Avatar, Character, and Real Me : The player-avatar and player-character relationships in Love and Deepspace

Abstract

In this thesis, I explore how Chinese female players perceive their relationships with the avatar and characters respectively in the free-to-play otome (F2P) title Love and Deepspace, as well as the factors that shape these relationships. Existing research on the player-avatar relationship has largely focused on massively multiplayer online role-playing and PC-based games, and less attention has been paid to F2P titles, especially female-oriented romance games. In addition, studies of player-character relationship often rely on the concept of parasocial experience, a framework that this thesis moves beyond. Instead, I use the term techno-intimacy to examine the reciprocal relationship between players and characters.

By conducting 9 semi-structured interviews with Chinese female players and using reflexive thematic analysis, I further develop the player-avatar relationship and raises the avatar-as-resisted-symbiote concept. It also suggests techno-intimacy as a more suitable framework than parasocial experience for understanding players’ relationships with love interest. Through a posthumanist lens, the thesis questions fixed separations between players, avatars, and characters, and examines how these relations are shaped by mobile platforms and the socio-cultural context of contemporary China. By foregrounding Chinese otome players’ perspectives and the factors shaping their intimate gameplay experiences, I contribute to otome studies, avatar studies, and research on gendered digital intimacy in contemporary Chinese game cultures.