介绍： A Viral Game Targeting 'Gold Diggers' Sparks Gender Debate in China
 
“Want to know if a man loves you? See how much he spends.” “Married for 41 days, she demanded 10 million yuan — he jumped to his death.” “Top gold-digging influencer reportedly earns 150 million yuan a year.”
Are these misogynistic p...

介绍： A Viral Game Targeting 'Gold Diggers' Sparks Gender Debate in China
 
“Want to know if a man loves you? See how much he spends.” “Married for 41 days, she demanded 10 million yuan — he jumped to his death.” “Top gold-digging influencer reportedly earns 150 million yuan a year.”
Are these misogynistic proclamations, or a justified response to relationship scams?
It depends on your view of “gold diggers.” These sensationalized headlines, based on real events, set the stage forRevenge on Gold Diggers, a game that has swiftly climbed to the top of China’s gaming charts since its June 19 launch.
Developed by a Chinese studio and available on Steam, the game has ignited fierce controversy over gender portrayal.
In the game, players control a male protagonist who seeks revenge against a woman who financially exploited him — a plot that sets up a narrative where "gold diggers" are portrayed as women manipulating men for money, a phenomenon known in the West as catfishing, but in China as “pig butchering.”
Critics argue that the game perpetuates harmful stereotypes about women, while supporters defend it as “relationship education for men,” according to domestic media outlets.
A screenshot of Revenge on Gold Diggers’ Steam page.
The game was an instant hit, reaching No. 4 on Steam’s global bestseller list on its release day. But controversy soon followed. Within hours, both the game’s official account and the personal account of its creator, Hong Kong filmmaker Mark Wu, were banned on the video-sharing platform Bilibili.
Shortly after, the game was rebrandedEmotional Fraud Simulator, with developers insisting that no content had been altered. Despite the name change, its sales remained strong, and it even surpassed Black Myth: Wukong on Steam’s China download chart.
Published by Qianfang Studio,Revenge on Gold Diggers marks Wu’s debut in interactive gaming. As a full-motion video game, it unfolds in nearly eight hours of pre-recorded video, starring six main characters. The player’s choices lead to 38 possible endings.
The game is widely thought to have been inspired by the suicide of gaming influencer Pangmao, also known as “Fat Cat,” whose death in April 2024 sparked an intense online debate about “gold diggers.”
After Pangmao’s passing, online users accused his ex-girlfriend of exploiting him financially and causing his death. The allegations were later dismissed by police, who revealed that Pangmao’s family had orchestrated a doxxing campaign against the woman.
Nevertheless, Revenge on Gold Diggers presents Pangmao’s story as a case study in “pig butchering.” The protagonist, whose name “Benmao” is a likely nod to Pangmao, seeks vengeance against a “gold-digger syndicate” after being betrayed.
A screenshot shows the male protagonist, “Benmao,” sending virtual gifts to a female character. From Bilibili
Even more telling, some players noticed that the initials of the game’s six chapters spell out a hidden message: “May the world never see another Pangmao.”
The developers priced the game at 33 yuan ($4.60), below the market average, to ensure that “every additional player might be one less potential victim of fraud.”
However, a news outlet in Hubei province took issue with the game on June 20, writing: “True anti-fraud education should focus on recognizing fake identities and manipulative tactics, not on labeling an entire gender as ‘perpetrators.’”
“Both men and women can commit emotional fraud. There are countless examples. But this game deliberately associates fraud with women,” the article stated.
Following the game’s name change, another article, this time from Beijing, took a more supportive stance. Published on June 23, it lauded the game for “creatively raising young people’s awareness of relationship safety,” pointing to the over 23,000 reviews on Steam, with a 96% positive rating, as evidence of its success.
Revenge on Gold Diggers’ female characters. From Weibo
The two opposing commentaries each referenced policy to bolster their arguments. The first article noted that the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has cracked down on content that stigmatizes specific genders and called for stronger game review processes.
On the other hand, the second article argued that the game aligned with the CAC’s broader campaign to combat online dating scams. Citing data from the National Anti-Fraud Center, it noted that such scams in China totaled over 2 billion yuan ($275 million) in 2023.
“Traditional awareness campaigns struggle to keep up with increasingly sophisticated scams due to their limited reach and weak deterrent effects,” the article noted.
“Through interactive storytelling, the game exposes real-world issues like emotional fraud, manipulative relationships, and financial coercion, turning it into an effective anti-fraud lesson.”
Controversy over gender portrayal in Chinese pop culture is nothing new.Black Myth: Wukong, for example, faced criticism for its lack of female characters and the misogynistic social media posts from its creators. Still, the game became a global sensation, achieving the second-highest peak concurrent player count — over 2.2 million users — of all time. 
controversy /ˈkɒntrəvɜːsi/ n. 争议
📚例句：The new policy caused public controversy.
（新政策引发公众争议）
🔍搭配：spark controversy 引发争议
stereotype /ˈsteriətaɪp/ n. 刻板印象
📚例句：We should break gender stereotypes.
（我们应打破性别刻板印象）
🔍搭配：reinforce stereotypes 强化成见
orchestrate /ˈɔːkɪstreɪt/ v. 精心策划
📚例句：She orchestrated the surprise party.
（她精心策划了惊喜派对）
🔍搭配：orchestrate events 策划活动
deterrent /dɪˈterənt/ n. 威慑
📚例句：Bright lights act as a theft deterrent.
（明亮灯光能威慑盗窃）
🔍搭配：deterrent effect 震慑效果
sensation /senˈseɪʃn/ n. 轰动
📚例句：The magician’s trick became a sensation.
（魔术师的戏法引起轰动）
🔍搭配：overnight sensation 一夜爆红