LIKE:
• The Game of Life. If you enjoy playing The Game of Life, this game will probably appeal to you as well. Both games emphasize trying to end with the best life result and dealing with life events that shape your path. Give it a go!
• BitLife. Life simulators are a popular genre, and BitLife is one of the best-known mobile options within it. If you love that type of game, try simulating life with Chinese Parents.
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