Why are a growing number of Japanese female players rejecting physical relationships?
If in China the Chinese girls they prefer to pay for long distance platonic relationships, Japan is dealing with the enormous popularity of Otome, "love simulation" games among Japanese players (who call themselves "dream girls"). This seems to suggest that the desire for virtual lovers cuts across genders and cultures.
Videogames ottome are Japanese dating simulation games designed specifically for female players. Love games for girls. In this “love simulation” a female protagonist can choose from a selection of suitable male partners. The goal of a love simulator, and more generally of Otome games, is to establish a relationship with the most romantic and desirable suitor. Difficult games for girls who want to go "against the grain", or a mainstream reflection of a new culture?
The technological transformation of intimacy
Dr. Conducts research on women's interaction with virtual characters Agnes Giard, which is part of the research project “Emotional Machines: The Technological Transformation of Intimacy in Japan“. The first thing to say is: they are not "women's games". What do we want to call them, then? Love games? Games for girls, complete with "x" to be more teen? Japanese girls, of course.
The research is focused on Japanese girls' attention towards Otome games, which also carries some stigma.
In fact, there are many sexist attitudes that belittle a Japanese boy or a Japanese girl. More specifically, attitudes that undermine Japanese players due to the way they spend money in the game (to obtain small rewards). The idea that you have to be absorbed in "dating games" that also make you throw money into a spiral of micro purchases isn't very popular.
Japanese Otome-playing “dream girls” are often ridiculed for their celibacy and rejection of family values. Giard suspects this is because such an approach is seen as a "threat to family institutions" and Japan's already declining birth rate.
“Love simulation” games: an escape from reality that offers the opportunity to reflect on reality
Giard suggests considering how Otome games might offer new spaces for reflection. With their open rejection in favor of virtual romance, Otome games challenge "traditional" love and must make us reflect on the things that need to be corrected in relationships. In other words, these love games for girls would help you rediscover the platonic aspects of a relationship.
Despite being stigmatized as "losers" (make-inu) or "parasites" (parasaito), Japanese players positively define themselves as Dream Girls, "dream girls" (yume-joshi), to fight against social exclusion “.
On the other hand Otome games are VERY popular
Considering character relationships from the perspective of a female user has been seriously underexplored, but offers an interesting touchstone to see how this might evolve in the future for Eastern women as well as Western women. After the love games will we also have dating games? And maybe even engagement games?
Currently, language barriers and cultural nuances make games difficult in terms of accessibility for non-Japanese players. However, this doesn't stop their popularity.
“Love simulation” games are spreading around the world, inspiring an entire culture of dedicated gamers and paving the way for an entire industry. in 2016 la Voltage (world leader in the “virtual boyfriends” sector) claimed that 50 million women worldwide had registered as users.
in 2017 one of its versions, translated into English as Midnight Cinderella (a kind of Japanese erotic game) entered the Top 100 of overall sales on the App Store with over 1.600.000 downloads. As these figures show, the growing phenomenon of Otome games is not limited to Japan.
Loveplus
Giard used as an example Love plus, an Otome video game developed by Konami (known to us for other types of games such as football ones). He did this to show how the characters could become increasingly important for the development of technology for sexual use (so-called sextech), but also to track the propensity for use by female players. It's not about hooking up, or training yourself to have a career as a girlfriend. It's something different.
Tracing the “genealogy” of the game, Agnès Giard pointed out that while at the beginning these were classified as a subgenre of “erotic games” (ero-ge) for male otaku. In short, romance games didn't seem like much more than a geek product. With the widespread use of mobile phones, the industry has shifted towards the female-targeted app market, and now, in Japan, Otome games (love and dating simulation games aimed at women) are much more popular of bishōjo games (for men).
While developments in sextech tend to see technology as a tool for creating sexual enjoyment, it appears that technology in Japan (and also in China) is pushing technology as an object of intimacy and affection: capable even of shaping character.
After the boom among Japanese girls will we have Otome also developed for American, European and other girls?
Will we soon see the same thing in the West? Japan is at the forefront of entertainment technologies, and often creates culture in this field. This is why we can creatively consider what the future of intimacy will be.
For this reason, not only is it not to be excluded, but I can say with certainty that it will happen.
Here you can find a large collection of papers on the topic of relationship between Otome, love simulation games and Japanese girls
