隨著越來越多女性玩家加入數位遊戲的體驗，許多遊戲公司，尤其是亞洲，開始提升開發專為女性玩家設計的遊戲 (Cosmos, 2017)。戀愛養成遊戲提供玩家與多位富含個人魅力的男性角色發展戀愛故事，打破以往漫畫和電視劇的書面限制，玩家能夠選擇與角色對話的選項，且加上配音員的加入，有別以往，遊戲沉浸感大幅提升，讓玩家能打造自己的戀愛故事。本研究探討了戀愛養成遊戲的理論與應用層面，特別是專注於玩家的遊戲體驗如何影響現實戀愛關係的關聯。根據Banks和Bowman (2013)的研究，遊戲玩家與虛擬化身之間的身分認同關係可以分為三種類型：化身為我、化身為共生體、化身為他者。此外，紙性戀 (Karhulahti & Välisalo, 2021) 的理論指的是讀者與虛構角色之間的情感關係。本研究結果展示這些理論可應用於分析玩家與與虛擬角色之間的關係。透過與16位女性玩家的深入訪談後，結果顯示大多數研究參與者對虛擬男性角色的情感與紙性戀的概念相符。同時，結果也證明了反身性思考在玩家於遊戲中探索情感時扮演非常重要的存在。

With the growing number of women participating in digital gaming, particularly in Asia, various companies are increasingly publishing games specifically targeting women (Cosmos, 2017). Otome games, which allow players to pursue romantic storylines with multiple attractive male characters through dialogue choices, break through the limitations of comics and television dramas. These games enable players to shape their own romantic experiences. This study explores the theoretical implications of otome games, specifically their influence on players' perceptions of real-life romantic relationships. According to Banks and Bowman (2013), the relationship between viewers and avatars can be categorized into three types: avatar-as-me, avatar-as-symbiote, and avatar-as-other. Additionally, the concept of Fictorelationship (Karhulahti & Välisalo, 2021) refers to the emotional connection between readers and fictional characters. In this study, the results show that these concepts can be applied to analyze the relationships between players and virtual characters in otome games. Interviews with 16 female gamers reveal that, for most participants, the emotional connection to the virtual character aligns with the idea of Fictorelationship. Finally, this study demonstrates the important role of reflexive thinking when players use otome games to explore their feelings.

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