Can the blockchain game "HIM" win over female players by letting them "raise" an AI boyfriend in Web3?
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Can the blockchain game "HIM" win over female players by letting them "raise" an AI boyfriend in Web3?
There are now otome games in the Web3 market.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsBy Mu Mu
Dominant CEO, sweet romance, tragic love, revenge—ultra-short dramas under five minutes per episode keep audiences hooked despite calling them "cheesy, tacky, yet addictive." In 2023, this fast-paced, twist-heavy short-form content created a 20 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) market on short-video platforms, with half of it targeting female audiences.
The strong purchasing power of female consumers has long been a battleground for brands. Today, supply is no longer limited to beauty or maternity products—it now includes emotionally valuable goods such as entertainment and games. According to SensorTower, mobile games favored by women generated over $11.2 billion in revenue from January to August 2023.
In China, Papergames has dominated the female gaming market, once amassing 100 million registered users through its romance-simulation hit *Love & Producer*. In 2024, the company plans to launch a new 3D version of the *Love &* series.
Shortly after Papergames revealed its new title, at the end of 2023, SleeplessAI—a game studio founded by former core members of Papergames—launched *HIM*, a blockchain-based “otome” (female-targeted) game combining AI and Web3. Within one day of its public test, the game received 36,958 test applications.
This Web3 game centered on "AI boyfriend cultivation" introduced a "Love To Earn" concept, promising players they could both spend money and potentially earn it back. Does this mean your virtual boyfriend might eventually become a little digital worker?
Although gameplay elements are relatively weak, *HIM*'s emergence signals that blockchain games are beginning to recognize the rising Web3 female market, making the Web3 gaming landscape increasingly diverse.
Otome 'Boyfriend-Cultivation' Games Enter Web3
In the Web3 space, *HIM*, a blockchain game targeting female users, is showing breakout potential.
Currently, *HIM*'s Discord community has nearly 50,000 members. On its public test day, 36,958 people applied to participate. On the NFT marketplace NTPrompt, *HIM*'s genesis NFT collection reached up to one million daily unique active wallets (UAW), briefly topping the charts.
Targeting female players, *HIM* offers more than ten virtual boyfriend avatars, each with distinct personalities powered by AI. Players can converse with their AI boyfriends, share daily moments, and even send text or images—all of which the AI can understand and respond to.
*HIM* currently offers 10 virtual boyfriends for players to bond with
*HIM*'s popularity in the Web3 market is partly due to its token "AI" being listed on Binance, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges. Binance distributed early tokens via its Launchpad platform. Another reason drawing attention is SleeplessAI’s claim of being composed of former Papergames developers, bringing years of game development experience.
When discussing female-oriented games, Papergames stands out as China’s pioneer, mastering female player preferences through its *Nikki* and *Love &* franchises. Notably, the dating simulation game *Love & Producer*, launched in December 2017, achieved nearly 300 million yuan ($42 million) in revenue the following month.
*Love & Producer* successfully introduced Japan's "otome game" genre to China—a romantic simulation type exclusively aimed at women. Centered around a female protagonist, these games feature multiple male leads and primarily use a card-based battle system. The collectible cards used to enhance character abilities serve as the main consumer product and primary source of profit.
Undoubtedly, unlocking storylines in otome games requires spending, earning Papergames the nickname "Papergreedy" among players. Now, *HIM*, equipped with AI chatbot functionality, dons a Web3 suit and promotes a "Love To Earn" (earn while loving) slogan, suggesting the team aims to disrupt their former employer’s model.
*HIM* adopts Ethereum’s Web3 identity system using "Soulbound Tokens (SBTs)." Once a player selects a boyfriend character, it becomes their exclusive SBT—an asset emphasizing ownership but non-transferable.
After bonding, players interact with their "boyfriend," where large language models deliver emotional value through conversational engagement. Of course, you still need to "raise" him—buying food and clothing in the in-game store, represented as NFTs. Creators can also design various NFT accessories, forming a closed-loop ecosystem between players, platform, and creators.
One way *HIM* implements "Love to Earn" is by rewarding players with virtual assets through chatting and leveling up their AI boyfriend. Chatting is straightforward, but faster progression requires purchasing in-game items with virtual currency to boost skill points—assets that can be traded on secondary crypto markets.
Additionally, players can enter their boyfriend into competitions. By staking the game’s governance token "AI" to vote for popularity, winners receive additional crypto rewards—assets that translate directly into real-world value on secondary markets.
