Introduction:Female players have usually been absent in video games, especially competitive video games until recently. Indeed, “otome game (players encounter with different male characters, fall in love, and pursue ideal endings)” has become a niche market of “she-economy” in China. In this virtual world where men rather than women are gazed and consumed, female players are able to revolt against traditional Chinese gender-power relations (women inferior to men) and explore gender identity through avatar.
Methodology: I choose orange light game (https://www.66rpg.com), one of the most popular online female-oriented game community in China, as the object.Semi-structured depth interviews were conducted with eight female gamers between 14 and 23 years old from Orange Light Game.
Findings and discussions: Findings indicate that female gamers show halfway resistance to unequal gender-power relations.
Revolt: Firstly, they pursue an advantage in power system and desire to master the initiative in a relationship.Take “gender transformation” in alternative universe (fan fiction) as an example.This kind of otome game rewrites Chinese classics through depicting a female equivalent of original male protagonist and vice versa. The typical narrative in original works revolves round the growth of one male protagonist who is usually admired by several female protagonists. This gender transformation from “Gary Stu (a male equivalent of Mary Sue)” to “Mary Sue” involves a rewriting of gender-power relation, in which the power structure of strong men and weak women is totally reversed.
Secondly, some even try to break the existing gender pattern and derive a new model for power and extreme feeling of revelry.The model of “NP” ending is derived by female players to master and wield power. The verb “piao 嫖” used by female players is originally exclusive to men who go whoring, but recently has changed to a jargon which describes female players’ consumption on male characters. They regard men as the object of being lewd, gazed and controlled, and during which they gain the pleasure of revolting against male power and satisfaction of consuming male beauty.
Thirdly, through avatar, they identify an independent and wise female image with androgyny.Gender stereotype describes women as a subject of unenlightened, fragile and passive. In traditional Japanese otome games, female protagonists are also ideal innocent young girl, fragile and ordinary. Yet,orange light game provides female players a context to break gender stereotype and pursue their favorable avatar. The plot of “heroine saves a prince” reflects a desire for revising power.
Negotiation:Yet, their compromise of hegemonic masculinity, and docility of social means embody their halfway resistance and negotiation with unequal gender-power relations.In Chinese traditional values, the principles of moderation, balance and harmony are essential parts. Female plays hold dual attitudes towards hegemony. On the one hand, they disgust male chauvinism and prefertender male. Those with hidden weaknesses and fragility tend to induce their sympathy and maternity. On the other hand, those in a passive status, particularly younger lads often remain marginalized because female players still expect male characters to “act like a man.”