Advantages of the VN?

[Ignosco]

I was thinking about what storytelling techniques can be utilised (or made much more effective) in a VN compared to more traditional print format works. There are four big things that come to mind for me, I'll avoid giving any titles of VN's to avoid possible spoilers...

The use of variables, both with and without branching choices: Probably the most obvious one, as the success of many VN's seems to depend on hiding the gameplay mechanic from the reader, which would be very difficult to do in print.

Hiding information from the reader: It seems that because the VN format depends a lot on the imagination of the reader to depict events, that the storyteller can 'get away' with hiding information. There are a few VN's I can think of where if it was told as a traditional story or choose your own adventure book, when the big secret was revealed, the reaction would probably be dismay (Why didn't you tell me earlier?) etc...

Time: Flashbacks, past/present reflections or more unusual situations involving time, perhaps because of various artistic/background techniques or programming that can be used to give an impression of this without words... I'm not quite sure of the best explanation as to why this can work so well in a VN...

Multiple perspectives/protagonists: I guess this can just be done in a more understated way than more traditional formats (maybe a comparison could be made to a print novel based around an exchange of letters)...

I'm interested to hear what other people think, it's likely that some of what I've said is completely misguided.

Ignosco

[DaFool]

Hmmm...your angle is how VN >> printed works.

My angle is how VN >> cinematic / visual media

For example

VN >> cinema

interactive >> non-interactive

custom pacing >> set pacing

variable camera angles and movements == variable camera angles and movements

music soundtrack (optional) == music soundtrack

voiced dialogue (optional) == voiced dialogue

animation (optional) == animation

can be made with $0.00 >> minimum tens of thousands of dollars

3rd or 1st person perspective >> awkward with 1st person perspective

even character art is optional >> on-screen characters are mandatory (which include actors that cost millions)

[PyTom]

can be made with $0.00 >> minimum tens of thousands of dollars

This is a little unfair to movies. I mean, there are plenty of movies on youtube that cost $0.00 incremental cost. (If you count sunk costs, then you'd have to charge the cost of your computer against your VN as well.)

Well, the point probably still remains that VNs are cheaper then movies to make. But in recent years, the cost of making movies has dropped substantially.

[PrettySammy09]

Hiding information from the reader: It seems that because the VN format depends a lot on the imagination of the reader to depict events, that the storyteller can 'get away' with hiding information. There are a few VN's I can think of where if it was told as a traditional story or choose your own adventure book, when the big secret was revealed, the reaction would probably be dismay (Why didn't you tell me earlier?) etc...

I agree with a lot of your points, but this one I don't agree with. I think that in regular prose, hiding info until later also serves the same purpose as it does with VNs. Other novels do great hiding info and revealing it at a later time. Some of the best literature in the world does that (As I Lay Dying). It requires you to pick up the pieces and put them together.

[monele]

The only thing I'll agree with is interactivity... Hiding information, flashbacks, multiple points of view... all that can be done in a book.
What you can't do in a book, though (or what you don't really want to do as a reader) is maybe change your perspective (either time or protagonist) at any time. If a book including two points of view was made as 2 volumes, then, yes, you could decide to read one chapter from volume 1 and read one from volume 2.
The VN allows checks... "has this been read already?". A book would have to ask you and act accordingly, which kinda breaks the mood and reveals things, just like CYOA books do. "Do you manage to avoid the arrow or not?"......

[chronoluminaire]

There are some ways in which VNs are a happy medium between print and film. For example, some scenes which in a film would have to be shown, requiring extensive set-building / CG / special effects, can be just described in a VN. And on the other side, some visual aspects, which in a book would have to be described explicitly, can be just shown in a VN, without having to draw the reader's attention to them specifically.

But yes, I'd agree interactivity is the big thing, and it's a huge thing. I've got to the point these days where if I have a plot idea, it'll often occur to me with two or more branches already formed, without any one "true" ending. I love the branching nature of VNs and the feeling of control and involvement it gives to the player. That's why I like to create in this medium.

[Ignosco]

In terms of hiding information, I guess I had two VN's in mind (trying to avoid spoilers), one in particular (commercial) which I don't think would have worked nearly as well if it were in a different format... I guess it depends what sort of thing the writer is trying to hide (probably my statement was too general)...

Maybe there are some things that can be hidden say in print, that can't be done as effectively in a VN - perhaps in regards to hiding the setting/location of where something is taking place?

