Love and Produceris a mobile game that lets players groom romantic relationships with a series of virtual boyfriends. In China's dating scene, where women are under enormous pressure to pair off before a certain age, the escapism offered by simulation games is drawing women in by the millions.

China’s live-stream market is dominated by young women, but a pair of 80-year-old grannies from Guangxi province have become streaming celebrities. Amid a culture that shames single women after their mid-twenties, China’s viral grannies are sending messages of female empowerment.

For the last decade, Chinese magazines, sites and government bodies have been labelling unmarried women over 27 assheng nu–‘leftover women’ – in a bid to counter a social trend seen as destabilising society. But who are these leftover women? And why should brands be paying attention to them?

In China, the popularity of mobile games is growing, with as many as 27 new formats being released everyday. But, many of these games portray women in submissive roles, or at the least intertwined in romantic plot lines, which experts warn is perpetuating negative gender stereotypes.