I’m writing a thesis on visual novels and it's quite a mess right now.

[celes91]

Hello.
I'm going to graduate in July and I'm writing a thesis about Visual Novels. I started writing it months ago, and I changed the theme a bunch of times. It started as a text that was about of interactivity in videogames, at a certain point the theme had become "The visual novels and the illusion of free will" but trying to do this I got stuck and I didn’t know how to move forward. So I made it more linear and simple (also I only have a month to deliver it!). I would like to make a more general speech and the theme is now "Past, present and future of Visual Novels", and I would like to insert the games that brought innovation to the genre. I still have some doubts about it. The structure is more or less like this:
-Past: I’m talking about the old adventure games, surely I’ll insert The Portopia Serial Murder Case, maybe YU-NO, or anyway games from the 80s or 90s.
-Present: I’m not sure yet, probably Ace Attorney, Zero Escape saga, Mystic Messenger (which I know well) or at least games from 2000 onwards, which must have innovative mechanics.
-Future: I’m still looking. Probably games that integrate VR or 3D environments that you can explore (Solace state maybe).
In the middle, I would insert :
-Genres and different types of vns
- Different types of narrative in video games (linear, string of pearl, branching, etc)
- "Are vns videogames or not? Let’s find out!"
- Differences in how visual novels are received in the East and the West. How in the West this interest has led to the creation of successful derivative products (for the general public) (Doki doki licterature club and Katawa Shoujo)

I’m not sure if I should insert it:
- Games that have a dynamic similar to visual novels ("walking simulators" by David Cage or Life is Strange), and games of the Telltale game, why is this typology successful in the West?

I know this is still very sketchy. I played really very few "important" vns. I started this thesis thinking that it would be easier to find information or that the (poor) knowledge I have of the subject would help me but in reality I overestimated it.
In short, if you have any advice on how I could improve this structure, I gladly accept it.

[trooper6]

As a Humanities professor, the first thing I would ask is: what is your argument? The history of VNs isn’t an argument, it is an overview. What field are you writing this thesis in? History? Computer Science? Sociology? Literature? In which country? Each field and each has different country has slightly different ideas of an ideal thesis. So, more information would be needed on that front.

But from my position, theses have to bring something new to the table and they have to have a strong thesis or argument. A strong thesis shows awareness of the field you are writing in and the discussions your field is having related to your argument, your argument including how you will support that argument, and then why your work is significant. The shorthand for this is: “Scholars/Journalists/The general public think A, however I will argue B using C, this is important because of D.”

‘The English Language VN community centered around websites such as x, y, and z have long lamented VNs lack of popularity in the West. However, this position assumes that a VN must have the same aesthetics as Japanese language VNs. In this thesis, by looking at mobile games like “Cause of Death,” “Surviving High School,” and the Choices games, I’ll argue that visual novels are thriving in the Western market, though not marketed to otaku VN audiences. This is important because by recognizing mobile western games like “Cause of Death” as VNs, it expands our notion not only of VNs themselves, but also who the market for VNs are.’

Once you have a well developed argument—something that people might argue with. I.e. not just a true statement, then your structure will often emerge from that. In my fictional thesis I’d probably start with a brief history of the VN, then the VN in English language communities, then focus on explaining the ELVN sites I choice and what the conversations are. Set up their argument with the top VNs they talk about, Blah Blah. After setting up the conversation I’m about to be a part of, I would move to my analysis. I’d go over some history of what I view as VNs on the mobile platform, talk about how they should count as VNs, give evidence and analysis. Then show that these games are almost never talked about in the VN crowd I mentioned. Ask why? Then answer that question by bringing up sales and demographics, analyzing the VNs themselves, Blah Blah. Then argue they should be included and why. Then conclude with why this is important.

So, what are you arguing?

But really, my number 1 advice is to talk to your advisor. Your advisor is there to advise you and you need to write your thesis within the guidelines your advisor expects. If your advisor is a computer science professor they are going to expect something different from that thesis than I would.

[Shanter]

Thank you, this is very interesting! You did a good job!