Parents in VNs

A place to discuss things that aren't specific to any one creator or game.
Forum rules
Ren'Py specific questions should be posted in the Ren'Py Questions and Annoucements forum, not here.
Message
Author
clannadman

Parents in VNs

#1 Post by clannadman »

In some anime and manga, parents rarely seem to show up in the teenager's lives. What's your opinion on the role of parents in VNs?

LVUER
King of Lolies
Posts: 4538
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:57 pm
Completed: R.S.P
Location: Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#2 Post by LVUER »

Depending on the story, it could be very important. In Yume-Miru-Kusuri, parents role is very important and even a key-role in Nekoko's path. Parents' also very important when you want to make VN with family or social life as the theme. Though the rate of them showing up is entirely up to you.

One thing for sure is, when making VN about independent children, parents shouldn't show up too much and let the children solve their own problems. This is one of the reason why I hate pokemon. It's very unrealistic in that part.

And don't forget that parent could be ally, but also could be enemies at the same time...
"Double the princesses, quadruple the fun!" - Haken Browning (SRW-OG Endless Frontier)

DeviantArt Account
MoeToMecha Blog (under construction)
Lolicondria Blog (under construction) <- NSFW

User avatar
Greeny
Miko-Class Veteran
Posts: 921
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:15 am
Completed: The Loop, The Madness
Projects: In Orbit, TBA
Organization: Gliese Productions
Location: Cantankerous Castle
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#3 Post by Greeny »

Not showing the parents on screen is perfectly fine... It irks me when by some coincdence every kid in town has some story about their parents dying in a car crash.
In Orbit [WIP] | Gliese is now doing weekly erratic VN reviews! The latest: Halloween Otome!
Gliese Productions | Facebook | Twitter
Image

User avatar
Sapphi
Eileen-Class Veteran
Posts: 1685
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:31 am
Completed: Boku no Taisetsu na Yumeko
Projects: Twelve, PAW ★ PRINTS
Organization: Kitsch-soft
Location: Illinois, USA
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#4 Post by Sapphi »

Yeah, I almost feel like if the parents aren't part of the picture, unless their absence is something relevant to the story, just... don't even go there. I struggled with this the other day. "Everyone has a mom and dad, right? But where are they in the story? Well, I want to think about my character as an individual and not delve into his family, so I'll just say they died in a fire. Wait... why do they need to die in a fire?!" lol

A nice example of a story where a dead parent actually seems more present than most alive parents is Fruits Basket.
"It is [the writer's] privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart,
by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride
and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past."
— William Faulkner
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬..+X+..▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Image

User avatar
Snowflower
Bishie Fangirl
Posts: 814
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:24 pm
Completed: Idol Crush
Projects: Shugojin!, RockRobin (openmodewriter), your highness
Soundcloud: jenna-yeon
Location: Orange County, CA
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#5 Post by Snowflower »

So many of the VNs dont show parents during the game because they are irrelavent in the plot most of the time.

And it's perfectly fine not to show them. I mean, parents won't follow the children to their high school... typically, and when their daughters go on dates with guys... Normally.
Image
Completed: Idol Crush | WIP: your highness | Hiatus: Shugojin!| Follow Me on Twitter | Subscribe to YouTube
your highness @ 102k as of 2/13

User avatar
teacup
Holder of Tasty Drinks
Posts: 911
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:25 pm
Completed: (P)lanets - the life of normalcy has ended
Projects: Circum[N]avigate
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#6 Post by teacup »

It just depends.
If your game is written from the POV of a high school student, then consider the fact that most high school students don't like to be involved with their parents. The parents aren't really important to the story and it isn't necessary to mention them.
If the theme of your game is family (like Clannad) then the parent should be present (even if its in spirit) and they should be just as fleshed out as the other characters.
But if you decide not to show the parents, one thing you should never do is say ... "Even though I'm in high school, my parents are working overseas and now I live on my own."
That's both unrealistic and unoriginal XD
Image

User avatar
Snowflower
Bishie Fangirl
Posts: 814
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:24 pm
Completed: Idol Crush
Projects: Shugojin!, RockRobin (openmodewriter), your highness
Soundcloud: jenna-yeon
Location: Orange County, CA
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#7 Post by Snowflower »

teacup wrote: But if you decide not to show the parents, one thing you should never do is say ... "Even though I'm in high school, my parents are working overseas and now I live on my own."
That's both unrealistic and unoriginal XD

I HATE it when people do that! It's definitely redundant & impossible.

EDIT: I guess sometimes it makes sense for those filthy rich boys that often appear in VNs.
Image
Completed: Idol Crush | WIP: your highness | Hiatus: Shugojin!| Follow Me on Twitter | Subscribe to YouTube
your highness @ 102k as of 2/13

pondrthis
Veteran
Posts: 265
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 5:20 pm
Completed: G-Senjou no Maou Translation
Location: Nashville, TN
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#8 Post by pondrthis »

Here, have a free line from my draft.
My parents have always been lenient, but they've gotten downright lax in the past few months.
Since <character name(s)> will be leaving home next year, they've come to terms with the fact that I/we need to learn how to make my/our own decisions.

Feel free to replace "died in a fire" or "working overseas" with this.

User avatar
MaiMai
Yandere
Posts: 1757
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:04 pm
Completed: [Phase Shift]
Projects: [ None ]
Organization: Paper Stars
Tumblr: maiscribbles
Deviantart: maiscribble
Location: USA, Southern California
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#9 Post by MaiMai »

"Even though I'm in high school, my parents are working overseas and now I live on my own."
I can't count how many times I've seen this used in various anime/manga/VNs... It's like "SCREW MY PARENTS ALL THEY DID WAS GIVE BIRTH TO ME. Bastards can go overwork themselves overseas."

