Q&A with Twelve Epal Companions
The follow up to my Epal.gg Companion Service Review
Average Read Time: 9-10 minutes
A Breakdown of Interviewee Responses
Twelve Epal companions were interviewed with the following series of questions. Responses were picked where applicable. Not everybody gave detailed answers, and some didn't care to comment. All responses have been anonymized and grouped by topic for ease of reading :)
Near the bottom of this article I've added a Closing Summary section, which surmises some of the major takeaways from the responses below.
Age Ranges of Epal Companions Interviewees
Becoming a 'Companion'
How Did You Learn About E-Pal.gg and Get Started?
Response #1
A colleague showed me Epal.gg as a joke. At first, I thought it was a dumb idea, but then I told myself there was nothing wrong with creating a profile.Response #2
I had friends who are really into video games who started spamming me with a link to this website and insisting I ought to give it a go.Response #4
I was invited to a party at my college and most of the women there were really really drunk. So, to distract them from drinking anymore I was pulling up memes and there was this one about Egirl.gg. They found it very entertaining and basically peer pressured me into becoming an e-girl.Response #5
I saw it on social media: on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter - and I thought, “why not give it a go?”Response #6
I had actually tried something very similar in the past: basically being a Fiverr Girl where they pay you to play video games with them. And so, I migrated over here.Response #7
I had been looking for a part-time profession which had three main criteria: 1. Working From Home 2. Something Enjoyable 3. Personal Time Management / Self-Created Work Schedule I basically wanted something in which I could manage my own time, set my own schedule, that sort of thing.Do You Tell People about Your Gig at E-Pal?
Response #1
My family and friends know; I don’t hide it. I never give out my personal details to customers. I only share my name, age and nationality. Sometimes I tell them about my day, but I created a private Instagram account for this job and I never share my personal socials.Demographic
Who is Your Average Client?
Response #1
Up until now, all my clients have been men. I’ve never had a girl. They’re under 30 and all employed. There’s a few Italians, but most are foreigners from the US or the Emirates, plus Asian people, mainly Japanese.Response #2
They’re all men, either young or over 50. They like to play with someone who’s good looking, because deep down, they want something else. Initially, they just want to play, but then they ask you for other stuff, like nudes. A guy just offered me €50 for a shirtless picture. Many girls do that and make a lot of money. I’ve played with guys who just wanted to play, but the topic inevitably comes up. It’s a very sexualized environment.Response #3
I like to chat with them before exchanging contacts. Many look for things I don’t want to do – like nudes. I prefer playing with clients I personally like. Some are looking for a player to fill a specific role in the match, others just want company. A guy asked me to have a virtual date; we watched a movie and talked. I played with Germans, Austrians and Italians – in general, only people from Europe around the age of 25.Response #4
It’s the question I’ve been asked the most. It’s usually guys between the ages of 19 and 40. They often have a hard time with women or they say they have anxiety or body image issues. A guy told me he wrote me because he doesn’t enjoy sex, he’s only satisfied by online relationships and has a sort of fetish for hiring girls online. I only talked with him because I don’t do porn, I only offer my company and my voice.Do You Have Any Regulars?
Response #1
Yes! There are people I talk to during the day and then play with at night; or clients who want to play two or three matches a night, almost every day.Response #2
There’s a guy from Milan. I always accept his order, because I liked him from the start. There’s a German guy who hires me three or four times a week, and who sent me a few recipes; a very normal guy. He’s grown fond of me and he often gives me in-game gifts, or he even sends money to my PayPal - like €80 some times.Response #3
There are people who order just as a joke, or just to say that they did it; but number of us have a few frequent customers.Client Intentions
Why Do You Think Clients Pay You to Play with Them?
Response #1
Based on what they told me: they prefer playing with women because they encourage you, instead of focusing on your mistakes. They like foreign girls because they want to learn another language, or get to know someone from the other side of the world who is into gaming. Most people who get in touch with me are polite, but you’ve got to accept the right orders! I try to talk to clients a bit before accepting an order, and sometimes they end up being rude or saying they’re looking for something else. I often meet people who just want to vent or watch a series or an anime with someone else.Response #2
Playing with random people can be a negative experience. There’s a lot of toxicity online. Maybe they’re looking to play with someone who doesn’t have that toxic behavior. It’s a pity that so many people feel the need to pay someone to have a positive gaming experience.Some Contact You Just To Talk?
Response #1
Yes, there’s a special section for that on the site. Usually, they get in touch based on your looks. Then you talk about a bit of everything - from how the lockdown is going or went for you, to what you do in life and where you live - because often clients are from abroad, usually mine are from Canada or the US. A guy told me he hires girls online to have someone who shares his interests, to talk to for half an hour. Then he asked me how tall I was, my weight and if I had a boyfriend.Client Relations
Do Clients Ever Become 'Actual Friends' After the Service Has Ended?
Response #1
Oh yeah! Most of the people that I’ve played with in the past, I actually just hang out with whenever to be honest.Response #2
If we click and I really enjoy your company, of course I won’t make you pay for additional services.Response #3
Oh, plenty of clients have become friends after! And they all come onto my stream now as well! Which is really nice! As we can all hang out together!Response #4, 5, 6, 7
Yes.Response #8
No.Experiences As a Companion
What Have Been Some of Your Best Customer Experiences?
Response #1
I've gotten a lot of YouTubers wanting content for videos. So I've been able to star in a number of videos I otherwise wouldn't have the skill to make.
Response #2
One time, a customer orders 230 sessions in one go...
Response #3
It was New Years and this dude was like: "Hey, I just wanna fuck around and waste my money."
Response #4
You'll meet some really generous people on here. I guess they have a lot of money and they enjoy spending it on people.
Do You Make Friends with Other Epal Companions?
Response #1
I think we’re all pretty much friends here as sellers.
Response #2
Depends on the person, holy moly! But in my opinion, I feel that we should all work together.
Response #3
I’m friends with some of the other sellers, of course. We share customers.
Response #4
I’ve met a lot of sellers and have gotten really close.
Response #5
I don’t really talk to a lot of people on here; so I’d say no for myself.
Response #6
Overall, other Epals are really nice and they'll really help you out as a seller. There are virtually no other tutorials or outlets for how to do this job outside of the website itself. Most of the things that I've learned, I've learned from others.
Do You Enjoy Selling Your Companionship?
Response #1
Yeah, definitely - its better than doing nothing. I’d literally just be doing the same thing anyway. So I figured, "why not make some money out of it?".
Response #2
I enjoy it because you can make more than what you’d get as a part-time sales assistant in a shop – €30, €40 a day. I feel comfortable gaming, so I thought there was nothing wrong with it. I’ve been doing it for a few months now. I still have other prospects – I study at university and I’d like to have a career.
Response #3
Sometimes its enjoyable, sometimes its not. Sometimes I get ordered just to get harassed because of how my voice sounds...
Response #4
Yeah, I think its pretty entertaining. Especially for someone like me. Like, I enjoy a profession where its different each time.
Response #5
It depends upon who the customer is. But who doesn’t like to get paid for their hobby?
Response #6
Me? Oh! Hell no!
Closing Summary
Seven out of eight companions stated that they've 'made friends' with clients who have ordered them in the past.
Note: When they say they 'befriend' or 'interact with a sizable portion of their clientele after an order', I wonder to what degree of 'friendship' they're referring to?
Are they surface-level interactions you'd have with acquaintances at work? Or do some develop into richer, nurtured relationships?
Most stated that they got into selling their companionship with a sense of curiosity and a search for supplemental income.
In terms of seller enjoyment, each companion found difficulty in saying what they enjoyed without also mentioning their financial gain.
The average age range of clientele was usually a man between 20 - 30 years of age. Meanwhile, the average age for an Epal companion sits between 18 and 21 - often young women in their college years.
While there were a lot of clients misusing the service by soliciting sexual acts, there were also a sizable number citing deep-rooted anxiety and self-worth issues as their reasons for purchasing services.
Note: Epal.gg certainly seems to foster a more hyper sexual demographic of clients than other companion services I've looked over. This isn't all that surprising - given the way Epal.gg was originally branded and marketed.
Many that were interviewed felt themselves to have a sort of comradery with fellow Epal companions.
Note: I thought this was a little surprising. People selling their companionship on other platforms never mentioned interactions between one another. I'd wager a guess that the built-in community forums, the amount of Twitch streamers using the platform, and the more personal front that Epal.gg has by using voice recordings really helps with seller interactivity. There's more to gain here by other sellers sharing knowledge and tips with one another.
Seven out of eight companions stated that they've 'made friends' with clients who have ordered them in the past.
Note: When they say they 'befriend' or 'interact with a sizable portion of their clientele after an order', I wonder to what degree of 'friendship' they're referring to?
Are they surface-level interactions you'd have with acquaintances at work? Or do some develop into richer, nurtured relationships?
Most stated that they got into selling their companionship with a sense of curiosity and a search for supplemental income.
In terms of seller enjoyment, each companion found difficulty in saying what they enjoyed without also mentioning their financial gain.
The average age range of clientele was usually a man between 20 - 30 years of age. Meanwhile, the average age for an Epal companion sits between 18 and 21 - often young women in their college years.
While there were a lot of clients misusing the service by soliciting sexual acts, there were also a sizable number citing deep-rooted anxiety and self-worth issues as their reasons for purchasing services.
Note: Epal.gg certainly seems to foster a more hyper sexual demographic of clients than other companion services I've looked over. This isn't all that surprising - given the way Epal.gg was originally branded and marketed.Many that were interviewed felt themselves to have a sort of comradery with fellow Epal companions.
Note: I thought this was a little surprising. People selling their companionship on other platforms never mentioned interactions between one another. I'd wager a guess that the built-in community forums, the amount of Twitch streamers using the platform, and the more personal front that Epal.gg has by using voice recordings really helps with seller interactivity. There's more to gain here by other sellers sharing knowledge and tips with one another.During “Client Intentions”, someone mentioned that their male clients 'preferred playing games with women because they encouraged you, rather than focusing on your mistakes.'
Note: I found this interesting, as its something I've actually heard from both men and women online, and have even experienced myself on a number of occasions. That might be an interesting topic for another day.