Two Can Play that Game

Leanne Yong, Two Can Play that Game, Allen & Unwin, January 2023, 365 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 978-1761063374

This is a sweet and incredibly entertaining story of rivalry set in the world of computer game design. Sam Khoo and Jay Chua meet by complete accident – both intent on securing a highly desirable ticket to a game design workshop which, for Sam, is the key to her dream career in game design, and for Jay is a secret gift for his younger brother, Ansen. With only one ticket, and both of them laying claim, they come up with the fairest solution; a 5 game play-off, winner takes all (well, the ticket, at least).

Told from Sam’s perspective, readers will appreciate her struggle to find her own identity as an adult, separate from the role of ‘perfect Asian daughter’ that she has always strived to maintain. While her passion for game design has been easy to pursue alongside high school studies, will she continue to achieve her goals while also pleasing her parents who have a more traditional life path in mind?

As Jay and Sam fight for the workshop ticket, they learn more about themselves, each other, and the complexities of navigating early adulthood amidst the high expectations of their Asian families and their own hopes and dreams.

At times Sam and Jay seem almost too mature for their age, which is ascribed to being the eldest in their Chinese-Malaysian families. Sam’s sister Eva is considered more ‘Australian’, focused on having fun and living life in the moment, and Jay’s brother, Ansen is babied, as the youngest son who is also neuro-divergent. These character traits are sharply drawn, and at times they may grate for more advanced readers, however they bring home the challenges of young people who are second generation immigrants who must blend their cultural heritage with that of the country of their birth.

First time author Leanne Yong, herself a designer of Escape Rooms, has written a breezy, easy to read novel that is described as “gloriously nerdy” and “a love letter to games and puzzles of all kinds”. Set in the Summer between school and University, readers will enjoy the good natured rivalry, cultural insights and of course, nerdy gamer talk! With notes at the end aligning the fictional games with real life equivalents providing added credibility for gamers, this is a no-brainer addition for every secondary school library collection, in addition to its shortlisting in the 2024 CBCA Young Adult Book of the Year awards.

Readers from 14-17 will fly through this despite its length and will be keen for Yong’s next title to be published!

Reviewed by Kay Oddone

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