Select - Own - Chat - Dress Up - Profit: *HIM* blends core otome gameplay with Web3 monetization, enhanced by interactive AI, appearing more financially rewarding than traditional female romance games. But can it truly capture female users?
The Rise of 'Her Economy' in Web3
First and foremost, *HIM* must attract not just women, but women already engaged in the Web3 space. Since the game relies on user spending—and that spending is mostly in digital assets—the gateway matters.
You can buy required crypto assets with fiat, but accessing Web3 games typically requires a crypto wallet—an initial hurdle for many Web2 gamers. Compared to general female gamers, native Web3 female users are more likely to be *HIM*'s first wave of adopters.
Historically, Web3 users have been predominantly male, though female participation has been rising in recent years.
A survey by crypto exchange WazirX shows female trading volume grew by 3.3% year-on-year. Female investors’ share of total crypto trading volume rose from 15.27% in 2021 to 18.57% in 2022. While the number of female crypto investors is increasing, their proportion remains relatively low.
By 2023, another exchange, Bitget, reported in a global survey that women in South Korea, Japan, and Turkey showed higher demand for crypto investments than men. In South Korea and Japan, 49% and 41% of women respectively hoped to improve their lives through crypto investment, compared to 45% and 30% of men.
Over the past two years, female-centric content has sought space in the Web3 world. The most famous example is the NFT collection *World of Women*, hand-drawn by Middle Eastern artist Yam Karkai. Launched in July 2021, all 10,000 NFTs sold out within 10 hours.
To date, *World of Women* has achieved a total trading volume of 84,000 ETH, with 4,600 unique holders.
*World of Women* NFT collection has surpassed 80,000 ETH in trading volume
SleeplessAI is targeting a growing Web3 female market. In fact, female-focused blockchain games emerged as early as September last year. *Power of Women: Genesis*, built on the Solana blockchain, once topped the U.S. Google Play overall game chart—arguably the first Web3 female-targeted game to break into the mainstream, paving the way for this niche.
Recognizing the untapped potential of native Web3 users, *HIM* also aims to onboard Web2 users by offering familiar login methods like email and phone numbers. It even provides a "free-to-play" mode on mobile. However, if players want to earn crypto rewards, they’ll eventually need to learn how to unlock the doors of the crypto world.
Currently still in testing, *HIM* is developing more engaging features. Beyond traffic, the key challenge will be user experience—especially when existing Web2 otome gamers join. After all, whether domestically or internationally, these users are accustomed to highly polished otome games, some of which even spawn anime adaptations.
Even China’s critically and commercially successful *Love & Producer* faces criticism for lacking depth. Players often compare it unfavorably to Japanese titles—the birthplace of otome games.
One player criticized *Love & Producer*'s four boyfriends as having too few choices, suffering from "face blindness" and "voice blindness," adding: "*Constellar Lover* has twelve male leads, twelve zodiac signs, twelve appearances, twelve personalities... three times the variety of *Love & Producer*."
*HIM* currently offers 10 characters with 10 distinct personalities, styled in a Japanese aesthetic. More boyfriend types are expected later. Yet upon closer inspection, the current designs still risk "face blindness"—leaving hopes pinned on large AI models to generate richer personality experiences through dialogue.
Moreover, plot doesn’t seem central to *HIM*. The focus is on "companionship," making it light on traditional gameplay. At its core, it’s an NFT collection with natural language interaction. If it must be called a game, it’s essentially a Web3 "money game"—the real question is whether the paid-for "AI boyfriend" can become a competent digital worker, generating economic returns while providing conversation.
Papergames, already evolving beyond its previous labels, will release a new 3D installment in the *Love &* series this year, aiming to captivate female users with more immersive virtual characters and narratives. In contrast, AI-powered *HIM* remains at the "paper doll" stage—for now. Future plans include comic-related spin-offs.
Overall, *HIM*'s standout trait in the Web3 gaming space is its integration of AI and emphasis on female market value. While most Web3 blockchain games compete on economic models and graphics, *HIM* has found a new traffic formula. Female-oriented applications are diversifying the sector, though gameplay still follows NFT market logic, prioritizing "Earn"—a core Web3 principle—while actual gaming experience remains underdeveloped.
Notably, SleeplessAI has also launched a male-targeted counterpart titled *HER*, featuring curvaceous girlfriend avatars in a distinctly "otaku-style" aesthetic. This may offer insight into Web3 user behavior—revealing who, between men and women, is more willing to pay for visual appeal in the crypto market.
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