"It's over!I'm Surrounded by Beauty" (hereinafter referred to as "Perfect") is a live-action interactive video game that exploded on Steam this winter. Players immerse themselves in the role of the male protagonist Gu Yi from a first-person perspective, six beauties of different styles compete to show him their love, and the male protagonist increases or decreases his favorability by interacting with them, starting the love process. The use of live-action images has made it a rare male romance game in China, and at present, netizens' evaluation of this game has sparked a heated discussion about gender ideology.
There are two main points of view: one is criticism. The way women are dressed and presented in the game will make women uncomfortable. At the same time, in the game setting, the debt-ridden male protagonist is scrambled by all kinds of beauties, which is seen by many as "reinforcement of the preferential treatment of men in society". There are also many voices of praise, many male players said, "I feel cared for through the game", "I can buy pure love for 42 yuan (game price), and it is very cost-effective".
There are also players who believe that in the process of playing this game, they have experienced a shift from initial disdain to the last enthusiastic recommendation, and they are both ashamed to admit that they are addicted to this "direct give" game, and they cannot extricate themselves from immersing themselves in it.
So, if we look at this game from a feminist perspective, what new inspirations will it have?In addition to criticism, is it possible for us to dissolve our distortion with a playful attitude, or even move towards understanding?"Male" and "weak".There is indeed a phenomenon of "male gaze" in "Perfection". To a large extent, this is as British feminist theorist Laura Mulvey analyzes the "male gaze" in her essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema": male characters dominate the plot, while female characters are only their reward. That is, male** while females are watched. To a large extent, female subjectivity and diversity are sacrificed in order to satisfy the male gaze and desires. Moreover, under the patriarchal framework, works produced by and for men can lead to multiple constraints for female audiences, and even forced to objectify their own kind. [For example, the character of "Lin Yueqing" (Hao Hao's mother) in "Perfect", because of his overly curved dress and childish way of speaking, is closest to the sexually objectified stunner image in traditional, which can easily make female gamers feel uncomfortable.
"It's over!I'm Surrounded by Beautiful Girls" game screenshot, the picture shows the character Hao Hao's mother, however, the theory needs to be placed in the context to fully present its rationality, and its criticality can play a role. In the current era, with the progress of society, the outdated image of women and the outdated "sexually objectified" characters portrayed by "Perfection" no longer hurt women as deeply as they did 40 years ago. In today's real world, men who follow the pattern of behavior in the game are more likely to be despised and disliked by women, and even accused of sexual harassment. Conversely, in reality, if a woman follows the game, she is likely to be suspected of being a scam. This shows that the social consensus has changed, and in reality, the once airtight structure of power relations between the sexes is loosening and no longer forming a mutually supportive vicious circle with misogynistic behavior in games. In this contrast, the absurdity of the game may remind the player that this is just a game and that you can never act like this in reality. Secondly, judging from the game text, the strange settings and unexpected endings of a variety of "fun people" weaken the framework of gender binary in the game. For example, the "Old Six", a good buddy character who never leaves the company, even surpassed a female character in the game's character popularity poll to rank sixth. In addition, the nonsensical choices that appear from time to time in the game, such as in a scene where the "threatener" should "save the beauty" heroically, the player can choose to pull the "threatener" away intimately instead of "saving the beauty". There is also the ending of "male girlfriends", which depicts sisterhood, and the five girls who are attacked all choose to abandon the player and become friends with each other. On the other hand, judging by the comments, the participation of many female game streamers further weakens the game's domestication mechanism of female-sexual objects. Female gamers and reviewers can engage and rate the game in a playful manner that is easy to play, without having to be absolutely disgusted or disdainful. In their self-empowering way** and interpretation, they actually show an "ironic" posture in the face of the world. This attitude not only enriches the diversity of the game's interpretation space, but also provides a possible way for female gamers to actively participate in the current situation where misogynistic games are so common. Of course, this doesn't mean that misogynistic elements in games are no longer threatening, nor does it mean that male games are allowed to be misogynistic. But when criticizing this, it is necessary to distinguish between two attitudes: one is anger at the dwarfing female premise that "women deserve to be loved just because they are men". This does represent the real anger of a part of women. Even taking into account the "change of context", in the increasingly popular games, the overexposure of women's bodies and the setting of competing to show love for the male protagonist do have the risk of "naturalizing the male gaze", which can easily make women who have higher requirements for emotional purity and concentration uncomfortable. 
