As a transgender woman who transitioned in her mids, I consider myself lucky. This phase of womanhood is source. That being said, I wish I could have dated as a girl during my teenage years.
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I feel robbed. When I saw them fall in love with the love interest, I felt my heart flutter. I saw a piece of myself that I never knew in these fictional heroines, and I felt a little relief. After poking around in otome discussions online, I found that otome games provide a healthy sense of escapism for women in general, often because of the romance and storytelling elements.
Washington, D. Teen and Beck, both cisgender women, describe how the games stir up the carefree, hope-filled feelings of youth. What is it about those first relationships that can determine how an individual processes romantic feelings in adulthood? Adversely, she adds, abuse and traumatic experiences can have negative teen effects. And for some, otome games could theoretically target those feelings.
My gaming experience has been therapeutic, but is that the case across the board?
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For these individuals, dating sims could offer a temporary mental escape. It is safe dating say that otome games offer a vehicle in which to play with gender. Lys, 26, a trans man gamer in the Midwest, plays otome games as a third-party observer rather than self-insertion where players visualize themselves as the heroine. Philippines-based gamer Quill, 19, identifies as a demiboy and echoes similar sentiments. Twenty-year-old Boston-based gamer Lincoln is a gay trans man who tells me that otome games actually helped him realize his gender identity.
I wanted to be swept off my feet, games although it may be an effeminate wish, I am no less a man for wanting a hot guy to tell me that he loves me.
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Similar to Lincoln, when I play otome games, I enjoy the feeling of being romanced by a dating character. Regardless of your gender, games games can be more than fluffy pastimes — they can be a conduit for critical self-realization. But the reality is, I wish I transitioned earlier in my life. And subsequently, I wish I got to experience girlhood.
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