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beautifulpaxielreads's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Two Can Play That Game (TCPTG) is a complex and deeply satisfying novel, covering many topics - among them family, friendship, culture, and of course, games (of many kinds!).
Sam Khoo is a promising young indie games developer fresh out of high school. She has dedicated the past year of her life to creating her passion project, Vinculum, which she hopes an indie games company will pick up and develop further for a public release.
Sam is desperate for exclusive tickets to a game design workshop which she believes will kickstart her career. Those hopes are dashed when Jaysen Chua (who Sam privately renames Jerky McJerkface) sneakily snatches the last one. Infuriated, Sam challenges him to a video game face-off with Jay's stolen ticket as the ultimate prize - otherwise, she'll ensure the Asian Gossip Network is informed of his treachery.
But it isn't only Sam's gaming life under pressure. Although they love her deeply, Sam's parents don't really understand her passion, preferring her to take up her university scholarship and eventually enter into a more financially stable career in the corporate sphere. Sam is torn between being a good Asian daughter and pursuing her dream of game development. But are these two things mutually exclusive? And where do her developing feelings for Jaysen fit in?
As I said earlier, TCPTG has a lot going on, and at times I felt Leanne Yong tried to fit in too much. It did feel sometimes that readers were being told about how a character was feeling rather than being shown that.
But ultimately that did not detract from my enjoyment. The pacing is fast, the dialogue snappy and snarky, the characters true to life and realistically developed, and the complex intersections between culture, family, friendship and ambition were thoughtfully handled. You don't even have to know a lot about games and gaming culture, as it's all pretty well explained - Yong, who also designs escape rooms for a living, clearly knows her stuff.
An enlightening and highly enjoyable read.
Sam Khoo is a promising young indie games developer fresh out of high school. She has dedicated the past year of her life to creating her passion project, Vinculum, which she hopes an indie games company will pick up and develop further for a public release.
Sam is desperate for exclusive tickets to a game design workshop which she believes will kickstart her career. Those hopes are dashed when Jaysen Chua (who Sam privately renames Jerky McJerkface) sneakily snatches the last one. Infuriated, Sam challenges him to a video game face-off with Jay's stolen ticket as the ultimate prize - otherwise, she'll ensure the Asian Gossip Network is informed of his treachery.
But it isn't only Sam's gaming life under pressure. Although they love her deeply, Sam's parents don't really understand her passion, preferring her to take up her university scholarship and eventually enter into a more financially stable career in the corporate sphere. Sam is torn between being a good Asian daughter and pursuing her dream of game development. But are these two things mutually exclusive? And where do her developing feelings for Jaysen fit in?
As I said earlier, TCPTG has a lot going on, and at times I felt Leanne Yong tried to fit in too much. It did feel sometimes that readers were being told about how a character was feeling rather than being shown that.
But ultimately that did not detract from my enjoyment. The pacing is fast, the dialogue snappy and snarky, the characters true to life and realistically developed, and the complex intersections between culture, family, friendship and ambition were thoughtfully handled. You don't even have to know a lot about games and gaming culture, as it's all pretty well explained - Yong, who also designs escape rooms for a living, clearly knows her stuff.
An enlightening and highly enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Alcohol