Love by Commission: Performing Intimacy in Chinese Otome Game Fandom

Abstract

This thesis examines the emerging practice of “cosplay commissions” (cos委托 cos weituo)within the fandom of Chinese otome games. Otome games, which are romantic simulation games primarily targeted at female audiences, invite players to form emotional attachments to idealized male characters through scripted heterosexual narratives. In China, the rapid success of titles such as Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice (2017), Light and Night (2021), and Love and Deepspace (2024) has expanded the audience for female-oriented romance games and fostered vibrant fan communities. Within these communities, some players extend virtual romance into embodied encounters by paying female cosplayers to portray their favorite male characters in staged “dates.” These commissioned meetings may partially replicate in-game scenarios, but they also generate new interactions through reallife performance, allowing participants to further personalize their romantic fantasies. As a form of paid encounter, cosplay commissions intertwine affective performance, emotional labor, and monetary exchange, creating a distinctive form of commodified intimacy. Cosplay commissions thus produce layered relational dynamics: between the commissioner and the cosplayer, the commissioner and the fictional male character, and the cosplayer and the role she performs. Through these triangular relationships, digital romance is translated into embodied interaction on intimacy while remaining structured by the economic transaction that makes the encounter possible. Drawing on ethnographic observation and interviews within the Chinese otome game fandom, this thesis analyzes how cosplay commissions function as a cultural practice through which participants experiment with mediated forms of romance. Although the practice may appear visually transgressive, particularly through the performance of female cross-dressing masculinity, it often remains embedded within broader heteronormative romantic imaginaries. At the same time, the monetary dimension of cosplay commissions complicates the boundary between affection and service, raising questions about the commodification of emotion and the affective labor involved in performing intimacy.