China's anti-romance scam game a steam hit – but not everyone's in love
A new Chinese interactive film-game is taking Steam by storm – and triggering serious debate about gender, emotional manipulation, and modern love.
Originally titled "Revenge on Gold Diggers," the game shot to No. 1 on Steam's China sales chart, even leapfrogging 2024's blockbuster "Black Myth: Wukong." Globally, it climbed as high as No. 3, earning a 96 percent positive review rate.
But its success hasn't come without controversy.
Teaser of game on its Steam page.
Billed as China's first "dating anti-fraud simulator," the game blends cinematic storytelling with a branching narrative structure that allows players to explore complex emotional traps. Wu navigates relationships with six different women, each tied to a different scam tactic. The choices players make determine which of the game's 38 endings they'll experience.
The interactive experience includes nearly eight hours of live-action video, more than 200 decision points, and a 140,000-word "Love Scam Knowledge Archive" intended to educate players on the mechanics of emotional fraud. It also features hundreds of recorded voice lines that help guide players through moments of tension, manipulation, and introspection.
Just by clicking choices to the players' liking, the story can be developped into as many as 38 endings.
Why it's going viral
Supporters say the game offers emotional education for young men, using branching narratives to expose tactics like livestream flirting-for-profit, luxury gift extortion and emotional blackmail disguised as love.
By using a third-person perspective, players explore realistic emotional traps without feeling personally attacked – a design choice that's drawn praise from fans and even some state media outlets.
"Laws and tech can fight fraud – but rational awareness is the true line of defense," Beijing Youth Daily wrote on June 23.
Creator Mark Hu's Bilibili account has been banned after the game "Dating Anti-Fraud Simulator" was released on June 19.
Still, the game has faced intense criticism – mostly around its original title. "Revenge on Gold Diggers" used a slang term for materialistic women, leading many to accuse the game of gender stereotyping and misogyny.
After public pressure, the developers rebranded it as Dating Anti-Fraud Simulator, and even had their official Bilibili account suspended amid the backlash.
The creators insist they never intended to "target women."
"We want to spark open dialogue about emotional boundaries and the gray zones in modern dating," they said in a statement. "Real progress comes from consensus – and consensus starts with conversation."
The timing of the game's rise aligns with growing concern over online romance scams in China. According to the 2023 Telecom Network Fraud Governance Report by the National Anti-Fraud Center, love scams accounted for more than 2 billion yuan (US$275 million) in losses last year alone.
Nearly 70 percent of victims were between the ages of 18 and 35.
The "Love Intelligence Archive" feature in the game was created to raise awareness among players.
Dating Anti-Fraud Simulator is part of a broader trend in China's indie gaming industry, which has increasingly embraced live-action interactive games blending cinema and gameplay.
The genre gained traction in 2023 following the success of Love Is All Around, and has since seen the release of over 20 titles, many of which have received "overwhelmingly positive" reviews on Steam.
According to indie studio Mountain & Sea, these games are relatively low-risk ventures. Most titles are priced between 40 and 50 yuan, with production costs generally under 1 million yuan. Development cycles are short – often just three to six months – and top-performing games can gross several million yuan, making the format both efficient and commercially viable.
The 2023 live-action interactive hit "Love Is All Around."
Steam remains the platform of choice for these interactive experiences. What began as a niche corner of the indie market is now evolving into a viable storytelling model.
Whether viewed as a breakthrough in emotional education or a problematic portrayal of women, Dating Anti-Fraud Simulator has clearly struck a nerve.
