I am writing a quickie article bishoujo gaming for the new Bishoujo Gaming News (the little news sheet we include with all orders from J-List and JAST USA). I would like comments and feedback from people about what makes bishoujo games special. Why are they important to you? Is it the libido, or the stories, or the fact that you’re on the cutting edge of something that few Americans know about (like anime used to be)? Come come, elucidate your thoughts.
What I like about bishoujo games is the different feel to it, the story, and the multiple paths you can take. I’ve always wanted to play an RPG in which I could make choices that actually could have a real effect on the story. As for why the story, well, I’m a sucker for romantic/love themed games.
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Originally posted by Peter Payne:
I am writing a quickie article bishoujo gaming for the new Bishoujo Gaming News (the little news sheet we include with all orders from J-List and JAST USA). I would like comments and feedback from people about what makes bishoujo games special. Why are they important to you? Is it the libido, or the stories, or the fact that you're on the cutting edge of something that few Americans know about (like anime used to be)? Come come, elucidate your thoughts.
Why the bishoujo games are important to me? Well, in short, because they are fabulous and very funny!! I am a Ren'ai Gamer, so for me...
...the stories are the most important reason because i like BGames. And not just that, like most mangas and anime shows, bishoujo games have an unique narrative who makes you to 'feel' the story. And i think the way you tell a story is so important than the story itself.
If the story and plot are really goods too, i can enjoy the Bgame even more. They are like well-writen animated novel books you can read by hours and hours till the end. And the best part: you can make your own choices to change the incoming end (when playing multi-ending Bgames). You don't have so much liberty when watching movies or TV series, for instance.
...the characters are the second most important reason because i like BGames. They are rich, well developed and unique, created with lots of personality and feelings who makes yourself to identify with them. They can be 2-dimensions persons who exists just in my PC/Console, but sometimes they are so rich, lively and likeable you can't help to care for them like any real person. For instance, anyone here never cried or feel for KANA TODO? I did! (T_T)
Great characters with great backgrounds makes the story/plot of the Bgame even more enjoyable.
... A third reason are the beautiful graphics. Great CGs and beautiful scenarios surely helps a lot the enjoyment of a story, because shitty CGs sometimes can to distract us from the great story and ruin the enjoyment. But they are NOT the most important factor to me. Good story and characters came first.
As for the libido, well, i am a ren'ai gamer so i play ren'ai games - adult and non-adult. Of course, sometimes i played other genres just for fun.
So, the sex-scenes are important too, when well-done and story/plot-driven. That's why i prefer 'make love'-scenes rather than 'sex'-scenes. But if the sex-scene is made for the sake of the story/plot, that's fine to me. Just like a great movie. And sometimes we need some libido in our adult life, right? (^_^)
Well, that's my reasons because i like bishoujo games. I hope it can help.
Cultural differences and general change of pace game play wise.
Though some bishoujo game offer little replay value, quite a few seem to be spiritual successors to the old Infocom adventure series.
The lolicon characters of course.
Can’t have them in real life, so games are nice; this is generally true regardless of what your fantasy is- lolicon, nurses, married women, etc.
I also like bishoujo games since they’re a good middle ground between anime and manga;
the artwork is somplace in between, and the storylines are equivalant to a manga, and they last a lot longer for the amount of money spent than either.
For me it’s the story. When I play a good bishoujo game it’s like watching an excellent tv show or reading a good book. Add in the interactivity of it and you can steer the story wherever you want it to go. There’s been a couple of times watching a show/reading a book where I get pissed off by the choices the protagonist chooses. Here we don’t have that problem because I get to choose
Plus the girls in the games are usually cute
I like Bgames for the same reason i like everything from Japan. It’s a unique country that has been able to hold on to tradition and honor when most of the world has become white washed and devoid of flavor. I love seeing Turkish baths, hot spring, tea houses, Kimonos, Love Hotels, and all the little things that just scream Nippon. Oh and lolicon and housewives don’t hurt either .
Where to begin, what to say…
Well… I’m a fan of manga and anime too, where comedy and bishoujo/romance are my favorite genres. That I can also get them in game form is great (though it was partly ero-games that got me into anime, not the other way around). England and the USA supplies us with an endless chain of cookie-cutter action movies and games, Japan supplies the bishoujo romance. Sometimes with more adult moments, which in the USA is labeled as “perverted”, “unnatural”, “unchristian”, “bane of the living” etc.
