Love for a Handsome Man Requires a Lot of Friends - Sociability Practices Related to Romance Games (Otome Games) in Japan

Aug 21, 2026

Japan is the world’s largest producer of love simulation games, where female players are tasked with seducing male characters yet, in practice, the games foster women’s friendship networks. Relationship success depends on weaving this network carefully in both gameplay and everyday life. Building on the analysis of these seemingly contradictory dynamics, the study proposes that otome games help users “outsmart” gender expectations and resist social norms amid fears surrounding declining birthrates. Strategies turning otome games into identity tools are examined.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Social dynamics in otome games

Gender expectations and stigma resistance

Purpose and research focus

Diogenes (2024), 65, 14–30 doi:10.1017/S0392192123000147 A RT IC L E Love for a handsome man requires a lot of friends: Sociability practices related to romance games (Otome Games) in Japan Agnès Giard University of Paris Nanterre (Sophiapol EA3932), Nanterre, France [Email:](Email: aniesu.giard@gmail.com)[ aniesu.giard@gmail.com](Email: aniesu.giard@gmail.com) (Received 21 November 2023; accepted 21 November 2023) Abstract Japan is the world’s largest producer of love simulation games, revealing a curious feature: these games, in theory, assign female players to the unique task of seducing a male character, but, in reality, they promote the establishment of a network of friendship between women. Love cannot be achieved if this network isnot carefully woven both in play and in real life. Based on the analysis of this double dynamics, outwardly contradictory, I would like to advance the following hypothesis: that such games enable their users to ‘outsmart’ gender expectations. These games, called otome games, became popular in the context of a national panic related to the declining birthrate: they target the market of women who – living alone or with their parents – are held responsible for the future shortfall of the system. These new generations of women don’t start a family. They have no children. How do they manage to ward off exclusion and stigma? The study will focus on the strategies collectively devised to turn otome games into an identity-building tool, promoting friendship between players as a means of resistance against social norms. Keywords: Japan; fandom; gender norms; games; network; marriage; love Japan is currently the world’s leading producer of romance videogames.1 Dubbed ‘love simulation games’(rabu shimurēshon gēmu 恋愛シミュレーションゲーム) or, alternatively,‘games for young women’(otome gēmu 乙女ゲーム), such games feature a variety of computer-generated ‘handsome men’(ikemenイケメン) . The aim is for the 1This article is based on a fieldwork which started in 2016 as a personal research project before being awarded a fellowship under the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. It was conducted under the guidance of Matsumoto Takuya (Kyto University) in 2018-2019 and was pursued at Freie Universität Berlin as part of the project EMTECH ( Emotional Machines: The Technological Transformation of Intimacy in Japan ) . This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no 714666) . © The Author(s), 2024 . Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf ofFédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie / International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP). This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence ([http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited. [https://doi.org/10.1017/S0392192123000147](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0392192123000147) Published online by Cambridge University Press Diogenes 15 female player to pick her favorite ikemen and then experience a love story set up asa pre-written dialogue, with multiple endings. She is entitled to five complimentary episodes every day. She must make decisions while reading. If the male character hugs her, for example, should she 1 . Push him away 2 . Resist him 3 . Give in to him? Depending on the decisions made during the game, the story may end in failure or a declaration of love, followed by passionate kisses. It’s important to note, though, that pleasing the male character isn’t enough to win him over; a friendship network with other female players is also required. It is this network – built both within the game (online) and in real life (offline)– that can make or break a love story. It may appear strange that such ga

FAQs

What social network do otome games encourage besides romantic choices?

Otome games require players to build a friendship network with other female players, both online in the game and offline in real life. This network can determine whether the romance story succeeds.

How do the games relate to changing gender expectations in Japan?

The study argues that otome games enable users to “outsmart” gender expectations by both reflecting and challenging traditional divisions of male and female roles. Friendship among players becomes a mechanism to resolve societal contradictions.

Why is declining birthrate context relevant to the popularity of otome games?

Otome games became popular amid national panic over the declining birthrate, targeting women who are held responsible for the future shortfall. The research focuses on how players ward off exclusion and stigma through strategies built collectively around the games.

Aug 21, 2026

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