"It's over!I'm Surrounded by Beautiful Girls" game screenshot Another is to criticize the male protagonist of the game with "poor and weak straight men don't deserve to be loved", and even extend to attacks on gamers with "poor economic ability and lack of sexual attraction". This criticism shows a "fear of weakness". Under the logic of patriarchy, only the strong are considered "man enough". And the idea that "weak men don't deserve to be loved" follows exactly this logic. Those who hold this view may be engaging in unconscious emotional catharsis, subconsciously gaining the identity of a "winner" by belittling the situation of the "weak" they fear. To a certain extent, it is also the "strong and fearful of weak" in society that has created the explosion of "Perfect", and many players emphasize that "Perfect" makes them feel pure love. Under the standards of patriarchal society, men who are "unloved" crave both care and communication, but also Xi the disrespectful gaze and form of communication of women. As a result, they lack the strength to understand the world of women, and remain indifferent to their suffering and needs. The game of pure love brings comfort. However, the longing for affection to be cared for, the need to connect with others, fulfilled by "Perfection" is itself to be encouraged. A theoretical update to anti-pornography feminism
In Perfection, while there is no "pure erotica", elements of "soft" do exist. This phenomenon is somewhat in line with the critical rationale of anti-erofeminism, but it can also be seen as over-interpreting. For example, Catharine A., a representative of anti-pornography theoryMackinnon, in Toward a Feminist Theory of the State, states, "Pornography can invent women because it has the power to make its fantasies a reality and then objectively accept them as reality." This means that pornography is a political practice that structurally fuels the idea of "inferiority of women." This is because the standard of pornography is what men see. Pornography, on the other hand, reinforces male domination over women by defining the way women are discriminated against, defining "sexuality" and women's identity—passive, submissive sexual objects. The characters and plot settings in "Perfect", such as the unassertiveness, absolute devotion and obedience of "Xiao Lu", as well as Lin Yueqing's untimely exposure and coquettishness, are all in line with the above analysis to a certain extent. Andrea Dwokin, another exponent of anti-pornography, argues in *ography: men possessioning women that the production and consumption of pornography encourages the social consequences of male pornography's domination, shaming, and abuse. She denies the "fantasy" and "cathartic" functions of her works, and believes that these works stimulate men's ** to be practiced. However, when we apply these criticisms to the topic at hand, the allegations may be too serious and may even prevent further discussion. 
"It's over!I'm Surrounded by Beautiful Girls Screenshot of the gameIn fact, in Perfect, "eroticism" and "eros" coexist, and it is important to understand the difference between the two. Susan Griffen argues that pornography distorts eros and is a misunderstanding, misconception, and misrepresentation of eros. Eros is a force of nature, born from the unity of spirit and nature, embodied in respect for self and others, and it is a free expression that arises from the exploration of feelings and the desire to communicate. Pornography, on the other hand, attempts to replace the diversity and richness of nature with imaginary power, suppressing eros and feelings. [ Only by clearly distinguishing between the two can the dangers of pornography be truly revealed and leave room for "the desire for others." Conversely, it is only when the desire is correctly demonstrated that it can lead to respect and understanding between the sexes. 
