As a 25-year-old corporate drone who spends an hour squeezing into the subway every day and only has a forty-minute lunch break, I've really been drained by overtime recently. When I get home at night and open a big mobile game, seeing the daily task list gives me a headache, like continuing to work in the game. Later, I simply changed my approach and looked for games that can be played with one hand, can be paused anytime, and don't require clocking in.
"My CEO Girlfriend" is what I tried on my commute this week. To be clear, I'm posting a random recommendation in the music section, but the game's voice acting and background music really do have a romantic vibe, so it's worth playing with headphones on.
The core gameplay is very simple: real-life beautiful women videos combined with first-person perspective interaction. You play as the male lead and develop a relationship with your 'CEO girlfriend.' Videos will pop up directly on the screen, making it feel like she's video calling you; there are also interactions through phone calls, text messages, WeChat, and Weibo. It's not purely text-based choices; sometimes she'll send a voice message that you need to tap to listen to; sometimes a call comes in and the options are to answer, hang up, or reply with a message. The choices you make affect the subsequent conversations. While the overall direction isn't particularly complex, it's plenty of fun to play during your commute.
My actual experience is that during the morning rush on the subway, I hold the handrail with one hand and tap the screen with the other; using it in portrait mode isn't a problem. Each video isn't long, just tens of seconds to a minute or two, suitable for riding two or three stops. During lunch breaks, I'll save up my WeChat and text interactions and reply all at once, like I'm actually messaging a partner, which is quite relieving. One time she sent ‘Do you want to have dinner together tonight?' I replied ‘Working late,' and she sent a voice message saying not to overwork. Although I know it's a game, at that moment I really felt a bit comforted—just something office workers would understand.
In terms of charges, it currently says 0, and I haven't encountered any mandatory top-ups while playing. The developer is Chengdu Jianle Interactive Entertainment Technology Co., Ltd., and the platform requires Android 5.0 or above, which my old spare phone can also run. The Easter egg gameplay offers extra little surprises and can unlock some special videos and voices. It is recommended not to play them outside the office, as it can easily lead to social embarrassment.
Pros: The live-action videos provide a strong sense of immersion, there are many ways to interact, and phone calls, text messages, WeChat, and Weibo feel quite realistic; it's fragmented, so you don't have to grind daily; it's free, making the cost of trial and error low. The cons are also obvious: you must be online, and it lags like a PowerPoint in subway tunnels; playing it out loud is awkward, so headphones are necessary; the storyline is relatively linear, with limited impact from choices, so don't compare it to large-scale romance games; it consumes quite a bit of data, so it's recommended to preload on WiFi first.
Tips: Before commuting, cache what can be cached while on WiFi; keep headphone volume below half; don't play videos in tunnels, check text options first; save Easter eggs and long videos for watching at home; replying to messages during lunch break feels more like a 'real chat' than replying in the morning.
Suitable for: office workers who commute 10 to 30 minutes, don't want to grind, enjoy real-person interaction, and want a bit of a dating substitute. Not suitable for: those who seek deep storylines, dislike real-person videos, have limited data, or small phone storage.
In summary, it's not a masterpiece, but it's a fairly decent electronic pickled mustard on the subway. You can play without spending any money, it doesn't require grinding, and it's very friendly to someone like me who works overtime. At least it gives a bit more interaction than mindlessly scrolling through short videos. Those who have played it can also share in the comments which line is the most enjoyable; I'm still trying them out slowly. 🎧