I haven't read a lot of fiction (especially recently), so most of my assumptions are probably based on my lack of knowledge... , probably I just haven't come across an effective/well written usage of these techniques.

Like monele and chronoluminaire said, interactivity is definitely the most important advantage of the VN... and I think it's even present in a linear VN to a lesser extent.

[DaFool]

This is a little unfair to movies. I mean, there are plenty of movies on youtube that cost $0.00 incremental cost. (If you count sunk costs, then you'd have to charge the cost of your computer against your VN as well.)

Well, the point probably still remains that VNs are cheaper then movies to make. But in recent years, the cost of making movies has dropped substantially.

Ah yes, but cheap movies are less immersive than low-budget VNs, to me at least. Because cheap movies feel cheap, but low-budget VNs feel more like a book where the words carry a bigger percentage of the atmosphere.

For homemade movies, you will still need a computer for the most part, in addition to the camera. Since getting into distribution of physical media is a bit costly, you would have to upload a local copy, it would be many times the mb compared to a VN. Painful for dialup users. A VN is thus more efficient.

Ignosco >> the hiding information thing reminds me of that demo dizzcity made, where one picture revealed at the end puts all the words that came before it into perspective. Only a picturebook might do something similar to that, but adults tend not to read picturebooks.

It was revealed that you were a hamster (or was it a mouse), that's why you were running and running endlessly.

[mikey]

Advantages of VNs...

Well, first for me would be the ending. In a book, you know it's coming, even quite precisely (you see the last page). In a VN, you can conceal this and have more effect on the reader.

Next, sometimes you may want to present certain moments more dramatically, like last words, sometimes you wish for an exceptional placement for them, but normally, all you can do is have it as a one-sentence between two paragaphs. VNs can print it in the centre of the screen, with slow fadein and so on.

Then, the music. You can add sound and create the atmosphere better.

The images, naturally. Apart from the obvious role of creating immersion, you can for instance use them to easily create flashbacks and those don't even need to be announced (just changing to sepia tone is often enough), in a book you'd have to state that that was in the past.

And interactivity feels more natural. Ever since the introduction of CYOA books, I really think the concept was wishing for a digital form, the multipath VN. You could even say CYOA was the prototype for VN-CYOA.

[Sapphire Dragon]

One bad aspect with visual novels I have found is you can't read them in bed... Which is generally where I do most of my reading.

But I do like the choice, sometimes I hate the decisions made by the main characters in books but I feel a book can be just as immersing.

What they need is a VN section in book shops, where the VN is stored on a digital book maybe like the DS but one side is just screen, a few buttons for the menus and a headphone jack, I would love that. I'm sure they could make them pretty cheaply now too.

[Jake]

What they need is a VN section in book shops, where the VN is stored on a digital book maybe like the DS but one side is just screen, a few buttons for the menus and a headphone jack, I would love that. I'm sure they could make them pretty cheaply now too.

I don't know, look at the prices e-book readers go for. Part of that is the lower demand for such things compared to more-common user electronics, but there would likely be even lower still demand for VNs.

On the other hand, depending on how customisable e-book readers get and/or what kind of software options they have, VNs on those might end up being a realistic proposition.

[Sapphire Dragon]

True, but e book reader tend to be multimedia stations can play mp3's, touch screen capabilities, pretty much a PDA.
there’s also the point that you can... well... just buy the book.

But I wonder how much it would set you back for the bare minimum capabilities of playing the visual novel, if they came on shelves of waterstones and the like it would be the equivalent of just buying the book, but VN style.

Though I agree we wont see it, maybe if they tried it in Japan, put full English ones there and let me import them, just maybe

[Jake]

True, but e book reader tend to be multimedia stations can play mp3's, touch screen capabilities, pretty much a PDA.

As I understand it, that's because the vast majority of the cost in producing the things is in the display - adding a binary single-touch touchscreen doesn't really make it that much more expensive (particularly compared to the usability bonus), adding MP3-playing capabilities to something which already has a decent amount of storage and a general-purpose processor is trivial and cheap... so these extra-features are very low-cost and theoretically make the device appeal to more people.

Having said that, I really think the reason e-book readers haven't taken off is that people still don't like reading on a low-res screen (compared to printed paper, all computer displays are low-res) - IIRC the usual standard for black-and-white printing is 300dpi minimum. The newer non-LCD displays (can't remember the names offhand... :/) look promising from the e-book-reading point of view, but the more you move away from the almost-a-PDA form the harder it would be to put anything other than a non-interactive book on the thing. :/