This week we play Mystic Messenger by Korean otome-game studio Cheritz!
We’re pairing Mystic Messenger with this article from Games & Culture by Sarah Christina Ganzon. Are otome games emotional labor, and what does demands does Mystic Messenger make of its audience?
For further reading, consider checking out the “Sweet Solutions” chapter from Digital Love collected by Heidi McDonald.
A note from Shana, who suggested this additional reading:
“Sweet Solutions for Female Gamers” discusses Cheritz (the company behind Mystic Messenger, also South Korea’s first all-women studio, also making games for women), with how they first set out to enable women to experiment with various fantasies and identities, and gender ideals of romance (esp in capitalist world), but how this reach has potential to expand the space!