I dutifully answer the questions: “Where are your parents from?” “My father is Bangladeshi, my mother is Bulgarian” — but growing up on mostly white Long Island, I was embarrassed that anyone ever had to ask. I am pale. My hair is thin and bleached blonde and I could never grow it to be strong and curled at my waist like all my cousins of whom I am jealous.
I wanted to be a true Bengali like half of my family but my father always encouraged me to be more American. For me, that meant conforming to my whiteness and that of my neighborhood, and while doing so cut off a part of me I had hoped to nurture, it just seemed easier at the time. However, as my shaky high school identity eased and I began to feel more confident about myself as a person, I began to wholeheartedly embrace the two cultures that made me.
During Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, which begins May 1 each year, I feel a special obligation to my fellow Asians who have been taught to separate their culture from themselves. Well, as a video game writer, I often reflect on the fact that gaming has a somewhat fragile relationship with Asian and Pacific Islander culture. Although China and Japan dominate the global video game market
But the games on this list know that a person’s AAPI identity deserves respect and effort to understand. All of them emphasize history and heritage over tiring, superficial aesthetics. O“AAPI” is natural a giant umbrella and this list is just a tiny sampling of the amazing games out there that honor the AAPI culture. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy them and use this AAPI Month as an opportunity to better understand yourself, your friends, and the many amazing cultures that make up our little ones world shine.