GRANDMA: Turn Someone You Love Into a Pixel | PB Tails
Grandma Zhou Yichen
PB Tails

GRANDMA Turn Someone You Love Into a Pixel
That Never Fades

A metal game cartridge, an artist's memory, and a living wall built by all of us. Tap it. Make yours. Keep them forever.

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Days
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Until Kickstarter Launch — September 24, 2026, 9:00 PM UTC+8

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It began as a goodbye.
It became a place for all of us.

Some memories can't be put into words. But they can be felt.
Some games have no ending — just like love doesn't end.
This is one of them. And now, it has room for you, too.
March 2024
Zhou Yichen's grandmother fell at home. With his father battling Parkinson's and his uncle recovering from a stroke, Yichen was the only one who could care for her. He packed his computer and a few clothes, and moved in.
Spring – Summer 2024
He began recording their days — as a game. Bringing her meals. Eating together. Walking. Buying the soda she liked. Helping her bathe. Putting her to sleep. The same small things, looping, again and again. They seemed ordinary. To him, they were everything.
September 15, 2024
Yichen had a dream. He and his grandmother sat at a round table — and suddenly she rose into the sky on a paper plane, a great bird beside her, carrying her away, smaller and smaller.
October 2024 · Double Ninth Festival
His grandmother passed away in her sleep. He put that dream into the game. It became the ending.

A game you don't play to win.

You play it to feel.

Game Boy
Care for her
→
Walk together
→
Put her to sleep
→
Again, and again

A brief journey. It stays with you much longer.

There is no score. No boss. No ending to chase. Just the quiet rhythm of caring for someone — until the day the little pixel character is too exhausted, lies down, and dreams.

In the dream, Grandma meets him. She says: "Thank you for taking care of me. It's time to say goodbye." They part. A great bird flies away.

When you wake, the house is empty. Only her things remain. You walk through them, searching for traces of her.

She is gone. But she is still here — in all of it.

Then the road ahead is yours to walk alone. And when you reach its end, the game begins again.

What is "Grandma"?

GRANDMA IS LOVE.

Almost everyone has a "Grandma." Not always a grandmother. Sometimes it's a mother. A grandfather. A partner. A friend. Even a pet that waited by the door.

"Grandma" is our word for the one who shaped you — who you didn't get to thank enough, who you think of and smile before you realize how much you miss them.

A Game

Zhou Yichen's true story — a journey of care, loss, and memory — preserved in 8-bit pixels and now cast in metal.

A Person

My grandmother. And yours. Whoever it is you carry with you — the one you still talk to in your head.

A Vessel

A place to keep someone you love — so they never fade. The cartridge holds mine. The Wall holds yours.

"You're back."
The simplest line in the game. The one that stays with you.

Memory, forged in metal.

Not plastic. Not mass-produced. A cartridge built to outlast us.

Grandma Cartridge

Solid Metal CNC

Machined from a single block of aerospace-grade metal, hand-polished to a deep, quiet luster.

Laser Engraved

No stickers. No paint that peels. The art is etched deep into the metal — permanent.

NFC Inside

Tap the cartridge with your phone. It opens The Wall — your memorial, always a touch away.

Fully Playable

A quality ROM chip inside. Compatible with original Game Boy and modern retro handhelds.

No. 1
Belongs to Zhou Yichen's grandmother. Forever.

The Grandma Wall

A living monument, built by all of us — one pixel at a time.

It took Yichen days to turn his grandmother's photo into a pixel the Game Boy could read. And he thought: what if anyone could do the same — for the one they love?

So we built The Grandma Wall. Tap your cartridge. Upload a photo. We turn them into a pixel character in the style of the game. You write one line — not a goodbye, but the small thing you'll always remember. Your pixel joins thousands of others — permanently.

Wall Preview — only No.1 is lit. The rest will be filled by you.

Try It Now

Upload a photo and see a pixel preview. Write the line you'd leave on the Wall.

Try with a sample photo →

⚠ This is a client-side preview using your browser. No photos are uploaded or stored.
The full AI-powered pixel generation and The Grandma Wall go live on September 24, 2026 — Kickstarter launch day. Join the waitlist to be notified.

Who's behind this

Zhou Yichen

Zhou Yichen

Artist / Creator

A graduate of the Pratt Institute, Yichen has created over 120 independent games exploring memory, loss, anxiety, and intimacy. His works have no goals or winning — the game is a medium for art, and the player becomes part of the work.

Featured in 60+ global media outlets across 20+ countries, including CCTV, WIRED, Forbes, and The Straits Times.
PB Tails

PB Tails × Zoe

Co-creator / Publisher

PB Tails brings Grandma into physical form and to the world. Founder Zoe was also raised by her grandmother — which is why this project means as much to PB Tails as it does to Yichen. PB Tails is known for premium, design-driven gaming hardware.

Featured in Forbes, IGN, Tom's Guide, and WIRED.
"Hardware is usually evaluated by performance, but 'Grandma' taught us that hardware can be a vessel for emotion. This metal cartridge isn't just a gaming accessory; it's a pocket-sized memorial we built for the gaming generation." — Zoe, Founder of PB Tails
Forbes IGN WIRED CCTV The Straits Times

The Wall opens soon.

Be the first to know when your place on the Wall is ready — and when Grandma launches on Kickstarter.

📋 Privacy Policy — Grandma Project

Scope: This privacy notice applies exclusively to the Grandma project page and associated services (The Grandma Wall, pixel generation, waitlist). It does not replace or modify the PB Tails main site privacy policy.


Photo Uploads:

  • Photos uploaded during the preview demo are processed entirely within your browser. No image data is transmitted to or stored on our servers during the preview.
  • When The Grandma Wall goes live, uploaded photos will be used solely to generate your pixel character. You may choose to display your pixel publicly on the Wall or keep it private.
  • We will never use your photos for any other purpose — no training AI models, no marketing, no third-party sharing.

Email Collection:

  • Your email is collected through Shopify's customer registration system solely for notifying you about the Grandma project launch and Kickstarter campaign.
  • We will not use this email for unrelated PB Tails marketing unless you separately opt in.
  • You may unsubscribe at any time via the link in any notification email.

Your Rights:

  • You may request deletion of your pixel from the Wall at any time.
  • You may request deletion of your uploaded photo and associated data.
  • Contact: support@pbtails.com with subject "Grandma Project — Privacy Request".

Data Retention: Pixel characters on the Wall are intended to be permanent — that is the purpose of the project. You retain the right to remove yours. Waitlist emails are retained until the Kickstarter campaign concludes.


Last updated: July 1, 2026.

GRANDMA — A Project by PB Tails × Zhou Yichen

Kickstarter Launch: September 24, 2026 · pbtails.com/grandma

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