A viral video on TikTok has fans thinking that the popular Bad Parenting game might be based on a true story.
Bad Parenting (aka Bad Parenting 1: Mr. Red Face) is a pay-what-you-want horror title that has exploded online. It is available now on the creator-driven digital distribution site itch.io.
The game follows a young boy attempting to keep his family safe while experiencing supernatural phenomena in his tiny shoebox apartment. While featuring plenty of other-worldly elements, the title dips its toes into plenty of heavy real-life, like child abuse.
Wait, Is Bad Parenting a True Story?
Fans have been left to question whether the viral Bad Parenting game is based on a true story.
These questions about whether the popular horror title is based on actual events stem from a video posted on TikTok.
In the post, the creator (https_mostfa) sits in a chair pondering with the caption, "Me after realizing Bad Parenting was based on a true story."
While the game does not brand itself as having any real-world inspiration, some claim it bears a striking connection to the real-life murder of eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez.
In May 2013, Fernandez was found dead after what seemed to be months of torture and beating at the hands of his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre.
Both Fernandez and Aguirre were arrested and charged with the murder of the young boy and are now serving a life sentence in prison.
The Bad Parenting story does not follow these events exactly, but it does center on a young child who is forcibly stuck in his surroundings and is alluded to as having been abused by his neglectful parents.
However, that is where the connections stop, as the rest of the popular horror title takes place in the supernatural world, with a being known as Mr. Red Face haunting the young boy.
As the game goes on, it is revealed that the terrifying Mr. Red Face presence is, in fact, the boy's abusive father, who he eventually quote/unquote defeats at the game's end.
According to the game's official itch.io page, Mr. Red Face is expressly noted as being "[entirely] fictional:"
"Mr. Red Face, a fictional character created by adults to teach their children. It's said that he often appears late at night to give gifts to well-behaved kids. But is the story of Mr. Red Face really that simple?"
This would assumely confirm that any connections between Bad Parenting and real-life events are purely coincidental, but the game's creators have yet to outright say such a thing.
The title was likely loosely inspired by real-life events from a tonal perspective but not necessarily based on a specific true story, no matter what a viral TikTok video may say.
Bad Parenting can be downloaded on itchi.io.
