A Game of Love for Women: Social Support in Otome Game Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice in China

Title of the Paper

A Game of Love for Women: Social Support in Otome Game Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice in China

Paper Information

• Subject Area: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), online communities, female-oriented games, and multidimensional social support
• Keywords: Otome games, social support, female players, Chinese social games, gaming communities, emotional support, instrumental support, informational support, identity support, gender issues

Research Background and Issues

• Problems and Challenges:

  • The marginalization of female players in the gaming industry and the general lack of attention to the design of female-oriented games.
  • Insufficient channels for female players to seek emotional and social support in social media and real life.
  • Whether social support in games can extend to player communities and how such support manifests.

• Significance of the Research:

  • Otome games provide female players with a new space for social and emotional support, distinct from traditional male-centered game design.
  • Exploring social support in games contributes to understanding the positive social impacts of games on individuals and communities.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:

  • The HCI field is increasingly focusing on games as tools for social interaction and their positive impacts, but research on female gamers and their emotional support is limited.
  • Social support provided by games can offer marginalized groups (such as female players) new spaces to address social issues like gender inequality.

Solution

• Proposed Method:

  • Employ an ethnographic approach (participant observation, in-depth interviews) combined with quantitative analysis to examine player interactions within the game and online communities.
  • Introduce House’s social support theory to analyze four types of social support: emotional support, instrumental support, informational support, and identity support.

• Innovations:

  • Investigating the unique experiences of Chinese female players in Otome games and identifying specific types of social support.
  • Exploring how game design fosters emotional satisfaction, skill acquisition, and the building of social relationships.

• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques:

  • Data collection includes quantitative analysis (core posts and interaction data from Weibo communities) and qualitative research (participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 12 players).
  • Data analysis categorizes social support based on group interaction behaviors and uses interviews to reveal the comprehensive manifestation of social support.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:

  • Identified four forms of social support provided by the game and its community:
    • Emotional Support: Deep emotional connections between players and male characters, as well as mutual support among players in the community.
    • Informational Support: Sharing of information among players about game mechanics, item purchases, etc.
    • Instrumental Support: Game safety features helping women build a sense of security in real life, along with player-to-player support such as assistance with purchases and real-life issues.
    • Identity Support: Players enhancing self-identity through game experiences, such as learning positive traits from male characters, boosting self-worth and confidence.

• Advantages:

  • Games and communities tailored for women meet their diverse emotional and social needs.
  • Gaming communities serve as unique spaces for Chinese women to address gender inequality, gain a sense of security, and provide mutual support.

• Experimental and Evaluation Results:

  • Community data indicates frequent interactions among players, including answering questions, sharing experiences, and supporting activities.
  • Game design positively contributes to players’ self-improvement and self-identity.
  • Despite the support provided by the game and community, some players expressed concerns about conflicts within the community and dissatisfaction with commercialization.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • Limitations:
    • Over-reliance on commercialization in the community, which fails to fully meet players’ emotional and social support needs.
    • The game and community reinforce gender stereotypes and heteronormativity.
  • Future Directions:
    • Develop more diverse and inclusive game designs to cater to a broader audience, such as the LGBTQ community.
    • Explore the relationship and synergy between gaming communities and game companies to promote healthy community development.

Design Recommendations

1. Design more inclusive games: Incorporate non-heteronormative storylines and more diverse characters.
2. Allow players to participate in community management: Provide tools and permissions for community management to reduce conflicts and enhance satisfaction.
3. Consider the complex needs of players in game design, such as raising awareness of gender equality and designing cross-cultural social support frameworks.

Conclusion

This paper examines player interactions and community social support in the Chinese female-oriented game Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice, revealing that games are not only consumer products but also unique and viable platforms for social support among marginalized groups. The authors call for deeper and more inclusive exploration of game design in the HCI field and propose recommendations for improving gaming experiences and enhancing social functionality.