Webkare – Web-based Virtual Boyfriend for Japanese Schoolgirls!
Within days of its launch on September 10th, a Japanese website called Webkare that provides virtual boyfriends to schoolgirls in Japan has racked up plenty of new members and every Japanese girl is going crazy about it.
Needless to say, I believe Japan’s culture is made for stuff like this. It’s not a bad thing, sorta like that electronic-pet-dog you can get. (also from Japan)
In Japan, girls are crazy over virtual boyfriends. Webkare (Web Boyfriend in Japanese), a mix between a social network and dating simulation site, is Nippon’s newest web sensation. Geared exclusively towards girls, the site attracted over 10,000 members just 5 days after its release on September 10, racking up 3.5 million page views in the same time frame.
The site is a huge hit over here. Girls sign up and become members of a social network but also users of a dating simulation in cartoon style. They have to try to hook up with one of four male Anime characters (who are the “stars” of the site) through “conversations” and must collaborate with other Webkare members in order to move on in the game. Eventually they conquer the heart of the chosen cartoon boy.
It’s pretty weird but clever. Dating simulations have been popular in Japan for quite a while now, but Webkare marks the first time the concept has been brought online and combined with social networking functionality.
Tags: 5 million, anime characters, cartoon boy, cartoon style, conversations, japanese girl, japanese schoolgirls, launch, million page views, networking functionality, nippon, simulation, simulations, social networking, sorta, time frame, virtual boyfriend, virtual boyfriends, web sensation









