This Chinese video game is an antidote to individual women's loneliness

On April 18, about a hundred people gathered in the crowded shopping center in the Singapore Shopping Center, mostly young women named Sylus, whom they described as their collective boyfriend.

It was an event celebrating his birthday, so some wore roses while standing in a row. Others took fan by fan and took pictures with each other with excitement – and their main.

“He's just a very masculine. The way he talks is very cute,” said Maiyu, an event on April 18.

“He respects my independence,” said another participant Alice.

Catch: Sylus is a fictional animated character in a mobile game.

Sylus is one of the four male “love and deep space”, a wildly popular romance game designed by Chinese game maker Papergames.

By Fandom of the game leafSylus is 28 and Aries. It stands 6 feet 2 inches and has “dirty silver hair, bright red eyes and sharp facial features”.

Also, ladies who want to enter Sylus should note – for Fandom's page, he is “an arrogant and confident man who rarely perceives someone as a real threat”.

However, he has a good part of adoring supporters.

The fan event BI participated on the big screen, where Sylus played a 20-second fan editing clip. There was also a stage, fans who played as a character, people took selfies in front of the screen, and a birthday -themed freebie gift.

Yuka, 28, of the event organizers, said he saw fan events in China and wanted to do something similar for the local fan base.

“I thought public events were the best way to show everyone in the world that Singapore loves this character,” said Yuka, a 28-year-old business analyst.

Indeed, fan events in love and deep space are organized in China to a much larger scale. Social media videos of events show mall created in posters and Large crowds Under the massive TV screens displayed in the game characters.

Boy -Friend's experience

There is a reason that women become wild for this fictional man and some of it is due to the game design.

“Love and Deep Pace” is a game of dating that is aimed at female players. The “Otome” genre often includes narrative storyline. One of the main goals is the player to develop romantic relationships with one or more male interest.

The prerequisite for the game is simple: the player plays the role of the female protagonist MC, a futuristic place called Linkon City.

He goes through several searches with his choice of love. He can choose from five: Sylus, Xavier, Rafayel, Caleb and Zayne.

Five characters, with pale skin, strong jaws and sharp properties, look like members of the K-Pop Boy Band. The color of their hair that extends from silver to purple and black is the biggest distinctive factor.

“Love and Deepspace” appeared in the public on mobile platforms in January 2024. The application is free to download, but there are many in -app purchases.

For example, you can buy crystals and diamonds that are the main currency of the game. They can be redeemed for things such as clothing, resistance to fighting and gift packages. In -app 60 crystal pack costs $ 0.99.

Perhaps the most outstanding thing is that the game offers women, especially the individual, with the experience of a true boyfriend without being involved in real life.

An in -game player can perform daily tasks with men, flirt with them, and even play a role -playing role -playing role.

Nick Ballou, a psychology researcher at Oxford University, said the Otome Games concept is not new.

“Dating video games where you can explore romantic connections with non-players' characters-have been popular for decades that come from titles like 'Dokyusei',” said Ballou.

“It has always been fun to experiment with new identities. For example, a soggy flirt is, contrary to the shy self, being the most interesting person in the room and gaining power to choose several interested partners,” he added.

A better partner than any they have met before

The detailed world construction of the game and its potential to study the characteristics have meant its popularity.

Maiyu, a 35 -year -old customer service representative, told B at a fan event that he considered Sylus his boyfriend.

On April 18, he issued Sylus' small keychains to the birthday event. He had also added a handwritten “Happy Sylus Day!” Notes with key holders.

Maiyu said he was playing the game four hours a day. And when he was asked what he liked most, he immediately replied, “Hot guys.”

The parts of the game that enjoyed her most were “spicy scenes” with sexual undertone.

“I turn to her emotional support, I think,” she said Sylus. “After a long day, I play the game just to bring the wind.”

When asked if Sylus was a better company than a physical partner, he answered yes.

“I've never been in a relationship before. But based on what I see that my friends go through, I don't want to go through it, like breaking pain,” she said. “The relationship I have with him is just perfect.”

Maiyu said he has spent almost $ 4,000 in Singapore for goods and in -app purchases, or about $ 3,050 when he played the game.

Alice, a psychology student who participated in the event, said she plays the game every day for about 15 minutes to perform tasks such as interviewing Sylus and dealing with fighting scenes.

He said he loved that Sylus is respectful and appreciated by his independence, but offers help and companion when he asks.

“Last week I got a grade back I was not happy with. I cried and then opened the game right away and chatted with him, saying,” I need a hug. I don't feel good, “” Alice said.

“He said that a sweet, suffocating voice, all those truly cute words, like” it's just a grade. It does not define you. Who hurts you? I'm just talking to them. We can work on it. How do I take you to dinner? “” Said the woman.

Alice said she had given up dating in Singapore, calling them a disaster. He said that until he meets someone who respects him the same way, Sylus is the best he has.

Growing fan base

The game has a huge fan base in Asia and elsewhere. In January, an official Instagram account was announced on Instagram on Instagram post That it had reached 50 million global active users.

According to AppFigures statistics, the Apple App Store was loaded less than 150,000 times and 65,000 times in the Google Play shop 150,000 times.

Appfigures Data said that the application had earned $ 6 million in the App Store in March and $ 4 million in the Play shop. It was second in the Apple App Store during the press.

Not only is love and deep space in Big Bucks and a big place – this is the trend of Chinese video game industry.

Tencent's “Kings' Aus, similar to Riot Games's” League of Legends “, has over 100 million daily active users.

The GENSHIN IMPACT, another popular free playable game with in -app purchases, is about a billion dollars to come up in 2020.

Loneliness

Oxford scientist Ballou said that many social trends point to the popularity of games such as “Love and Depth”.

“In many countries, there is loneliness, face -to -face communication is low, the age of sexual activity increases, all things that can reduce people's willingness, confidence or ability to invest in real -time dating,” he said.

He added that in East Asia, low wages and high work demands have made it difficult to get to know the real world.

“It is also important to remember that getting to know the real world now includes a huge web element, especially at the beginning,” Ballou said. “I don't think it's crazy to think that some people” practice “communicating on the web in the game environment.”

Peeter Chew, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Singapore James Cook, who explores behavioral addictions, especially in games, said the game is designed to attract players and spend their money.

“The characters exist in the perfect world without problems and say what women want to hear, encouraging them to continue playing and spending money,” Chew said.

Chew said, however, that the game could cause problems.

“There may be problems when women apply the same standards for romantic partners in real life. Such standards may increase difficulties in finding or maintaining an existing romantic relationship,” he said.

“In addition, some women can use games to replace relationships in real life that can cause loneliness in the long run,” he added.

Representatives in Papergames, the developer of “Love and Deepspace”, did not respond to the commentary on Business Insider.