Growing Up is a life simulation game that follows a character from infancy into adulthood. Players start as infants, attend school, make friends, and move through the stages of growing up. The source describes the game as built around events, mini-games, relationships, and career decisions that shape how the character's life develops.
Life stages and locations
The source describes each life as moving through different developmental stages. Early on, the character is shaped by time at home with parents, school, and travel, and the source notes that what a child learns while walking around with parents differs from how a teenager sees the world. These stages are presented as a continuous path rather than separate modes.
The game includes more than 30 locations for players to explore. The source describes these as central places, along with smaller shops and venues, set in a city designed to resemble the 1990s. Popular culture of that period is presented as part of the setting, and the source says the city offers experiences players may not have encountered elsewhere.
Dialogue, relationships, and events
Conversation is a central way to build relationships. According to the source, players use dialogue to make friends, join groups and societies, and pursue relationships. Each character is said to have more than 1000 exclusive lines, and the source explains that the player decides how the story is told through attitude and emotion. Situations are described as opportunities to develop friendship, love, and a sense of happiness with other characters.
The source also says that events and mini-games are how players find love and lifelong friends. It mentions school extracurricular activities and says the developer plans more situations of that kind, though the source does not describe those planned additions in detail.
Skills, schedules, and action points
The source describes an in-depth skill set with more than 200 items, which it presents as useful when the character must make decisions. Several community tips in the source refer to action points and brain points, which appear to be resources players spend on activities. The source also mentions a schedule that players fill with activities. Tips suggest buying skills at the end of the day before filling the schedule, and using action points for work instead of placing work directly in the schedule. These are player recommendations quoted in the source, and this article does not independently verify their effect.
The source further mentions jigsaw puzzles as one challenge the character can face, along with mini-games that test abilities. It does not provide the rules for these activities.
Careers and character goals
As the game progresses, players choose from numerous careers. The source states that more than 42 careers are available and gives examples such as doctor, lawyer, astronaut, and even president of the United States. After selecting a career, the source says players must put in effort to reach their goals, and it frames the game around whether the character ultimately achieves that dream.
Player feedback
The source includes player comments that offer mixed impressions. One commenter describes the gameplay as simple and repetitive, praises the main appeal of watching a character age and grow, and says the story can become surprisingly dark at points. The same commenter also notes that players must choose between two sex options at the start of the story. Another commenter says the interface can feel overwhelming at first, that the game can become repetitive after several generations, and that the experience improves once the controls are understood. Another commenter describes a generational structure in which the first character becomes the parent of the next. These are individual opinions reported in the source rather than verified facts about the game as a whole.
What the source supports
The clearest supported points are the life simulation framework, more than 30 locations, dialogue-driven relationships with more than 1000 lines per character, more than 200 skill items, more than 42 careers, and a 1990s-style setting. Strategy tips and player opinions about difficulty, repetition, and story depth are presented as community perspectives. Readers should treat them as the views of the sources and not as confirmed design rules.