‘E-pregnancy’: women in China choose quirky method to save cash by putting money ‘spent’ on virtual baby in bank
- Players allocate ‘pregnancy’ funds for different items while money ‘spent’ is deposited in bank account as savings
- Imaginary pregnancy plan fails to translate into desire to have real baby
Given they are defined by a digital age of uncertainty, it should come as no surprise that China’s Generation Z has turned to the virtual world in search of a family, and a way to save money.
The age cohort generally accepted to have been born between 1996 and 2010 have embraced “e-pregnancy”, a virtual game in which participants can experience some of the trials, tribulations and excitement of a real birth, minus the physical, and financial pain.
Players plan their “pregnancy” and allocate funds for different items that requires while all the time the money “spent” is deposited in their bank account as savings.
Virtual games have long resonated with China’s digital generation, for example, who can forget the pet-raising Tamagotchi craze of several years ago.
Now, as the real cost of living continues to rise, young adults are looking to save whatever they can. Cue a virtual game that offers an introduction to the business of bringing up baby, while saving a bit of cash at the same time.
Simulated expenses range from pregnancy tests and folic acid supplements to prenatal check-ups.
