Love Mission 404: Manufacturing Spontaneity in a Generative Dating Show
Abstract
Love Mission 404 is an AI-native game in which the player directs a dating reality show from behind the scenes. The player watches several social scenes unfold across multiple screens and decides when and where to intervene. They can arrange encounters, eavesdrop on contestants, influence their actions, and alter private messages before they are delivered. The contestants are driven by a generative system that draws on each character's personality, memory, current intentions, and evolving relationships. These interventions do not send the story down fixed branches. Instead, they change what characters know and intend, affecting how later scenes unfold. The player can influence the direction of the show without deciding exactly what will happen. Love Mission 404 explores the tension between directing drama and leaving room for characters to respond in unexpected ways.