A new dating trend is going around in China: Women pay cosplayers to dress up as their virtual favorites and go on dates with them.
Note: The title image is a symbolic image.
What kind of trend is this? As reported by the Stern, women in China pay money to go on dates with their favorite characters from video games. To do this, they hire cosplayers to dress accordingly.
What is behind this? A particular type of dating sim, called “Otome Games,” is currently very popular among Chinese women. In these games, you take on the role of a female protagonist and pursue romantic relationships with one or more male characters.
The possible romantic options are often diverse, catering to every taste: from the quiet bespectacled guy to the hot-headed temperamental type to the friendly sunny boy or the cool guy with a mysterious past.
The genre usually falls under the category of visual novels, which are mainly text-based. The Asian video game market is notorious for mobile games with aggressive monetization, so it is not surprising that many Otome games offer in-app purchases to boost virtual relationships.
According to the Stern, many women spend quite a bit of money on their digital favorites. For those who find that insufficient, they can take it a step further and hire a cosplayer for dates.
If the digital favorite cannot come into the real world, maybe one day it will be possible to visit him instead in the virtual world with the Deep Dive:
Affection as a commodity
How did this come about? A precursor to the phenomenon became evident as early as 2019: Chinese women paid “Virtual Boyfriends” to exchange messages or make phone calls with them. Real-life meetings were not part of the services offered.
The lockdowns during the Corona pandemic have likely led to an increase in users of such Otome games and strengthened the desire for a virtual relationship.
“People have figured out how to turn affection into a commodity,” says Chris K.K. Tan, a professor at Nanjing University who researches this phenomenon (via Stern).
How does this work? It is now different: Usually young, single, and financially independent women post ads on the Internet seeking dates. In the ads, they specify what the costume should be like, what the payment is, and whether physical affection, such as kissing, is desired.
However, these services are not supposed to have a sexual nature. Rather, the clients yearn for a listening ear, a flirt, or emotional support. This also leads to some women preferring female cosplayers who transform into male characters: they feel safer with them.
On the other hand, the women often feel disappointed by “real” men and prefer their virtual friends. They pay cosplayers between 100 and 200 Yuan, equivalent to about 13 to 26 Euros, per hour for the dates.
Additionally, they cover the costs for shared meals or activities. Some women are even willing to offer cosplayers large sums to ensure that “their” favorite does not go on dates with other women.
The trend for virtual relationships is not limited to China. In Japan, a man famously married a hologram of the virtual singer Hatsune Miku, the mascot of the eponymous singing software. Artificial intelligence now offers entirely new possibilities for digital romances.