"It's over!I Was Surrounded by Beautiful Girls Screenshots of the game, however, both are often overlooked in public discussions, which has to do with the indigenous culture of "sexual taboos". In the current context, although descriptions of "sexuality" and "eros" are widely present in everyday communicative discourse, they are regarded as knowledge that is "not on the table". At the same time,"Sexuality"The emancipation is often associated with the invasion of Western ideology, the West"The decadent way of life of the bourgeoisie"The reciprocal construction with sexual liberation has influenced the average person's pair"West"of imagination. As a result, it becomes difficult to engage in serious public discussions. The "sexual taboo" tradition, coupled with a certain outdated Cold War mentality, is closely linked to the popularity of anti-pornography in China. [ Classical anti-pornography theory is not outdated, but we need to understand its context, not simply transplant it, in order to avoid the rigidity of the theory. These theories have a tendency to understand "female gender differences" as mere victimization, and thus lack a positive and affirmative shaping of female subjectivity. [ Such a premise has raised a number of questions. For example, women on the Internet who dress ** to show their figure are easily labeled as "flattering men" and "rubbing edges". When anti-pornography establishes the "good woman standard" of "what is a feminist woman", women who do not meet this standard become "female traitors" who are "willingly" receptive to sexual objectification. At this point, the anti-pornography faction has gone to precisely the position it criticizes – distorting the subjective experience of a certain group of women. When applying the theories and positions of anti-pornography, it is necessary to pay attention to the changes in power relations brought about by the changes in social relations of production. This change means that women already have what it takes to define "what eros is". Therefore, the participation and practice of women's strong sense of subjectivity can maximize the space for women in various fields. For example, the richer the interpretation of the diverse evaluation of "Perfect" by feminist-minded anchors, the more it ensures the self-empowerment of other women in this space. At the same time, it is equally important to construct a plurality of narrative texts. Because, abandoning the interpretation of eros in order to resist pornography essentially stifles the creativity of society. Exploratory criticism in the space of criticism is more conducive to the realization of a pluralistic society. Feminist Playfulness: Towards Pluralism and UnderstandingAt the same time, the active participation of men is extremely important for the de-misogynization of the game environment and game design. However, the question is whether male gamers can experience and cherish their own emotions through emotional portrayals in the game, and gain the courage to open themselves up and understand others. If male players subjectively insist on staying at the hidden vulgar cognitive level of "I don't know how good it is when I am young, and I want to give Haohao a home", and I want to cover it up with humor, and pursue self-indulgence while objectifying female sexuality, this part of the people is indeed hopeless. However, in the context of patriarchal oppression and modern individualism, gender segregation and young people's narcissism, low self-esteem and fear can become obstacles to interpersonal connection. Specifically, "toxic masculinity" can limit men's emotional experience and performance, making it difficult for them to understand and express their own and others' emotions. At the same time, individualism, while advocating individual freedom and independence, can lead people to focus too much on themselves and ignore or even be hostile to others. 
"It's over!I'm Surrounded by Beautiful Girls Screenshots In this case, a well-designed love game does have the potential to help male gamers overcome these obstacles. Through play, they can explore and express their emotions in a safe environment, learning Xi understand and respect the feelings of others. Role-playing and storytelling in games can be a good way to elicit empathy and help them understand the experiences and feelings of people of different genders and identities, which can reduce gender segregation to some extent. Although "Perfect" is not perfect, it does implant a female perspective and open up the possibility of further improvement. For example, the character "Zheng Ziyan", who ranked first in the game's player votes, is a woman with a very strong subjectivity. Dating her requires abandoning the stereotypical "coaxing girlfriend" routine and moving towards a strong, sincere communication. There is no shortage of players who have said in the comments that this character has made them partially understand "what women want", which is completely different from what they thought before, and understanding and respecting differences is one step closer to an equal relationship. Of course, this level of representation of a woman's perspective is far from sufficient. But on top of that, since men have a desire for "real communication", is it possible to carry out a feminist game reform and develop a narrative with more diverse possibilities?First of all, games can be both entertaining and educational. Many male gamers even do "self-emotional education" through the game. They understand the "single-choice setting" of "Perfection" as "asking us to take responsibility for our choices and feelings." Since games have the potential to serve as emotional platforms, and literature is good at imagining emotions, many feminist literary resources can be directly grafted into games. For example, the female writer Charlotte Gilman's "Her Country", which shows the adventures and emotional bonds in the "daughter country" from the perspective of three different types of heterosexual men, this way of exploring a female-dominated society from a male perspective provides us with a new perspective on emotions and the world. Another example is South Korean female writer Min Ji-hyuk's "She's Misogynistic, She's My Girlfriend", which explores the possibility of intimacy between traditional "good men" and "radical feminists" from a male perspective, with an open-ended ending full of room for interpretation. The book Play Like a Feminist summarizes the possible mutual elevation between feminism and gaming. The transformation of feminism can not only promote diversity at the level of game content, but also break the traditional rules and boundaries of the game, create more possibilities and imaginations, and establish gender connections in a more equal way, which can also attract more players. On the other hand, games can also be a source of inspiration for feminism. Video games are not destined to reinforce gender stereotypes, as their rules are relatively flexible and free, but there is a huge room for creativity. It's great for building an "anti-authority" mode that encourages players to critique and rebel against sexism and oppression, and maybe even as a new way to do it. The features of the game can even help us to develop a feminist and playful attitude: to change the rules of the game with light and humor in the current game scene, under the rules of the game in the world, rather than clumsily and heavily tearing down and rebuilding.