'Better than real life': In China, virtual boyfriends are emotional aids

Japan Times

31-03-2025

Rafayel's girlfriends went all out to celebrate their lover's birthday, renting malls across China for parties, decorating high-speed trains with his photos and even staging a dazzling drone show.
But the birthday boy was absent from every event — he's a virtual character in Love and Deepspace, a romantic mobile game that has won over millions of young women in China and beyond. Launched last year, the game blends monster-hunting action with sometimes raunchy cutscenes in a futuristic world where "love knows no bounds," according to Shanghai-based developer Papergames.
Players are hooked on its realistic 3D character modelling, immersive narratives and the chance to build relationships with five distinct virtual boyfriends. Since its release in January 2024, the game has earned more than $500 million worldwide on the Google Play store and Apple's App Store.
About 40% of its revenue comes from overseas, according to market research firm Sensor Tower.
For many, these virtual companions offer more than entertainment — they provide emotional fulfilment. Liu Xue, a 25-year-old office worker, likens her connection with Rafayel to a real-life romantic relationship.
Love and Deepspace players in China pay real money to celebrate the birthdays of their preferred characters from the game. |
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"To myself, or to my inner circle of close friends, I would say that we are lovers," she says from a birthday event for a Love and Deepspace character in Beijing. "I don't think I need company in real life."
He accompanies Liu daily, comforts her when she's down and even keeps her up-to-date on her menstrual cycle.
"It's like emotional sustenance," she says.
This attachment, however, comes with a price tag.
While Love and Deepspace is free to download, players often spend heavily on in-game purchases to unlock additional storylines and interactions with their favourite characters. The game does not offer women partners, though there are similar games that do — but few with the same reach and popularity.
Third-party surveys suggest that about 5 to 10% of those playing Love and Deepspace are male.
Wang Yaya, a 23-year-old university student, has spent over 70,000 yuan (about $10,000) on the game and related merchandise.
Players say games like Love and Deepspace recreate the emotional warmth lacking in their lives. |
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"I'm happy to pay for the emotional value," she says.
Fans pool their money to organize events — such as those to celebrate Rafayel's birthday — where they pose for photos with cardboard cutouts of the heartthrob and exchange homemade merchandise.
A seven-year veteran of games like Love and Deepspace, Wang attributes the willingness of her and her peers to spend to a lack of emotional support from their parents as children.
"Many of my friends are the same," she explains.
And for some players, the virtual romances are much more enticing than real-life dating. Since discovering games like Love and Deepspace, Liu says she has lost interest in dating real men.
"Playing otome games is an especially nice experience and even better than real life," she says, referring to the wider genre of romantic games, originally developed in Japan.
Student Liu Yuxuan, 22, sees her bond with Rafayel as a central part of her life.
"Because everyone can have their secrets, some of which you cannot tell others, when you open the game, you can talk to him," she says. "I can reveal myself to him without reservation, and he will show me his love without reservation."
Rafayel's love is firm and faithful — something she says is rare in real life.
Another player, who goes by Zaylia, summed up the game's appeal for her peers: "It fulfils our fantasy of being in a relationship. Isn't the greatest use of a relationship itself to provide emotional value?"