It's probably used a lot since if you want a character that isn't particularly angsty about family life, but have other issues to deal with instead. But c'mon family life is full of angst ESPECIALLY when it involves their kid doing stupid things :/
Image COMMISSIONS AVAILABLE (check Tumblr sidebar)

User avatar
Snowflower
Bishie Fangirl
Posts: 814
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:24 pm
Completed: Idol Crush
Projects: Shugojin!, RockRobin (openmodewriter), your highness
Soundcloud: jenna-yeon
Location: Orange County, CA
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#10 Post by Snowflower »

pondrthis wrote:"died in a fire"


awkward... I'm using this. :3

but only briefly
Image
Completed: Idol Crush | WIP: your highness | Hiatus: Shugojin!| Follow Me on Twitter | Subscribe to YouTube
your highness @ 102k as of 2/13

User avatar
SilverxBlue
Miko-Class Veteran
Posts: 962
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 1:22 pm
Completed: Caught in Between: A childhood prologue
Projects: MDLS, Alice Hunt(Temporarily on-hold), The Guardian's Spell and one other unannounced thing.
Location: Philippines
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#11 Post by SilverxBlue »

Almost every opinion of mine was said here.
Parents are rare in VNs because they're presence is not really that significant on the game. (Not unless the game's theme is family, or something that really has to involve them)
And I think, even if parents are shown in VNs or manga, they're often used as the character's moral support or someone the character has to support. (If the MC is the breadwinner.)
Image Image
"A fool who doesn't think is more foolish than a fool who foolishly thinks." - Franziska Von Karma
Weeeeeee~
不愉快です !!!

clannadman

Re: Parents in VNs

#12 Post by clannadman »

Snowflower wrote:So many of the VNs dont show parents during the game because they are irrelavent in the plot most of the time.

And it's perfectly fine not to show them. I mean, parents won't follow the children to their high school... typically, and when their daughters go on dates with guys... Normally.
That would be a funny VN story if the parents followed you around the dates or you played from the perspective of one parent who's really overprotective

User avatar
papillon
Arbiter of the Internets
Posts: 4107
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2003 4:37 am
Completed: lots; see website!
Projects: something mysterious involving yuri, usually
Organization: Hanako Games
Tumblr: hanakogames
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#13 Post by papillon »

or you played from the perspective of one parent who's really overprotective
There was an interesting idea along those lines in the Hentai ideas dump once, it was something like playing as the overprotective parent trying to STOP your teenager from sleeping with everything in sight... :)

User avatar
Glasskitten
Regular
Posts: 138
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 6:19 pm
Completed: I confess to nothing! \(>o<)/
Location: Inside a parcel of air
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#14 Post by Glasskitten »

Wow, I hadn't even remembered/noticed to get wound up on this subject!
I guess if the story is about someone's dating life in the modern world, it's acceptable to assume that their parents are completely irrelevant to the situation.
Yet the more I think about it, the less healthy that seems to me. It would seem that the people who conceived and raised you and probably still live with you oughtn't be left out of the loop when something significant in your social life is happening, unless there's a very good reason for such a schism. If my parents had had a happy/continuing marriage, I'd most certainly be asking their advice on opposite-sex relationships. As it is, I can still ask for the "don'ts" of dating, the warning signs of an unbalanced personality, etc. Wait, am I supposed to be getting all that from the media instead? In any case, I can see how each of them has affected who I am as a person. Nobody develops in a vacuum; there is a nurture element to anyone's personality even once you've got the nature pinned down, and it would be very artificial to ignore that aspect of a protagonist.


...Not that the "My parents randomly died/ditched me, but I'm cool with it," scenario is much better. (I don't mind at all when they actually do have some reaction to it.)

</hypocrite for not mentioning the family very much in the brain-eating space worm story she wrote...but then, the shock of EVERYONE being dead distracted the protagonist slightly>
Grand list of things not officially canceled:
Salt -- the heartwarming story of brain-eating space worms
Tangent -- an epic poem and/or novel about a borderline-autistic Martian imp and her relationship with God
Kittens of the Darned -- a grimdark soap opera about sexy catgirls (Indefinitely postponed until I learn to draw and color realistically)
The Other Mary -- the most perfect fic about the most perfect Mary Sue EVER
Rockheart -- a short story about a monster who kills everyone
Corrupted -- a completely different short story about a monster who kills everyone (late Worst Visual Novel Ever)
Checkpoint 36a -- the transcription of a short multi-ending dream about time travel and undead schoolgirls
In Which the Princess is Kidnapped -- an entry in the "ordinary girl ends up in an alien universe and tries to save it" genre
Pictogram Scramble: Magical Friendship Bunny Ivy -- a Flash game about a magical girl making friends (Indefinitely postponed until I learn how friendship works)

User avatar
papillon
Arbiter of the Internets
Posts: 4107
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2003 4:37 am
Completed: lots; see website!
Projects: something mysterious involving yuri, usually
Organization: Hanako Games
Tumblr: hanakogames
Contact:

Re: Parents in VNs

#15 Post by papillon »

I'm often surprised by how rare boarding school environments seem to be in these games, despite them making it easy to keep parents out of the picture. (Of course, Magical Diary does feature a boarding school. :) )

I mean, not that every game should be set at school obviously, but for the huge number of school games we get ANYWAY, setting some of them at boarding school or at university instead of high school makes it so much easier to put the protagonist on his/her own. You can still contact the parents by phone for advice but you don't have to sprite them. Win!

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users