Chinese man creates nostalgic video game inspired daily moments with late grandmother

A simple pixel game developed a man in China about caring for a grandmother has deeply moved people on Chinese social media. A Chinese man developed a retro-style game about caring for grandma that evoked childhood memories.(Representational image/Unsplash) The five-minute game, called Grandma, has been praised for evoking nostalgia and reminding players of their own experiences with elderly relatives, according to a report the South China Morning Post (SCMP). (Also read: ₹1.23 crore in bonuses for employee weight loss challenge”>Chinese firm offers ₹1.23 crore in bonuses for employee weight loss challenge) The game, which is free to play on a dribution platform, revolves around caring for a grandmother who has suffered an injury after a fall. Players must perform everyday tasks such as cooking meals, buying her favourite drinks, pushing her in a wheelchair and even helping her bathe. Simple choices, emotional endingGameplay conss of choosing “yes” or “no” to complete each mission. Once the tasks are done, the grandmother thanks the player before being carried away a giant bird, a symbolic depiction of her passing. Many users say the pixelated visuals resemble the Game Boy console, which was created Nintendo and widely popular in China during the 1990s. This design choice has added to the nostalgic pull of the title. Inspired personal lossAs reported SCMP, the game’s creator, Zhou Yichen, 32, from Wuhan in Hubei province, said the inspiration came from his own grandmother, who died last year. Zhou explained that he was raised his grandparents until the age of three and remembered his grandmother as “strong and always smiling”. She suffered a fall in March last year, and Zhou personally cared for her during her recovery. When she passed away weeks later, he began designing the game in July. It was completed this February. “Since I studied art creations, I intend to turn my important experiences into artworks,” Zhou said. “I chose to display my game like that of Game Boy because the latter is what I often played during my childhood.” He added: “I liked taking her out for a stroll. I think she was happy when passing the places where she once worked and meeting her friends.” Unexpected popularityZhou initially did not plan to release the game, believing the subject of a family member’s death was too personal. But after he shared images of it online, the strong emotional response from netizens convinced him to publish it. Encouraged the overwhelming support, Zhou now hopes to create collectible cards based on the game in the future.