Babol, M. 2023

The main objective of this study is to analyze how global version of the game Tears of Themis (Cognosphere PTE., LTD., 2021) simulates romance through the emergence of an Embedded Narrative of a romantic relationship between the Player’s avatar "Rosa" and Vyn Richter. After all, it is worth noting that despite romance being the end of Tears of Themis, its gameplay does not solely focus on the said genre. Instead, it seamlessly incorporates crime drama and courtroom elements with the traditional otome game dynamics in the simulation of romance and dating.

For the analysis, this study focused on examining the game elements first before looking into Tears of Themis as a whole. First, Tracy Fullerton’s definition of Formal and Dramatic Elements was applied to identify the vital elements of the game. Secondly, the game loop structure made by the creators of Alice: Asylum was utilized as a means of organization to further identify the interconnection between elements through several Dramatic and Formal loops. Thirdly, Henry Jenkins’ “Game Design as Narrative Architecture” was employed to analyze what kind of narratives arise from the interaction of elements in Tears of Themis. Last, Karol Wojtyla’s ideas on “Love as Attraction'' and “Love as Goodwill'' were used to gain insights into what kind of ideas on love Tears of Themis simulates in its gameplay, elements, and
mechanics— ultimately, giving players a glimpse of the beliefs HoYoverse has about romantic
relationships and how they impart them through the system of the game that they created and
developed.

Keywords: Tears of Themis, Game Loops, Simulation, Dramatic Elements, Formal Elements, Emergent Narratives, Enacted Narratives, Karol Wojtyla, Love as Attraction, Love as Goodwill