Scripted Romance, Real Bills: Inside China's Paid-Love Role-Playing Games

A few hours of scripted romance can leave a lasting bill.

A 16-year-old girl in Shanghai spent about 170,000 yuan (US$25,000) over two years on romance-focused role-playing games and accumulated about 100,000 yuan in debt, Kankan News reported.

Her mother said records showed 314 transactions at one venue, many priced at 388 or 488 yuan, with monthly spending peaking at more than 15,000 yuan. The teenager also sold family gold and electronic devices to finance her spending, according to the report.

The family discovered the extent of the problem after police contacted them over a financial dispute involving money the girl had borrowed.

Her mother said venue staff repeatedly encouraged the teenager to spend more, at times asking her to help them meet sales targets. She also accused the venue of failing to properly verify her daughter's age.

According to Kankan News, the mother said venue representatives initially told her that their games were open to customers aged 12 and older and that they would neither issue a refund nor take further action. She quoted one representative as saying that other parents of underage customers had previously contacted the venue and that reporting the matter to police would produce no result.

At the center of the story is "lianpei," or "love companionship" – a paid romantic role commonly found in emotional "jubensha," China's popular scripted role-playing games.

For eight to 10 hours, a customer can step into a carefully constructed love story. A paid host or non-player character becomes a devoted partner, delivering scripted declarations, improvising intimate exchanges and making the player feel chosen above everyone else in the room.

The plot may be make-believe, but the attention can feel intensely personal. For some players, one ending is never enough.

A 24-year-old Shanghai woman surnamed Xiao watched the same fictional lover sacrifice himself for her more than 10 times, Sixth Tone reported. At the height of her involvement, she played two or three games a week and sometimes spent more than 1,000 yuan on a single session.

The base fee is often only the beginning. Wanzi, a Beijing player interviewed by Sanlian Lifeweek, said she spent about 3,000 yuan a month. When too few people joined a game, she sometimes covered part of their fees so the session could go ahead with a complete cast.

Then came the extras: costumes, professional styling, meals and gifts for performers. In effect, customers are buying more than a seat in a game. They are paying for continuity – the same appearance, the same lines and the same feeling of being wanted.

That expectation creates pressure for performers as well.

Hosts must make repeat customers feel that each encounter is special while performing the same character for many people. Returning players may expect a favorite line, gesture or expression to be recreated exactly.

A host known as Huahua told Sanlian Lifeweek that he devised new interactions for returning players. He also defended the importance of serving the entire story, including characters outside the central romance. His account illustrates a tension within the business: Customers may seek individual attention, while performers remain responsible for an ensemble narrative.

One Shanghai host told Sixth Tone that a woman had booked him 77 times in a single year.

Physical boundaries can also become blurred during performances.

A Beijing player using the pseudonym Xiaoxin told a CCTV.com investigation that a host kissed her forehead without permission after she had repeatedly resisted his advances. She said she did not immediately stop the game because she feared disrupting the experience for the other players.

The risks may be greater during private "dark room" scenes, in which players and hosts interact away from the main group. Rules governing physical contact are often negotiated informally, while surveillance practices differ among venues.

Even when physical boundaries are respected, emotional ones may be less clear.

Psychological counselor Tang Jing told CCTV.com that feelings generated by an immersive story may persist after the performance ends. Players may transfer their affection for a fictional lover to the person playing the role, she said.

The industry is not without regulation. Rules issued by five central government departments in 2022 require scripted-entertainment venues to display age guidance, take measures to prevent minors from becoming addicted and refuse service to minors outside national holidays, weekends and school vacations. Venues must also bar minors from activities deemed unsuitable for them.

The Putuo District Culture and Tourism Bureau later inspected the venue involved in the Shanghai case and instructed it to improve its notices concerning age limits and suitable audiences, according to a statement.

The venue told officials that it had previously advised the girl to reduce her spending and offered to refund 10,000 yuan. The two sides failed to agree on the amount, and the bureau advised the family that it could pursue the dispute through legal channels.