Does anyone remember the first GTA game? When it came, despite all the violence and blood in the game, they still censored the word “fuck” from the cutscenes, and even slightly suggestive nudity in games was unheard of back then, despite the age 18 rating the game had. Swearing and sex was clearly much worse than mass murder.
This very reason is what made me intrigued with adult bishoujo games to begin. They didn’t have that unnatural “fear” of showing nudity and sex in a game. Of course, when I first found them, I appreciated the games for something other than the romantic stories I do today . I never liked the notion that “murder and mayhem is ok, love and sex is bad”, and I had finally found a genre of games that agreed with me.
After 23 years of constant force feeding of American culture through TV, movies and games, the 1 year (or more, if you count the years of playing old ero-games) of Japanese culture impression I have has left me with a hunger for more.
When it comes to bishoujo games, I highly prefer the romantic (ren’ai) ones, and adult romance in particular. As I quoted (after translation) from a Norwegian book on Behavioral Genetics (written by Bj√∏rn Grinde, biologist, dr.scient & dr. philos) in another thread; Love without sex is like a set table without food. And sex without love is like grabbing a burger and taking off". <— again; as in leaving, not flying
Bishoujo games filled with gratuitous sex isn’t really my taste, I’m not as fond of burgers now as when I was younger . I really need the love and romance to get in the mood, preferably developed over a long time first (Like in Crescendo, Private Nurse, Season of the Sakura, Kana - Little Sister etc)
Non-adult ren’ai bishoujo games are ok too, as long as they were MADE non-adult, not just censored/cut. Adult games often have a different pace, setting and “feel” than the non-adult, and cutting the scenes from them doesn’t make them original PG-13 romance games.
In short, I like Japanese ero-games for giving us adult romance entertainment without feeling like I’m watching a cheap porn-flic. Bj√∏rn Grinde said it better than I ever could.
Oh, and Peter, if you ever read this: Could you thank Jun (I think his/her name was, I don’t have the box and note anymore) at J-list for the little “extra” snack that was included in my last J-List shipment (almost 7 kgs of Pocky and Pocari Sweat, to save on the shipping costs to Norway). The strawberry snacks were really good, I thoroughly enjoyed them, though I can’t seem to find them for sale at J-list. Can’t remember the name either, “Chefs” something, with a small picture of a Japanese chef on the back. Anyway, tell him/her thank you from me 
[This message has been edited by AG3 (edited 04-30-2004).]
Story, first and foremost, definitely. But what really distinguishes ren’ai game from ren’ai anime is the feeling of having some control over the story. The concept of trying to guide these characters (who we start to feel more and more for) towards the best or most romantic ending for them is something that you just can’t get in non-interactive media like anime, books, manga. And it’s a combination of those two factors that is the strongest attraction about bishoujo games, to me.
There are two secondary factors worth mentioning too: the attractive character graphics do add a lot, which is why I’m more into bishoujo games than interactive fiction; and the Japanese setting and culture is fascinating to me. I don’t mind about adult scenes one way or the other (consensual ones, that is).
Personally I play for the story and the art. It may come off as kind of shallow but I really enjoy looking at beatiful images, and unraveling the stories behind them. I enjoy dating simulations along the lines of True Love and Casual Romance Club though, because you really have to get into the character in order to get the most out of the game… so I guess it’s also a combination of the usual suspension of disbelief and escapism that makes these games fun… heh.
quote:
Originally posted by Peter Payne:
I would like comments and feedback from people about what makes bishoujo games special. Why are they important to you? Is it the libido, or the stories, or the fact that you're on the cutting edge of something that few Americans know about (like anime used to be)? Come come, elucidate your thoughts.
The fact that I'm on the "cutting edge" of something isn't something that's particularly relevant to me at all. If b-gaming got big would I have to leave?
As for why I do play b-games ... hmm. It depends, really, on what kind of b-game it is. Generally I play games for one of two reasons.
One, the "libido". (I could use some euphemism, but that's what it boils down to...) This is really the only reason games like Tottemo Pheromone or Do You Like a Horny Bunny are worth playing; games of the "oh, it's so hot in here - are you hot? I'm really hot" variety. I won't lie - I'm 23, I have no girlfriend, these games are great ^^
Two, a good story. This one's harder to nail down because I'm lumping several similar-but-different categories as one; actual plotline; characters; and writing. I'm a big fan of Tokimeki Checkin! because it actually is funny and cute; there's no particularly deep plotline involved at all. I like Nocturnal Illusion because even though its execution is flawed it is still a very effective mood piece. It was one of the first b-games I played; it was back in my bootlegging days and I only really have a memory of having played 3 Sis Story and Seasons of the Sakura prior to NI - the game created atmosphere much more effectively than I had thought possible for a b-game before playing. And I am a fan of Private Nurse because it did an extremely effective casting of its cast as believable, real characters. Finally, I liked the plot of Critical Point so much as I neared the end the h-scenes became an unwanted distraction!
