Seeking Tea: Perfect World's New Game Sparks Controversy Over 'Anti-BL' Policies and the Blurring Lines of Otome/Female-Oriented Games

Recently, a debate erupted on NGA regarding a new title from Perfect World. The controversy stems from the game being labeled simply as 'Female-Oriented' rather than the more specific 'Otome' (a genre centered on female protagonists pursuing male interests) during the review process, despite its content being blatantly Otome-coded. This has led to widespread speculation: have Otome titles become so difficult to approve that developers now resort to vague labels to bypass censorship?

The comment section is divided. Some players accuse the publisher of being 'cunning,' intentionally avoiding explicit genre definitions to manipulate the player base. The discussion centers on the accusation of 'eating from both bowls'—trying to satisfy the strict anti-BL (Boys' Love) demands of certain Otome fans while still leveraging the broader appeal of the 'Female-Oriented' tag. The fact that the official team is enforcing 'anti-BL' rules has particularly alienated many players who enjoy general-audience content.

Experienced community members pointed out that this 'anti-BL' trend has become a staple for toxic Otome extremists (locally referred to as 'Guo-Yi-Jie'). They often exploit features like Taptap's community-edited tags to force an 'Otome' label on games, using it as a weapon to demand 'purity' in other, more general titles. This has sparked deep concern that such behavior will severely damage the health and diversity of the gaming community.