When feminist awareness clashes with romance in games: a feminist reception study of otome gamers in China

"Otome games" refers to digital games specifically developed for and marketed to women, in which they can develop romantic relationships with virtual male characters. Existing literature has analyzed how otome games celebrate female agency and also reinforce gender essentialism in game narratives and design. However, the reception of women gamers is understudied, particularly given the growing gender awareness of today's female audiences. This article proposes four understandings of the roles of otome games in young women's social lives: a source of pleasure and emotional values, a safe theater of intimate experiences, a less "harmful" alternative to real-life intimacy, and a "sweet patriarchal chronic poison." Holding various and even conflicting feminist beliefs, otome gamers formulate strategies to reconcile the tensions between their growing feminist awareness and the conservative game narratives. The co-existence of various gender values in otome gaming culture sheds light on the multiple voices of present-day Chinese feminisms.