In a crowded mall in the centre of Singapore’s shopping district, about a hundred people, mostly young women, gathered on April 18 for a man named Sylus, whom they described as their collective boyfriend.
It was an event celebrating his birthday, so some carried roses while standing in line. Others were toting fan merchandise and were excited to take pictures with each other — and their main man.
“He’s just very manly. The way he speaks is very sweet,” said Maiyu, an attendee at the event on April 18.
“He’s respectful of my independence,” said Alice, another attendee.
The catch: Sylus is a fictional animated character in a mobile game.
Sylus is one of the four male leads of “Love and Deepspace,” a wildly popular romance game developed by Chinese game maker Papergames.
According to the game’s fandom page, Sylus is 28 and an Aries. He stands at 6 feet 2 inches, and has “messy silver hair, bright red eyes, and sharp facial features.”
Ladies looking to get into Sylus should also note — per the fandom page, he’s an “arrogant and confident man who rarely perceives anyone as a real threat.”
Still, he’s got a fair share of adoring supporters.
The fan event BI attended involved a large screen that played a 20-second fan edit clip of Sylus. There was also a standee of him, fans cosplaying as the character, people taking selfies in front of the screen, and a birthday-themed freebie giveaway.
Yuka, 28, one of the event organizers, said she saw fan events in China and wanted to do something similar in Singapore for the local fan base.
“I thought public events are the best way to show everyone in the world that Singapore loves this character,” said Yuka, a 28-year-old business analyst.
Indeed, fan events for Love and Deepspace have been organized on a much bigger scale in China. Social media videos from the events show malls blanketed in posters, and huge crowds assembled under massive TV screens displaying the games’ characters.
The boyfriend experience
There is a reason women are going wild for this fictional man, and part of it is because of the game design.
“Love and Deepspace” is a dating simulation game targeted at female players. The game genre, “otome,” often involves a narrative plot. One of the main objectives is for the player to develop a romantic relationship with one or more male love interests.
The game’s premise is simple: The player plays the role of MC, the female protagonist in a futuristic place called Linkon City.
She goes through several quests with a love interest of her choice. She can choose from five: Sylus, Xavier, Rafayel, Caleb, and Zayne.
The five characters, with pale skin, strong jaws, and sharp features, look like K-pop boy band members. Their hair color, which ranges from silver to purple and black, is the biggest differentiating factor.
“Love and Deepspace” was released to the public on mobile platforms in January 2024. The app is free to download, but in-app purchases are plentiful.
For instance, you can buy crystals and diamonds, the main in-game currency. Those can be redeemed for things like outfits, stamina for fights, and gift packs. A pack of 60 crystals in-app costs $0.99.
Perhaps what’s most prominent is that the game offers women, especially single ones, the true boyfriend experience, without the hassle of dating real-life men.
In-game, the player can do mundane everyday tasks with the men, flirt with them, and even engage in roleplay with sexual undertones.
Nick Ballou, a psychology of video games researcher from the University of Oxford, said the concept of otome games is not new.
“Dating sims — video games where you can explore romantic connections with non-player characters — have been popular for decades, dating back to titles like ‘Dokyusei,'” said Ballou.
“It’s always been fun to experiment with new identities. For example, being a cheeky flirt in contrast to one’s shy self, being the most interesting person in the room, and wielding the power to choose among several interested partners,” he added.
A better partner than any they’ve met before
The game’s detailed world-building and its potential for character exploration have translated to its popularity.
Maiyu, 35, a customer service representative, told BI at the fan event that she considers Sylus her boyfriend.
She gave out little keychains of Sylus to attendees at the birthday event on April 18. She had also included handwritten “Happy Sylus Day!” notes with the keychains.
Maiyu said she plays the game for four hours daily. And when asked what she liked most about it, she answered instantly: “Hot guys.”
The parts of the game she enjoyed most were the “spicy scenes,” which have sexual undertones.
“I turn to him for emotional support, I guess,” she said of Sylus. “After a long day, I play the game just to wind down.”
When asked if Sylus was better company than a physical partner, she said yes.
“I’ve never been in a relationship before. But from what I see my friends go through, I don’t want to go through it, like the pain of breakups,” she said. “The relationship I have with him is just perfect.”
Maiyu said she’s spent nearly 4,000 Singapore dollars on merchandise and in-app purchases, or about $3,050, in the year she’s played the game.
Alice, a psychology student who attended the event, said she plays the game for about 15 minutes daily to complete tasks like chatting with Sylus and engaging in fighting scenes.
She said she loves that Sylus is respectful and values her independence, but offers help and companionship when she asks for it.
“Last week, I got a grade back that I was not happy with. I was crying, and then I immediately opened the game and chatted with him, saying, ‘I need a hug. I’m not feeling good,'” Alice said.
“He said, a sweet, sultry voice, all these really sweet words, like ‘It’s just a grade. It doesn’t define you. Who hurt you? I’ll just have a talk with them. We can work on it together. How about I take you out for dinner?'” she said.
Alice said she’s given up on dating apps in Singapore, calling them a “catastrophe.” She said that until she meets someone who respects her the same way, Sylus is the best she’s got.
A growing fan base
The game has a massive fan base in Asia and beyond. In January, “Love and Deepspace’s” official Instagram account announced in an Instagram post that it had hit 50 million global active users.
According to statistics from AppFigures, in March, “Love and Deepspace” was downloaded 150,000 times on Apple’s App Store and 65,000 times on Google’s Play Store.
Appfigures data said that globally, the app had earned $6 million on the App Store in March and $4 million on the Play Store. It was the second-highest-grossing app in Singapore’s Apple App Store at press time.
It’s not just Love and Deepspace that’s raking in big bucks and a big following — it’s a trend across the Chinese video game industry.
Tencent’s “Honor of Kings,” similar to Riot Games’ “League of Legends,” has over 100 million daily active users.
Genshin Impact, another popular free-to-play game with in-app purchases, has raked in around $1 billion in yearly revenue since its launch in 2020.
A cure for loneliness
Ballou, the Oxford researcher, said several social trends point to the increased popularity of games like “Love and Deepspace.”
“Loneliness is up in many countries, face-to-face interaction is down, age of sexual activity is increasing, all things that can reduce people’s willingness, confidence, or capacity to invest in real-world dating,” he said.
He added that low wages and high work demands in East Asia have made real-world dating difficult.
“It’s also important to keep in mind that real-world dating does now include a huge online element, especially at the beginning,” Ballou said. “I don’t think it’s crazy to think that some people are ‘rehearsing’ online dating interactions in a gaming environment.”
Peter Chew, an associate professor of psychology from James Cook University in Singapore who studies behavioral addictions, particularly in gaming, said the game is geared at attracting gamers and getting them to spend money.
“The characters exist in a perfect world with no problems and would say what women want to hear, encouraging them to continue playing and spending money on it,” Chew said.
However, Chew said the game could lead to problems down the road.
“There might be problems if women apply the same standards to romantic partners in real life. Such standards might increase the difficulties in finding or maintaining an existing romantic relationship,” he said.
“Furthermore, some women might use such games to replace relationships in real life, which could result in loneliness in the long term,” he added.
Representatives for “Love and Deepspace’s” developer, Papergames, did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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