Micro-Resistance in Romance:

Gender Identity and Agency in a 3D Otome Game

Abstract

Otome games, which originated in Japan, are a niche category targeting a female audience. In recent years, female gamers account for nearly half of China’s gaming population, and otome games have become a major hit in China’s gaming market. Despite the immense popularity of video games which are specifically designed for female players, scholarship still lacks sufficient exploration of female gaming (Lopez- Fernandez et al., 2019), and research on Chinese otome games and players is still scarce (Ganzon, 2019). Existing studies on Chinese otome games have explored romantic beliefs (Song and Fox, 2016), the images of female characters (Huan, 2022), and gendered gaming culture (Liu and Lai, 2022). However, the dynamics between female players’ in-game experiences and gender identity have remained relatively unexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining Love and Deepspace, China’s pioneering 3D otome game. Through the multi-modal analysis and semi-structured interviews, this research investigates how 3D visual elements, game mechanics, and the player ecology in the game community shape female gamers’ perceptions and experiences, contributing to the negotiation of their gender identity. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s (1988) and Judith Butler’s (2004) approaches, this article examines how interactions between players and Love and Deepspace reflect and reshape broader socio-cultural norms around gender.