Adult Content in VN's - Is it needed? | Opinion gathering

[raistlintg]

--> RotGtIE
You're so right !

Of course, artificially adding a violent or sexual scene which has nothing to do with the plot is stupid, but you shouldn't hide things either.
The question is : what is happening in your story ?
If I was the main character, what would I see ?
I wouldn't say the same thing about movies, but VN are supposed to create a special bond between the reader and the characters, in my opinion.

You see nearly pornographic advertisements, series and TV shows wherever you look, women are objectified all the time on TV, but you can't show sexual intercourse because it's not safe, OK, everything is fine.

I think it's less vulgar to show a non provocative R-rated scene than a generic panty-flashing scene (this panty thing really has to stop).

[RotGtIE]

(this panty thing really has to stop).

Frankly, I don't understand the appeal, but to each his own.

[Tempus]

Pretty much nobody on this particular forum is going to argue that you "need" adult content,

Challenge accepted.

There was no challenge. The point was that nobody is going to argue adult content is needed in a given work, not that adult content isn't needed in visual novels as a medium to represent the full spectrum of human experience.

Also, implication is used in all forms of art, it's not a "garbage technique". Music can imply rhythm, harmony etc. via the omission of notes, art has indication and whitespace, plays have scenes off-stage, writing has conclusions that can be inferred from stated facts, and so on. It's not just adult content that's being omitted. So while the omission of sex and violence can certainly be for ratings (which I agree are backwards with regards to sex and violence), that's hardly the only reason those things are omitted. It can be artistic intent, cut for time/pacing, budget concerns, etc. Sometimes adult things are hinted at in children's movies for the parents. Part of what makes art engaging is that not everything is explicit. Candidness is hardly a virtue in an artistic context, though it's not a fault either. It's just a tool. It's funny that you should mention Saya no Uta given how heavily it relies on not showing certain things to disturb the reader.

[truefaiterman]

It depends on the story itself. Unfortunately, most of the times the adul-oh well PORN is just shoehorned for the heck of it. It also depends on the way it's developed. While other "adult stuff" like gore and violence is usually coherent and well measured, sexual content is usually unnecesary, and absurdly long with no real meaning behind it.

But as I said, if you're making a story about a war, it's understandable to get violent. If your story revolves around dark themes in general it's expected to actually contain it. A good example is the already mentioned Saya no Uta.

[LateWhiteRabbit]

Also, implication is used in all forms of art, it's not a "garbage technique". Music can imply rhythm, harmony etc. via the omission of notes, art has indication and whitespace, plays have scenes off-stage, writing has conclusions that can be inferred from stated facts, and so on. It's not just adult content that's being omitted. So while the omission of sex and violence can certainly be for ratings (which I agree are backwards with regards to sex and violence), that's hardly the only reason those things are omitted. It can be artistic intent, cut for time/pacing, budget concerns, etc. Sometimes adult things are hinted at in children's movies for the parents. Part of what makes art engaging is that not everything is explicit. Candidness is hardly a virtue in an artistic context, though it's not a fault either. It's just a tool.

Well said. Implication is also a powerful tool that can bring the viewer's imagination into the game - nothing is as scary as the monster we imagine to be under the bed. Showing something explicitly can sometimes rob it of its power.

To tie that back into a theme of nudity - the ancient Egyptians were very used to nudity (breasts were often exposed, servants performed naked, preteen children often wore nothing) - so much so that when women wished to attract a man, they put on MORE clothing. The implication of what lay beneath was more titillating than the bared form.

The example of music is great - you can't just have all loud and soaring notes or the music would be flat. So too in adult works. You can't just have violence and gore constantly or they lose all impact. You've got to create a MELODY.

[TrickWithAKnife]

"Do I have to...?"
No. The answer is no.

You have the creative freedom to add or not add whatever you want. You should never feel like you have to add any particular content because that's what people expect.

Of course this is in regards to writing. Functionality/control systems are a different kettle of fish.

[Azmor]

Wauw, this turned into a small discussion.
Thank you for posting your opinions about this sensitive topic.
I am confident that I won't ruin my VN with some needless violence / erotic scenes that could be told otherwise. I'm not trying to give away "fanservices". I just wanted to see what the majority thinks.

My story so far has a balance between romance, drama, action, fantasy/magical and comedy in a well ... how should I put it? Dry way.

Sometimes you can feel the excitement, sometimes it's just simple talking.

I do think, thanks to you, that I won't do much wrong with keeping up this kind of balance. I already have let some people read a hour of story and they were quite satisfied and wanted more.

So I guess, I'll be back, working on it.

Feel free to post more if you like.


- Azmor