Forum Overview :: Anime Isn't Worth My WAGE^___^ :: Konami dating sim props up a resort town's economy

[quote name="Bananadine"]<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703632304575451414209658940.html">Only in Japan, Real Men Go to a Hotel With Virtual Girlfriends</a> [quote name="WSJ"]In the first month of the city's promotional campaign launched July 10, more than 1,500 male fans of the Japanese dating-simulation game LovePlus+ have flocked to Atami for a romantic date with their videogame character girlfriends. [...] Yamadaya, a shop selling processed fish cakes on Atami's main shopping street, started offering special Love Plus+ fish cakes at the end of July. On top of a rubbery square white cake about the size of piece of toast, Yamadaya draws the characters' faces using black squid ink. At 450 yen ($5.30), the store has been selling out its daily allotment of 150 cakes—50 for each girl. Korean barbecue-inspired restaurant Hien says a quarter of its customers are currently game-related. For 5,000 yen, customers get a special Love Plus+ menu of Japanese beef and side dishes. Kanji Nagasawa, Hien's owner, says he is accustomed to making small talk with customers, but the Love Plus+ crowd often sits in silence and plays the game while eating. "We've been stunned," Mr. Nagasawa said, "how happy this makes those customers."[/quote][/quote]