Love and Deepspace, an otome-themed game made in China, became very popular in a short time. In just two years, the game managed to collect 80 million players.
This dating game that targets a female audience has come under the spotlight for sparking a new trend. Many female players are willing to spend millions of money just to establish a virtual relationship with the characters in the game.
This is felt by Zhou, a 33-year-old civil servant (PNS) from China. Launching from Reuters, Zhou felt his emotional needs were met by the character named Rafayel or Qi Yu in the Chinese version.
Zhou is known to have spent more than 10,000 yuan or around Rp24.3 million just to unlock various exclusive features. The money was used to access limited storylines that deepened his relationship with the character.
For Zhou, Rafayel's presence in the Love and Deepspace game made him not feel rushed in finding a life partner. Zhou admitted that he was comfortable having full control in the digital relationship.
This flexible game system allows Zhou to interact with his virtual lover only when he needs it. This lifestyle is considered much more practical and less emotionally risky than the average real relationship.
In January, Zhou said that he went to Shanghai only to attend an official event held by the developer Love and Deepspace, namely Papergames. Zhou arrived in a pink sequin dress to meet cosplayer Rafayel.
Seeing Zhou's determination, it's no wonder that this otome game has managed to rake in global revenue of up to 825 million US dollars (Rp. 13.8 trillion) since its release. This game is quite popular in Indonesia as well, but the biggest market for Love and Deepspace is China.
The country contributes about 60 percent of the total global revenue. Another fan, Evina Li, is also loyal to playing this video game even though she already has a boyfriend in the real world. Li admitted that he had spent around 8,000 yuan or around Rp19.4 million.
"This game compensates for certain deficiencies in real-life interactions between men and women," Li said, quoted on Thursday, February 12.
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