An extremely popularmobile game for women, titledLove and Deepspace,has ignited afierce debateonline after including a new and controversial feature—aperiod tracker.
HighlightsChinese mobile game added a controversial period tracker, sparking online debate.Experts warn against the use of personal health data in games with underage users.Supporters see the period tracker as emotional support and normalizing menstruation.Critics worry about the commercialization of intimate data targeting vulnerable users.
“There’s a period tracker?! That’s…really offputting. Of course they’re stealing that data,” one user said.
“This is so sweet! This is how a studio should cater to women!” replied another.
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Fans of this Chinese romance mobile game are divided after the app asked its users to volunteer information about their periods
Image credits:Love and Deep Space
Love and Deepspacehas been nothing short of a massive success:since it was releasedin January 2024, the game has captivated a staggering 50 million users and generated approximately $710 million in revenue.
However, the addition of aperiod tracker—marketed as a “Remind Me” feature—hassplit its female audience into passionate advocates and wary critics, who believe theinformation requiredcrossed privacy boundaries.
Image credits:Getty Images / Unsplash
According tocritics, the feature is problematic not only due to the intimate nature of the requested information, but also for theco-dependencyit allegedly aims to generate between the user and the app.
“These players are [likely to be] in their twenties, lonely or with very few friends, and are emotionally vulnerable,” he said.
The game is part of the gacha genre, a form of gambling with disclosed odds that is able to be marketed to underage users
Image credits:Tonberith
Love and Deepspaceis a free-to-play game, but like most apps of that nature, it makes most of its revenue through consistent spending on the part of users.
The game puts players in the shoes of “Pip,” a fully customizable female character that embarks on an adventure in humanity’s far future.
The game has players battling with monsters, leveling up and customizing their avatar, while experiencing an original story.
Along the way, Pip joins forces with a host of romanceable characters, tailor-made to satisfy different romantic fantasies.
These characters are essential to defeat the game’s challenges and progress in the story, and the items needed to make them stronger lie behind what’s known as a “gacha” system.
Image credits:EchosError
“People who have less self-control whengamblingsuffer from depression or social anxiety and are also more inclined to higher spending when making gacha game draws,” Dr. Bernik said.
Experts warn against users, especially underage ones, volunteering personal information that could be used to target them at their most vulnerable
Chat I dont need you anymorepic.twitter.com/aqDRWaFRJL
— Amaya Whisper 🧪🗡️ (@Amaya_Whisper)January 30, 2025
For Dr. Bernik, the problem gets even more concerning when one takes into account the availability of the game.
Love and Deepspace, despite its sexual content, mild drug use and references, and gambling mechanics is rated for ages 12 and up on Apple’s App Store.
“These games use the emotional state of the player, the player’s good luck, bad luck, satisfaction, insecurity, financial stability, anddopaminewhen the player gets lucky in order to create addiction and the habit of repeating and continuing the game,” the scholar stated.
Image credits:Jonathan Borba / Unsplash
“Almost all applications we use collect ourpersonal informationfor commercial purposes,” analytics consultant Nicolás Vásquez explained toBored Panda.“The information is then used, and sold, to facilitate commercialization of products and services that better align with the consumer’s needs.”
“However, the harvesting of such data is a delicate matter when children are involved, especially something as intimate asperiods,” he said, explaining that the information could be used to target users when they’re at their most vulnerable.
Supporters of the feature value the emotional support it provides, allowing the in-game male romantic interests to offer a more personalized experience
On the flip side, the feature was a big hit for a sizable portion of the game’s playerbase, who appreciate what they see as a thoughtful integration of a tool that demystifies and normalizesmenstruation.
For many fans, the period tracker isn’t just another calendar function—it’s a sign that the developers are genuinely attentive to women’s day-to-day realities.
“It’s refreshing to see a game that not only entertains but also offers practical support,” Luisa Grigori, a player from Italy, stated. “This is exactly how a studio should cater towomen.”
this love and deepspace period tracker is truly the best thing that happened to me cuz why am i excited to enter it….pic.twitter.com/yfVzZwtUXt
— nanami’s overtime (@sasukesmom)February 1, 2025
Belen Quinteros, a player from Chile, explained toBored Pandathat the feature is reflective of the way the romanceable characters are written.
“For some, it functions as wish fulfillment because a lot of real-life men tend to be uncomfortable or weird about periods,” she said. “Fantasizing about having a guy who pays attention andtakes care of youcan be fun.”
“I’m just very curious if they’ll do something duringovulation,” another user said, wondering if volunteering the information would lead to special interactions with their favorite characters. “I don’t see it as a big deal.”
The game’s developer explained that these features are essential to increase the ability of the app to offer “true companionship” to female users
“Our goal is to first and foremost deliver an immersive, romantic experience for our players,” a representative of Infold, the game’s developer company, said in an interview.
“We’ve put a lot of thought into our development process, we’re constantly exploring techniques to let characters interact with the players naturally. We hope everyone can feel true companionship with our male leads.”
Love and Deepspace’s inclusion of a period tracker presents a multifaceted issue. On one hand, it symbolizes an embrace of natural bodily functions and weaves them into an interactive narrative in a way that resonated with many players.
Image credits:fyoszczur
On the other, it raises concerns about data collection and privacy, especially when taking into account the portion of the audience who are minors and are sharing their private health information for commercial use.
“Companies create user profiles, and then use that information to more accurately market to them,” analyst Nicolas Vásquez said.
“A feature like this would allow a company to know which of their users are experiencing periods, when, and if they are regular or not, then they can sell that information to third parties and market to the user when it’s most convenient.”
“Personally, I think it’s a horrible idea.”
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