“He’s more obedient than a dog… If only more of these dumb ones come along,” a character proclaims in a new video game that has ignited a debate about sexism in China.
The live-action game, “Revenge on Gold Diggers,” casts players as male protagonists who find themselves in relationships with women allegedly motivated by financial gain. The player’s choices determine the narrative’s trajectory.
Upon its release in June, the game quickly topped Steam’s sales charts, but controversy soon followed. Critics have accused the game of perpetuating harmful gender stereotypes, while supporters argue it serves as a cautionary tale about romantic scams.
The backlash prompted the game’s developers to quietly rename it “Emotional Anti-Fraud Simulator” the following day.
However, the name change did little to quell the criticism. Mark Hu, the game’s lead director and a Hong Kong filmmaker, has since been banned from several Chinese social media platforms.
The game’s creators maintain that they never intended to “target women,” but rather aimed to foster “open dialogue about emotional boundaries and the grey zones in modern dating.”
Xu Yikun, an artist who played the game and found it deeply offensive, disputes this justification. She accuses the developers of employing “a classic business model that thrives on generating content that sparks debate and divisions.”
Critics like Xu argue that the term “gold digger” itself is inherently misogynistic.
“It’s a label that’s used, all too often, on women,” Xu says. “Sexist jokes and derogatory terms like these have found their way into our everyday language.”
“If you have a rich boyfriend, you are called a gold digger. If you try to make yourself look pretty, you are called a gold digger… Sometimes the label is used on you merely for accepting a drink from someone,” she adds.
However, some players believe the criticism is unwarranted.
“The game isn’t trying to say that all women are gold diggers… I don’t find it targeting either gender,” says 31-year-old Zhuang Mengsheng, who spoke to the BBC under a pseudonym. “Both women and men can be gold diggers.”
Yet, in the game, all the “gold diggers” are depicted as women. From a young online influencer to an ambitious entrepreneur, they are all portrayed as scheming to extract money and gifts from men.
“Want to know if a man loves you? See how much he spends,” one character says.
The game has sparked division even among local media outlets. One newspaper from Hubei province described the game as “labelling an entire gender as fraudsters.”
In contrast, Beijing Youth Daily praised the game for its “creativity,” citing the financial impact of love scams, which amounted to approximately 2 billion yuan ($279 million; £204 million) in 2023, according to data from the National Anti-Fraud Centre.
“We need to put a stop to emotional fraud without delay,” the newspaper stated in an editorial.
Despite the controversy, sales of the game have continued to surge. It now ranks among China’s top ten titles for the PC platform, surpassing even Black Myth: Wukong, which is considered one of the most successful Chinese games of all time.
“I don’t get why people are upset about this. If you aren’t a gold digger yourself, why should you feel attacked by this game?” says a 28-year-old man.
“I actually thought the game’s creators are very bold. These issues [like emotional fraud] aren’t widely discussed enough in China.”
Some online commentators have suggested that the game is inspired by the real-life story of a Chinese man, known as Fat Cat online, who died by suicide last year after a breakup.
His death triggered intense online discussions, where the term “gold digger” was frequently used, with some accusing his ex-girlfriend of exploiting him and causing his death. Police have dismissed these allegations.
Women who spoke to the BBC express concern that the video game reinforces problematic gender norms in China, where society often expects women to prioritize domestic roles and men to be the primary breadwinners.
Consequently, for women, marrying well has traditionally been viewed as more important than professional success.
Official rhetoric from the male-dominated Chinese Communist Party reinforces this perspective. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly urged women to embrace their roles as “good wives and mothers.”
The government has also cracked down on a growing number of activists advocating for gender equality.
“I feel a game like that merely fans hostility between men and women,” says one woman, who requested anonymity due to fear of online harassment.
“It casts women, once again, as the inferior gender who have to somehow find ways to please men to earn their livelihoods.”
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