Positive empowerment or freedom trap? Female companions’ voice attractiveness capitalization, gender roles, and gamer identity

In China’s rapidly growing online gaming industry, female game companions have emerged as key players within the neoliberal economy, leveraging voice commodification to navigate a competitive, male-dominated market. This study employs mixed methods to examine how female companions construct and present their unique role dynamics. A survey of 308 participants reveals that “voice attractiveness as power” and the “sexualized enjoyment of voice attractiveness” are significant psychological drivers behind their active self-sexualization in gaming interactions. In-depth interviews with 25 participants illustrate how game companions strategically nomadize their voices, adapting them to exploit cultural stereotypes in gaming while benefiting from both female and gamer identities. This process fosters self-empowerment and economic gain and reinforces gendered power dynamics and precarious labor conditions. The study critiques the commodification and youthification of sexual capital, highlighting the paradox of free choice amid immature sexual norms and the absence of industry protections.