Yozuna Niu Plays a Life Simulator, Then Climbs From Gold 4 to Gold 2 in Apex Legends

NEO-PORTE — Yozuna Niu of Neo-Porte’s first generation spent Tuesday evening on two streams in a row: a free online life simulator built on real statistics, followed by ranked matches of Apex Legends. By the end of the night, Niu said, the rank had moved from Gold 4 to Gold 2, with several Champion finishes along the way.

The simulator draws on actual figures from 172 countries and regions, and a full life takes about an hour to play. Niu’s character was born at random in Kabul, Afghanistan, into a family in the middle of the country’s income range, with an older brother. Niu noted that the country accounts for 1.1 percent of the world’s births and called it a harsher start than Japan’s. Chat reacted to the birthplace with surprise.

“From there on, I don’t know why, but I think that’s when it got happy.” — Yozuna Niu, looking back on the character’s life

Over the next hour the character left school to help at home, worked in a factory and later as a craftsperson, and, at 22, was introduced by her family’s elders to a 35-year-old software developer who already had a 4-year-old child. Niu hesitated over the age gap and chose to get to know him first. Lost jobs, a falling currency, debt, illness in the family and a violent husband followed. The sim’s offers of help changed little. Eventually the grown children began sending money home, the debt was cleared, and the character lived on into old age with grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The end screen weighed the character as a realist rather than an idealist, which Niu said fit how the choices had gone. Niu called the game very hard, recommended it to viewers, and checked that Japan accounts for 0.5 percent of births. Before signing off, Niu said Apex would be played often so the hands would not go dull, and the second stream began about half an hour later.

In Apex, Niu queued with random teammates and spent much of the session wondering whether two of them were a couple, since one was on voice chat. Niu, who has never used voice chat, said after a win that the squad’s voice would be turned off for the stream. Niu also tinkered with an on-screen graphic that grows as Niu talks, saying a version triggered by heart rate would be too hard to build. Chat sent three Super Chats. Niu closed by thanking viewers and said the next day’s stream was planned as ASMR.