OK, I want to ask the big big big big big (and another big!) question: What PR image should Bishoujo games portray? You all know why this is important and why we should be very interested in shaping it, because right now the available English localizations of Bishoujo game titles are mostly with some amount of H-content. This Bishoujo game audience is one of the more loyal ones, which is often the case for niche, under appreciated things in the world. I can cite the early Star Trek fans, the NeoGeo fan community, the Conan O’Brien entourage in his first 3 years or so, as positive proof of loyal audiences for niche cultures. The fans of Bishoujo games seem to be divided into two separate camps at the moment, one that are staunch supporters of the English localization titles from Jast USA, Peach Princess, G-Collections, and Himeya Soft because this group are [mostly] of legal age and are more accepting of material with adult content, yet most of those who are asked, ‘What do you look for in a Bishoujo game?’ story and characters are still the predominant reasons that this group plays Bishoujo games. That is certainly not to say the H-content is an insignificant factor, yet story and characters eclipses H-content when it comes down to swaying one’s purchase decision.
The other camp consists possibly of all ages, and learns about Bishoujo games primarily through hearsay, perhaps even possibly through Teh Romz. This camp’s eagerness for Sakura Taisen, Tokimeki Memorial, To Heart, Comic Party, Kanon, Air, all these popular all ages titles is widely known. Some members of this camp can even be very whiny and demands there be some resolution for Japanese game companies to localize these titles, for Teh rabid fans insist upon the righteousness of their vision. We are probably well aware of this type, I have personally met a lot of this type of individuals at conventions, BBS’s, as well as had a few of them as friends. The greatest irony of it all is most of these individuals [probably] know zero Japanese, and play these games, should they manage to obtain them, through the aid of someone else’s translation. Being a fan is a great thing, because you are willing to sacrifice great amounts of time, energy, and sometimes even money, to produce something for someone else’s benefit. One could say the great following for these titles tantamouts to spectators of a sports conference, in which you don’t have to play the game in order to enjoy watching it.
There is no way to convince the non-adult Bishoujo game group the merits of Bishoujo games with adult content because it is illegitimate to do so. and I believe the Bishoujo game fans have self-deluded themselves long enough that they should start waking up. If the Bishoujo game market needs to succeed and flourish, some serious campaign effort needs to be created, hear what people like and want, and pander to those basal needs.