Romance in Single-Player RPGs

Anand and Kumar's study examines romance in single-player role-playing games, arguing that romantic options in these titles can function as existential projects in which players channel their agency through avatars and experience authentic, consequential choice. Drawing on philosophers such as Sartre, Heidegger, and Gualeni, the authors contend that the uncertainty and non-linearity of modern RPG romance systems allow for immersive engagement that traditional linear media cannot easily replicate. The work distinguishes single-player romance from multiplayer and MMORPG romance, which involves real-world interpersonal dynamics absent from solitary play.

The analysis surveys romance mechanics across major franchises, including BioWare's Mass Effect and Dragon Age, CD Projekt's The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077, Bethesda's Skyrim and Fallout 4, and Japanese role-playing titles such as Persona 5 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Its central finding is that romance systems have grown markedly more complex across successive iterations, with choices, consequences, and player agency increasingly shaping relationship outcomes and overall immersion. The authors also note expanding queer romance representation within BioWare's catalogue, though this observation is treated largely at a thematic rather than empirical level.

The paper concludes that romance serves a dual role: it is a meaningful source of player enjoyment and a lens through which social and philosophical themes can be explored within games. It further argues that romance is well-integrated and impactful when carefully written, but is frequently implemented as superficial, mini-game-like content, and that agency-based frameworks, such as those proposed by Cole and Gillies, offer useful criteria for evaluating its quality. The study's scope centers on single-player role-playing games and draws its theoretical grounding from game studies and philosophy.