Gamers in China have been able to buy time with females in the online gaming world thanks to escort brokerage firms offering online escorts to those who are lonely.
Females, often known as ‘gamecasters,’ who are looking for some extra cash can be hired out by individuals to accompany them through their dungeon raids and open world exploration. Local, ‘gamecasters’ may meet with their customers at an internet café or if not, it can be common to be online through VoIP communication.
Thanks to China’s 1978 one child policy, males massively out-populate females by almost 30 million leaving lonely men in search for female company.
It’s the girls who have “a sweet voice” who are most favoured, even over those who have gaming talent. Typically, most online “escorts” are those in college and office workers who use their sought-after characteristics to earn them some extra money.
To hire an online “escort”, it costs between 20 and 100 yuan (£2-£10) per hour, depending on the service. Top female online escorts can earn up to 8000 yuan (£822) a month. Some gamecasters offer a cam-to-cam form of communication where the gamer can see them while they play.
Participating brokerage firms say that gamecasters and online “escorts” have a lot of profit potential but the lack of adequate management often leads to disagreement or fraud. Some players also request to see their “escorts” offline for sex, which leads me to wonder whether this is a cover-up for prostitution.