When I first saw the headlines of this article in Straits Times (Young Chinese women find virtual love in Deepspace, 27 March 2025), I thought Deepspace was some new dating app similar to those like Coffee meets Bagel or OkCupid that helps to match individuals looking for relationships. But as I read on, I learnt that Deepspace refers to Love and Deepspace, the first Chinese 3D Otome game published in January 2024 by Shanghai-based developer Papergames.
For those who are as clueless as I was to what an otome game is, Wikipedia tells us that it refers to a story-based romance video game targeted towards women with a female protagonist as the player character. Generally, one of the goals, besides the main story goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female main player character and one of the secondary lead characters, who are usually male.
In the case of Love and Deepspace, this game is touted as one that merges monster-hunting gameplay within a sci-fi universe setting, where “love knows no bounds”. It also provides the opportunity to establish relationships with as many as five virtual love interests.
In the Strait Times article, the writer notes that for many female players, “the virtual companions offer more than entertainment – they provide emotional fulfilment”. For example, Liu Xue, 25-year-old office worker, likens her connection with Rafayel to a real-life romantic relationship. In a birthday event in Beijing for this virtual character, she said “To myself, or to my inner circle of close friends, I would say that we are lovers. I don’t think I need company in real life”.
For student, Liu Yuxuan, 22, she shared she lost interest in dating real men after discovering games like Love and Deepspace. In fact, the student professed that “I can reveal myself to him without reservation, and he will show me his love without reservation”. In her eyes, Rafayel’s love is firm and faithful – something she said is rare in real life.
Even though such emotional attachment comes with a price tag, it has not deterred players from spending large sums of money to unlock more features to progress in the game and enhance their interaction with the characters.
Ms Wang Yaya, a 23-year-old student had spent more than S$12,800 on the game and related merchandise.
“I am happy to pay for the emotional value,” she said.
The appeal of such games is probably best summed by Zaylia: “It fulfils our fantasy of being in a relationship. Isn’t the greatest use of a relationship itself to provide emotional value?”
As Christians who believe that God created humans for community and connection, it is not surprising to hear these woman expressing their desire for something beyond material possessions and creaturely comforts. But while God has said that “it is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18), I must admit I have difficultly understanding how a virtual character can end up having such a hold on an individual’s life and emotional state such that a person would find virtual romances to be much more enticing than real-life dating.
Perhaps for some, “falling in love” with their virtual lovers is a form of escapism. The game caters to the women’s felt needs and provides an easy way of avoiding the messy, hard and sometimes painful but essential work of cultivating a real and healthy relationship. Furthermore, why risk the wounds of being rejected, disappointed or hurt when characters like Rafayel always know the right thing to say?
Here, I hesitate to suggest that Rafayel also knows what to do since a 3D character is incapable of offering a hug, deal with cockroaches or help with chores, etc. But I guess this list is rather mundane for the romantically-inclined. After all, I suppose you can pay someone to carry out the abovementioned rather than expect them from your lover?
Yet in idolising Rafayel as a lover better than any other man, I do wonder if these women have somehow convinced themselves to settle for something less. I also shudder to think of what will happen to the dating scene when advancement in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics come together to offer their latest alternative to human to human relationship.
What is also troubling is that where love is generally understood to involve mutual respect, commitment and the giving of self for the good of the other, love appears to have been reduced to becoming merely utilitarian in Deepspace.
It will not bode well for any society if more and more ascribes to this ideal that a “love that knows no bounds” simply refers to a disembodied love and where people treat the object of their love as an means for personal satisfaction rather than as a real individual with inherent worth and dignity. In contrast to the “love” extolled in Deepspace, Christians are called to imitate the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:1-2) where such loving actions will glorify God and contribute to human flourishing.
It is rather tragic when these women are so blind as to fail to see that Rafayel is incapable of initiating love apart from that which he is paid or programmed to do, that is if one can even consider it love in the first place. Given that Rafayel lacks self-autonomy and moral will, relationships in Deepspace is hardly reciprocal or authentic.
Ultimately, Deepspace can only offer a mirage of love for those yearning to quench their loneliness or unmet needs. Whatever emotional connections they may have felt will never truly satisfy them the way a relationship with the true and living God can. It will only be a matter of time when players will feel bored and thirst for something more.
AI may make some occupations or practices obsolete. But only humans, God’s image bearers, are capable of reflecting God’s love in this world and the world to come. Hopefully, people will get to experience a glimpse God’s love as Christians earnestly and humbly seek to love God and others. Even if some may feel Rafayel seems to be doing a better job.
