Game companions: I hired three women to play online games with me

For just US$4.50 an hour, someone will keep you company and watch your back in Overwatch, League of Legends and more

Reading Time:6 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

When I played with Luohai, Baptiste had only been out for a week. But Luohai knew all the ins and outs of the character. (Picture: Blizzard)

Josh Ye

Published: 10:24pm, 1 Apr 2019Updated: 9:00am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

“I can heal you as well as kill people. I have gotten about 1,000 points in this game. Do I sound cute, boss?”

In a voice reminiscent of an anime schoolgirl, Luohai advertised herself to me in an online chat room, offering to be my gaming companion in Overwatch for the next hour.

I blushed at the sound of her voice, which sounded off-the-charts sweet, and I felt my heart racing. And that was just from her one-line audition.

A few more people were lining up to audition for me in the chat room hosted on a website called Daofeng Esports Games, through which I was trying to hire people to play games with me. All the while, my profile picture sat on a spot marked “the Boss Sofa”.

I hesitated on Luohai’s question. I wanted to hear from more people, but I felt like I was in a virtual brothel. Suddenly I heard a man chime in. “Hi boss, are you happy with our sister here?” the chat room host asked.

The host is an intermediary between the users and the companions for hire. After entering a chat room, you state your requirements for a companion player and the host will bring in companions who might meet them.

Flustered by the urging of the host, I hired Luohai. I found her personal page and scanned the QR code to pay her 30 yuan (about US$4.50), which immediately transferred from my WeChat account to hers. With payment out of the way, we exchanged gamer IDs and started playing Overwatch together.