I love these EVEN MORE than I love CEO tropes. Why? I have NO IDEA. I'm not a big gamer, but I love the idea of escaping into another fantastical world. Here are all the videogame shows I love. I also have narrative imprisonment tropes here that have the same vibe as in-game stories. (Check out my Skinship/Romance list to see my skinship rating guide for these symbols: 🚫💋,💋,💋💋,💋💋💋,🫦🫣.)

😍🎮 Gamer Tropes

Ling Miao Miao (Esther Yu) unexpectedly finds herself transported into the world of a fantasy novel called "Chasing Demons" as a villainous supporting character. To escape and return to the real world, she must complete a series of tasks – including winning the heart of Mu Sheng (Ding Yu Xi), the female lead's adoptive brother with a possessive love for her. Teaming up with expert demon catchers, they battle creatures, level up, and gradually work to dissolve an age-old animosity between humans and demons. As Miao Miao and Mu Sheng grow closer, can they rewrite their stories in favor of redemption... and possibly even romance? This 2024 Chinese drama was directed by Zhao Yi Long, adapted from the web novel "The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus" by Bai Yu Zhai Diao Gong.

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy

💖My Beloved Demon Team 💖

Tencent, Mango TV

Aspiring screenwriter Chen Xiao Qian (Zhao Lu Si) is struggling to get her TV series off the ground. The male lead is kicking up a fuss about her script, leading her to worry that the series will never reach viewers’ screens. Suddenly, she is dragged into the pages of her own screenplay, where she becomes the Third Princess, a lowly minor character with a terrible reputation... and a drastically short lifespan! Fortunately, she knows that her killer will be Prince Han Shuo (Ding Yu Xi) and Xiao Qian uses her “insider knowledge” to rewrite the character’s fate to ensure she survives. Can she cheat death and reverse her TV show’s fortunes? And could this messy situation inadvertently lead her to love? This 2020 Chinese drama was based on a novel by Popsicles and was directed by Cha Chuen Yee.

The Romance of Tiger and Rose

Tencent

Jiang Yi Cheng (Xing Zhao Lin), a brilliant programmer previously betrayed by a woman, refuses to hire women at his company. Lu Li (Zhu Xu Dan), an admirer of Yi Cheng’s work, disguises herself as a man to get hired. Maintaining her disguise proves challenging, and when Yi Cheng discovers her identity, Lu Li brokers a deal that opens the door for romance. Directed by Wu Qiang, this is a 2021 Chinese romantic comedy series.

Cute Programmer

⌨️ Ctrl + Love 😍

Youku

In the ultra-competitive world of e-sports, the all-male team, ZGDX, is second to none. But when their star player suffers a career-halting injury, team captain Lu Si Cheng (Xu Kai) is forced to search for a replacement. Si Cheng’s quest to find the best ultimately leads him to Tong Yao (Cheng Xiao) an amateur gamer with exceptional skills. Convinced that adding the first female player to his team would boost their PR, Si Cheng makes Tong Yao the team’s trainee. While fans of the team aren’t sure how they feel about the new addition, the members of ZGDX slowly warm up to her, though none quite as much as Si Cheng. Will sparks of romance ignite in their future? Based on a novel by Qing Mei, This 2021 Chinese drama series was directed by Qiu Zhong Wei.

Falling Into Your Smile

🎮 League of Love Team ❤️

Xiao Nai (Jing Bo Ran), a charismatic university student and online gaming expert, becomes intrigued by Bei Wei Wei (Angelababy), a skilled computer science major who dominates the game's leaderboard as a mysterious female player. Despite skepticism from other gamers about her identity, Wei Wei proves her gaming prowess. As their paths intersect both online and in the real world, Xiao Nai develops feelings for her and strategizes how to win her heart using his gaming skills and charm. This 2016 Chinese romantic comedy, based on a novel by Gu Man, was directed by Zhao Tian Yu.

