Verb tenses in games -- which do you prefer?

Visual Novel Community Archive, 2000-2009
#1

While editing Suika, the problem of deciding the tense cropped up. It seems like there’s no real consensus on which is best, though some people really do love the present tense. There are arguments for both. The past tense is the traditional literary style, and it works best if the character seems to be reminiscing about the past. Describing actions also seems more natural if it’s in the past tense. The present tense gives it a more immediate feeling, as if you were there with the character.

I did Suika using the past tense so far, and I sort of feel like changing it to the present tense after I got more of the feel of the story, but going back and changing it will be a pain since I’m about 10% done with the script already.

So what are other people’s opinion on this? If you really want, you can vote now for what tense you want me to do Suika. I’d need to decide by tonight or I’d lose too much time, though.

#2

Present tense is best I think, with past tense in case there are any flashbacks. I really prefer plot lines that involve present tense because I want to be more involved in the story. If the whole story along with its climax is past tense, it feels kind of lame because you feel like everything has happened already. Then there’s the problem associated with how things end. For example the game Faranheit/Indigo Prophecy used past tense and depending on the outcome it gets kind of silly how the story is told.

I say go for present tense if you can help it.

#3

One of the main reasons I want to switch to the present for Suika is because it discusses death a lot, including that of the main character (at least in what I’ve seen). It would seem better to use the present tense if part of the story is about how he deals with possible death. Using past would mean he either survived or he’s talking as a ghost somehow.

But ugh, going back to change everything will take at least a day, and I’m already so short on time I already can’t make all the edits I want. I wish I had the time to rewrite it for more effectively storytelling, but all I have time for is basically grammar fixing or slight rewording.

I really wish I knew more about Suika, so I could make a better choice, especially if it were when I started. I still largely have no idea what’s happening in the stories.

#4

Whoa… I didn’t expect this at all.

I vastly prefer past tense in English for visual novels. I’m translating G-Senjou no Maou with past tense because it, to me, flows far more naturally that way. It simply reads better.

#5

It’s a matter of pick your battles. Far worse to have inconsistent usage of tense, than to pick the wrong one. Especially since you’re complaining you already don’t have enough time to correct all the things you think need correcting, going back and changing what you’ve already done sounds like a waste of time.

#6

My vote is for past tense. That’s what I’m using for AsuKimi (although I didn’t even think about what tense I was using until you made me go and look at my script files. :lol: )

#7

I prefer past tense throughout - I can’t really explain why, but I just find that it reads better.

#8

Vote for presense tense, only because it was Suika. Probably i’m one of the few one that actually watched its anime to get its feel. The story is nice although seems irrelevant at first, but that is not what we discuss here, sorry :stuck_out_tongue:

#9

I wouldn’t use past tense unless the source you are translating calls for it (literally using paste tense.)

#10

I decided to go with past tense for Suika, and one of the reasons was actually because of its story. It’s divided into multiple arcs with different characters, so making the game in present tense and therefore more first person would be more jarring since there would be character changes. It would make more sense with an omnipresent narrator telling all the events, hence it would be past tense.

No. That would be a horrible idea. Japanese text uses a mix of present and past tense, unlike English. English writing tends to stick with one tense. It wouldn’t be very good English to switch between them all the time.

#11

Suit yourself, just wonder how would you deal with many flashback scenes and distinguish them with the present scenes. But anyway, it’s your choice :smiley:

#12

I don’t think I’ve encountered any flashbacks yet, but they can just be in the past tense too. There’s usually something in the game that signifies the switch from flashback and present anyway. I don’t know if even the Japanese would consistently use past tense in flashbacks.

#13

UGH, no thanks! In fact, it’s probably better if the English flows nothing like the Japanese source at all. You’ve got to remember that Japanese isn’t really a language about DOING things, like English and… most other languages are, but instead is more about things changing. This leads to a mix of past and present tense that would be VERY confusing in English and not flow properly at all.

#14

Interesting, if i remember it right, each of 4 chapters in Suika has at least 2 or 3 flashback scenes, leading to total about 10 flashback scenes in the whole game, even though each chapter is already short. Now looking back at a good ol’ game - Yuki Sakura with only a few flashbacks, G-Collections translated it using a mix of various tenses - past, present, present continuous - so the script doesn’t feel like it was “forced” into any certain tense. That’s quite an experience to take :slight_smile:

#15

I think as an editor/translator you’ll have to use YOUR judgement on which tense would be more appropriate. In the end it shouldn’t be a matter of preference but what you should feel is the more appropriate tense to use in line with the story and situation =3

Thats the whole job of editor. Its being able to call the shots on how the story/dialogue flows. =3 Remember that there will be a bazillion different comments on preference on grammar and stuff. Just stick to what you feel is more appropriate (which from your reply was past tense anyway =D)

#16

I believe the translator just used whatever the original tense was. It changes so much it just seems like what the original Japanese would be like. It should have just used one tense (at least for the present).

The point of this thread was to ask people’s opinion about tense in general, not for me to ask for advice. And as for Suika, I wish I could pick the appropriate tense based on the story, but I don’t know the story. I still don’t really have any idea what’s going on since I’m doing all 4 paths in parallel, and they weren’t from the beginning. That should be enough about Suika. I decided on a tense. I’m not going to change now. It’s too late, even if people beg. Please resume talking about tense preferences in VNs in general.

#17

I’ve always preferred present tense myself.

#18

Well, if you don’t get the story of Suika, just watch its anime, or just ask me (lol, kidding, cause i don’t have any idea about how 3rd chapter goes on, but the rest chaps, just maybe :P)

#19

Present tense gives you a stronger sensation of being in the story, though American literature often relies heavily on past tense, so it might seem out of place at times. I would prefer to feel involved, however, so unless we’re discussing past events I’ll vote for present tense.

#20

I prefer past tense. Present tense doesn’t seem to draw me into the action any better. I’d only use it if there was some clear indication that this was happening here and now, usually such as an intro that was a flashback.