Watch: We Tried Playing as “Chinese Parents”

We Tried is a series where RADII staff try out unique foods, experiences, and phenomena in China. Drop us a line 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.

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Shanghai Indie Game Publisher Coconut Island Brings Chinese Culture to Steam

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.

In this episode of We Tried, RADII staff Mayura Jain and Li Zhang — neither of them qualified parents — tried to keep their kid on track, administering equal parts love and discipline on their road to the high school exit exam. Watch to see if they managed to beat the system: