From Parasocial Interaction to Relationship: A Study on Virtual Intimacy in Otome Games——A Case Study of Love and Deepspace

In the digital media era, otome games, as a typical carrier of virtual intimate relationships, continuously shape the emotional experience patterns of young people. Based on the parasocial interaction theory, this study adopts in-depth interviews and participant observation to systematically explore the construction mechanism, typological characteristics and influence paths of virtual intimate relationships in such games. The research finds that games effectively promote the development from parasocial interaction to stable parasocial relationships between players and characters through realistic character shaping, narrative-driven plots and immersive scenarios. Virtual relationships are categorized into three types: friendship-oriented, romance-oriented and virtual-pet-oriented, which expand the typological dimension of traditional parasocial relationship (PSR) theory. Such relationships exert dual influences: they satisfy psychological needs through emotional compensation and identity recognition, while also triggering negative effects such as media dependence and excessive consumption due to emotional capitalization.This study provides a theoretical reference for understanding the complexity of digital emotional interaction, and offers implications for the ethical governance and healthy design of games.