Love O2O (Movie)

💥🍥 TEAM 7️⃣ 🍥💥

JSTV

Computer science major Bei Wei Wei (Zheng Shuang) wants to become a leading video game developer who is known for her skills, not just her good looks. She spends her free time on a role-playing video game, but is in for a complete shock one day when her “online husband” dumps her. In another twist, the game’s leading player makes her an “online proposal.” She accepts, and the duo draws close in the virtual world. However, she soon learns that her new online “spouse” is someone she knows in real life: her college senior Xiao Nai (Yang Yang). The pair begin to spend time together both online and in the physical world. Could their online chemistry lead them to romance in the real world, too? This 2016 Chinese drama is based on the novel by Gu Man.

Love O2O

The Love O2O Team

Recent police academy graduate Xu Qi An (Dylan Wang) is looking forward to starting his new career... until he finds himself spirited away to the Dafeng Dynasty, a realm populated by magical clerics, demons, and wizards! He wakes up in jail, but his quick thinking and knowledge from his "normal" life leads an organization of so-called “guardians” to recruit him to their cause, turning him into Dafeng's top investigator. Eventually, his path crosses with Princess Lin An (Tian Xi Wei), the ill-fated daughter of Emperor Jing of the Yuan Dynasty. Can Qi An and his new friends lead the guardians into a decisive battle between the powers of good and the forces of evil? This drama was based on a web novel by Mai Bao Xiao Lang Jun.

Guardians of the Dafeng

⚔️Champions of Justice

As a high school senior, Su Jeong (Mun Ka Young) began playing an online game where she met another player nicknamed "Black Dragon." They unexpectedly got close, developing crushes and planning a meeting in real life... that concluded in humiliation and disaster when "Black Dragon" turned out to be an awkward middle schooler instead of the young man he portrayed himself to be! Sixteen years later, Su Jeong is a skilled planner at Yongsung Department Store, but her job is about to get a shakeup with the arrival of Ban Ju Yeon (Choi Hyun Wook), the ambitious new head of strategic planning and heir to the company. There's just one problem: Ban Ju Yeon is actually "Black Dragon," and Su Jeong still holds a grudge. Will their past come back to haunt them, or can they find a way to resolve their misunderstandings – and even find love as adults?

My Dearest Nemesis

Black Dragon's Doom 🐉

Oh Yeon Joo (Han Hyo Joo) is searching for her missing webtoon-writing father when she is sucked into the strange world of her father’s comic creation. In this dimension, she comes face-to-face with Kang Cheol (Lee Jong Suk), an Olympic gold medal winner and self-made millionaire… and the main character in her father’s unfinished masterpiece “W.” Yeon Joo soon discovers that she can only escape from this bizarre universe by winning the feelings of Cheol. Will she ever return to the “real” world – and find love on the way?

Cassiopeia

Channel 3

Nisa (Sushar Manaying), a successful surgeon, discovers her game developer father has mysteriously disappeared. Using his hidden VR glasses, she enters the virtual world of "Better World" to search for him. There, she encounters Akin (Sutthirak Subvijitra), a mysterious hero on his own quest. As Akin follows Nisa into the real world, they uncover shocking truths about his existence and the dangerous forces threatening "Better World". Together, they must fight to save both the game world and their own realities. Crossing between worlds, Nisa and Akin form an unexpected alliance to protect what they love most. This is a 2021 South Korean fantasy romance drama produced by Century UU Co., Ltd.

Switch On

Team Better World

Xing Yun (Bai Lu), a talented sketch artist with dreams of becoming a game designer, is recruited by a top gaming company owned by Xia Ke (Xing Zhao Lin), the son of a wealthy family who chose to forge his own path. Xing Yun refuses to be intimidated by Xia Ke's cold demeanor and consistently stands up to her demanding boss. Their constant bickering and power struggles lead to an unexpected dynamic that challenges both of their perspectives on work and relationships. As they navigate their professional and personal tensions, Xing Yun and Xia Ke begin to learn valuable lessons about respect, collaboration, and personal growth. This is a 2019 Chinese romantic comedy drama adapted from the novel of the same name by An Si Yuan and directed by Chen Shi Yi.

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