Love And Deepspace mobile game: Virtual romance, real money

Some Singaporeans spend thousands of dollars in the game, saying the virtual love interests offer emotional support in a way a real boyfriend would

- Calista Wong

Twice a day, designer Sheri, a devoted wife and mother of a toddler, interacts with her ideal man – handsome, successful and charismatic. Sylus, who stands at 1.9m and has a muscular build and striking facial features like a celebrity, is in her eyes perfect in almost every single way.

Except Sylus is not real. He is a virtual character in Love And Deepspace – a free-to-play simulator mobile game launched in January 2024 by Chinese video game company Papergames.

In the game, players adopt the female lead's perspective in its sci-fi fantasy story, and can battle monsters and go on dates with any of the five virtual eligible bachelors who are designed with 3D character modelling.

Since its launch, Love And Deepspace has earned more than US$500 million (S$667.5 million) worldwide on the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store, reported AFP.

The game boasts some 50 million users worldwide and Ms Sheri, who is in her early 30s and declined to give her full name, is among a growing group of Singaporeans who play it.

For instance, a notable social media account run by a group of fans called Deepspacebb_and_me began with around 100 Instagram followers in October 2024. The number has since grown to over 700, with the group also gaining more than 400 followers across other platforms, including TikTok and Xiaohongshu.

Since she started playing the game in March 2024, Ms Sheri has spent up to $300 a month to purchase its virtual currency, which can be exchanged for items in the game.

Her husband, a software engineer in his 40s who asked to be known only as Mr Tan, has no issues with her virtual escapades. "I am all right with this hobby of hers, as long as she keeps her spending under control and is reasonable about it," he said.

ROMANCE, COMBAT AND MERCHANDISE

A fan of the game's battle feature, Ms Sheri appreciates how its romantic elements integrate with the combat system.