A new Chinese video game has caused major controversy after it quickly rose to the top of the sales charts. In the game, a woman says, “He’s more obedient than a dog… If only more of these dumb ones come along.” This line is just one example of what many say is clear sexism. The game, originally called Revenge on Gold Diggers, lets players act as men who are tricked into relationships by women only interested in their money. How the man reacts changes the story.
The game was a huge success at launch, topping sales on Steam, a popular gaming platform, just hours after it was released in June. But the success didn’t come without backlash. Many people said the game promotes harmful stereotypes about women. Others defended it, saying the story warns people about scams in love. After all the criticism, the video game company behind it quietly changed the name to Emotional Anti-Fraud Simulator the very next day.
Even after the name change, the outrage continued. The game’s director, Hong Kong filmmaker Mark Hu, has now been banned on several Chinese video platforms and social media sites. The video game company tried to explain that they never meant to insult women. Instead, they said the goal was to open up discussions about modern dating and how relationships can be complicated and unclear.
However, not everyone believed them. Xu Yikun, an artist who played the game, found it very offensive. She said this was a common business trick—making content that stirs up strong feelings just to get attention. According to her, calling women “gold diggers” is sexist and harmful.
She explained that women are often judged harshly for doing normal things. “If you accept a drink from someone or try to look nice, people call you a gold digger,” she said. She added that these kinds of words and jokes have become too common in everyday language.
Still, not everyone thinks the game is sexist. One 31-year-old player named Zhuang Mengsheng, who spoke under a fake name, said, “The game isn’t saying all women are gold diggers… I don’t think it targets any one gender. Both men and women can be gold diggers.” But critics point out that in this game, all the gold diggers are women. The characters include an online influencer and a businesswoman, both of whom are shown tricking men into spending money on them. One character even says, “Want to know if a man loves you? See how much he spends.”
This has led to a wide range of reactions, even in the local media. A newspaper in central China said the game paints all women as scammers. But Beijing Youth Daily had a different opinion. They praised the game’s creativity and pointed out that love scams cost people around 2 billion yuan (about $279 million) in 2023, according to the National Anti-Fraud Center. “We need to stop emotional fraud immediately,” they wrote.
Despite the strong opinions on both sides, the video game company continues to see high sales. The game is now one of the most popular Chinese video games on the PC platform, even beating Black Myth: Wukong, which is said to be China’s most successful game ever.
Some people online said the game might have been inspired by a real story. A man known as “Fat Cat” online died by suicide after breaking up with his girlfriend. Many accused her of taking advantage of him, though police later said there was no proof she did anything wrong.
Many women who spoke with the say they are worried. They believe this kind of game could make gender issues in China even worse. In many parts of society, women are still expected to stay home while men work and earn money.
Because of this, some people think that finding a rich husband is more important for women than getting a good job. Even the Chinese government supports these ideas. President Xi Jinping has said many times that women should be “good wives and mothers.”
In recent years, the government has also tried to silence activists who fight for women’s rights. One woman, who chose to remain unnamed due to fear of online attacks, said this kind of game only makes things worse. “It makes it seem like women always have to please men just to survive,” she said. “It spreads the idea that women are less than men.”
While the video game company says they wanted to create a game that would start discussions about dating and emotional fraud, critics feel the game sends the wrong message. Many believe it encourages people to see women in a negative light and supports old-fashioned gender roles.
In the end, whether people see it as a warning about love scams or as a sexist piece of entertainment, one thing is clear—this game has started a huge conversation in China. It’s another example of how Chinese videos and video games are not just entertainment anymore but also part of the country’s ongoing debate over gender, equality, and how people treat one another.
As the argument continues, the video game company behind the title is standing by its product. But many wonder if creating games that divide people—even if they sell well—is really the right direction for the future of Chinese video games. Either way, it shows how powerful and controversial digital content like this can be in shaping opinions, especially in a fast-changing society like China.