Overall, while games in the first category are nice and enjoyable, they aren't anything I will want to own forever. But I will probably play and replay (say) Nocturnal Illusion ... indefinitely. For the same reason I replay my awesome video games, and reread books I really like. So if I had to pick one thing, just libido does not make a truly worthy b-game; then a game really IS just porn, and porn is porn, and there are plenty of other ways to get porn. You have to have a memorable storyline to really stand out.
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Originally posted by Nandemonai:
So if I had to pick one thing, just libido does not make a truly worthy b-game; then a game really IS just porn, and porn is porn, and there are plenty of other ways to get porn. You have to have a memorable storyline to really stand out.
Nice summary.
I just have to add a reference to the game with the most memorable storyline so far in order to back up your argument: "Kana - imouto" [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/wink.gif[/img]
As for games where the h-scenes rather distorted the interesting plot than really enriched it, it is "Private Nurse" that crosses my mind first...
All the posts above have pretty much listed all the reasons that make me a big bishoujo games fan. Just like many others, I too think storyline is the most important factor in a game.
I like Bishoujo games cause of the artwork, great female characters and the stories, I could do with more non-H scene CGs in the games though.
Thanks everyone for your comments. The article came out well. We’ll get them back soon and they’ll be sent with all adult orders through J-List or JAST USA. The Brave Soul poster (the “good” one) looks great.
An interesting question.
I enjoy them for three reasons.
First, I enjoy seeing the Japanese culture through them. I particularly liked Tokimeki Check-in and Come See Me Tonight because of their settings – a traditional Japanese bath house, and a traditional Japanese restaurant. I understand the exaggerations inherent in the genre, but even so, it’s interesting.
Second, I like the dating sim aspects. Casual Romance Club is the star in this respect. That old chestnut Season of the Sakura is another one. The U.S. really doesn’t have anything like this, although the recent Sims release on dating flirts with it (pun intended). The upcoming European (French?) game Flirt It Up is closer, but less scripted. All in all, I’ll take the scripting. Less spontaneity, but better plot.
Finally, I like the erotic artwork. I find live action pornography distasteful since I am always mindful that there is a real live woman there, and I can’t help but think how sad it is that she is making a living this way. With animation, the fantasy can come alive without distraction. These are purely fictional characters, so, although I may become emotionally attached to them because of good writing, I can suspend my disbelief and get into the story and the sex scenes without distraction.
Whoops. Didn’t notice the article was done. My bad.
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Originally posted by ashampine:
Finally, I like the erotic artwork. I find live action pornography distasteful since I am always mindful that there is a real live woman there, and I can't help but think how sad it is that she is making a living this way. With animation, the fantasy can come alive without distraction. These are purely fictional characters, so, although I may become emotionally attached to them because of good writing, I can suspend my disbelief and get into the story and the sex scenes without distraction.
Ya I agree I like the artwork as well, and I really admire the people who draw these because there are just some amazing artwork in those games and the detail and beauty they put into it, because I know its every difficult to draw the human body and yet I see them draw it so well and in porportion(probably spelt it wrong)and its just really WOW. As for live action porn, I don't like it because it has no plot, no emotional drama or any sentimental value, its just two or three or more people going in there, having sex and acting like they're really enjoying it. Maybe they are but they're probably died inside.
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Originally posted by Unicorn:
As for games where the h-scenes rather distorted the interesting plot than really enriched it, it is "Private Nurse" that crosses my mind first...
*nods*
Somehow I missed this reply. I would have to agree that yes, Private Nurse's h-scenes were a detraction. However, they didn't have to be; if they had been more traditional the h-scenes could have added quite a bit, as opposed to being repetitive and dull.
For another example of this kind of counter-effectiveness, see Critical Point; I was far more interested in the storyline than I was in the sex.
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Whoops. Didn't notice the article was done. My bad.
It's okay, it's always interesting to hear these views. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/smile.gif[/img]