Perfect Love or Illusory Hope? Female Players’ Ambivalent Fantasies Concerning Chinese Otome Games
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19220645 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hao Zhang (0000-0003-0232-5565, Freie Universität Berlin), Haili Li (0000-0002-8487-7170, University of Exeter, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-27 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Women s Studies in Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0749-1409 • E-ISSN: 2152-999X |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/07491409.2026.2671416 |
| OpenAlex | W7162583984 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 45 |
Otome games, or story-based romance games featuring a female protagonist and multiple carefully crafted male characters, have recently gained traction in China, attracting numerous players, particularly young women, to explore love and romance in virtual worlds. Drawing on a postfeminist perspective and employing digital ethnography and semi-structured interviews (N = 36), this study examines the storyline, character representation, and power dynamics in four Chinese otome games and female players’ engagement with them. Our findings indicate that participants derive multifaceted gratifications from playing otome games, including the fulfillment of romantic desires, emotional demands, control over romantic relationships, and escapism. However, they also demonstrate ambivalent fantasies concerning otome games. While some players embrace the dominance of male protagonists, others resist the embedded patriarchal logic, perceiving it as undermining female agency. Habitual engagement with otome games leads some participants to illusory hopes and frustrations about real-life relationships, ultimately prompting them to disengage. This research contributes to extending knowledge on otome games and female gaming, particularly in the non-Western context
Ambivalence · Game studies · Illusion · True love · Digital Games and Media · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · Media, Gender, and Advertising
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| Highly cited | No |
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