Study explores why otome game players feel close to fictional characters

Otome games are often described as romance simulators built around the fantasy of being chosen by a fictional partner. A new study of 131 players in the United States suggests that the emotional appeal is more complicated than that shorthand implies. The paper found that romantic closeness to game characters was linked to both enjoyment and a sense that the experience had meaning, but it did not find a statistically significant link between that closeness and the feeling that a character was responding personally to the player. ¹²

The study behind the story

Elena Yifei Zhao and Nicholas D. Bowman published the study, “He’s Just a Pixel Guy: How U.S. Players Experience Otome Games”, in Games and Culture. It examines how American players experience games centred on romantic relationships between women players and male non-player characters. The researchers also compare their results with earlier research involving players in China. ¹

The study measured four ideas: perceived reciprocity, or the sense that a character is responding to the player; romantic closeness; hedonic enjoyment, meaning fun and pleasure; and eudaimonic appreciation, meaning the feeling that a game is emotionally affecting or meaningful. The researchers then tested three predictions about how those experiences might relate to one another. ¹

Romance matters, but reciprocity is not the whole answer

The first prediction was that players who felt a stronger sense of reciprocity would also feel closer to their characters. In the American sample, that prediction was not supported. The reported path coefficient was β = .07, with p = .512, which means the study did not find a statistically significant relationship between the two measures. That result does not prove that responsive dialogue or branching choices never matter. It means this particular sample did not provide strong enough evidence for that proposed relationship. ¹

The other two predictions were supported. Romantic closeness showed a positive relationship with hedonic enjoyment, with β = .47 and p < .001. It also showed a positive relationship with eudaimonic appreciation, with β = .71 and p < .001. In plain English, players who felt closer to the characters also tended to describe the games as more enjoyable and more emotionally or meaningfully rewarding. ¹

The researchers compared those findings with earlier Chinese data. On a 0–100 scale, the American participants reported average scores of 61.75 for perceived reciprocity and 72.05 for romantic closeness. The earlier Chinese sample reported higher averages of 70.74 and 80.06 respectively, and it did show a significant relationship between reciprocity and closeness. The comparison suggests that the way players understand fictional relationships may not be identical across cultures, although the study cannot prove that culture caused the difference. ¹²

Why a character can feel close without feeling reciprocal

The paper offers several possible explanations for the American result, while stressing that these are possibilities rather than demonstrated causes. Some players may feel social pressure or stigma around describing a fictional character as a romantic partner. Others may enjoy a character’s story while remaining fully aware that the dialogue is scripted and programmed. That distinction could make a player feel emotionally close to a character without describing the relationship as genuinely mutual. ¹

The player’s relationship with the protagonist may matter too. Some players treat the protagonist as an extension of themselves, while others experience the protagonist as a separate character whose story they are watching and guiding. The study discusses this possibility through the Player–Avatar Relationship framework, but it did not formally measure or classify those different player-avatar relationships. They remain useful questions for future research, not conclusions established by this paper. ¹

The study has other limits. Its sample consisted of 131 American players, so the results cannot automatically be generalised to every player in the United States or elsewhere. It was also a cross-sectional questionnaire study, meaning it measured relationships between answers at one point in time rather than proving that one experience causes another. The cultural comparison is suggestive, but more research would be needed to separate culture from differences in samples, games and player backgrounds. ¹

What the research says about romance games

The most useful takeaway is not that otome games trick players into feeling close to characters, or that interactivity does not matter. It is that closeness can be part of a satisfying game experience even when players do not interpret a character’s programmed responses as personal reciprocity. A player may value the writing, emotional arc and sense of companionship while keeping a clear boundary between fictional intimacy and a two-way human relationship.

That distinction is increasingly relevant as romance games add more voiced dialogue, live-service events and personalised interactions. The technology may make a character feel more present, but presence alone does not explain why the relationship matters. The study points towards a wider answer: players bring their own expectations, cultural context and understanding of the protagonist to the experience.

Our opinion

This research is a useful corrective to the idea that romance-game appeal can be reduced to a character saying the right thing at the right time. The strongest finding is the link between romantic closeness and both pleasure and meaning. It treats players’ feelings as a serious part of game design without pretending that a programmed character has independent intentions.

The unanswered question is just as interesting. If players can feel close without feeling that a character is truly responding to them, then the emotional centre of an otome game may sit less in simulated reciprocity and more in interpretation: how the player reads the character, the protagonist and the relationship built by the story. That is a richer explanation than “the character makes you feel loved”, and it gives future research plenty to investigate.