China women pay for ‘companions’ in role-playing games, spark love commercialisation debate

An orphan, trained as a cold-hearted assassin, learns what love truly means from a master thief. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, however, she kills her lover, granting him freedom as her final gift.Joyce, from Shenzhen in southern China, played this female killer in a script-killing game, and after a 10-hour plot unfolding, tears streamed down her face upon reaching this ending.She is one of many participating in the recently booming romantic script-killing games in China.In traditional script-killing games, a type of role-playing game, six to 10 players sit around a table, each taking on a different role to solve a murder mystery.In the romantic version, a female player is paired with a male host who plays her lover, acting out their romantic relationship as scripted. Other players engage in side plots that range from murder mysteries to family dramas and power struggles.Players have shared on RedNote that some hosts, with consent, may hold hands with female participants, lift them in a princess carry, or even give them a light peck on the cheek. Photo: WeixinThe male host’s role is clearly defined, such as childhood sweethearts, but the most popular scenario involves a late husband still protecting his wife as a ghost. The common thread in these stories is that “they only love you” and stand by you unconditionally.