Favourite point of view? what do you think of 2nd person?

[glithch]

I started a game and i already have like 2000 words but i noticed that,,, i dont know i should be writing it in that point of view....
pretty much no ones is using the second person and i dont know if i should be just rebelling against i like that.
I think its kinda interestingbut i dunno.
So what point of view do you guys write in?
edit: lol i think i got third and second person mized up, it works different in my language. but yeah i mean sentences like "You pick up the cat"

[Mammon]

Personally I have no issue with 3rd person, as long as you don't do it in 2nd. Those tend to be a bit too annoying if I cannot actually immerge myself into the MC. But third person, I know plenty of stories like that and only in retrospect. Didn't even notice they were 1st or 3rd when I played them, so if you think 3rd would work better for you then go for it.

[glithch]

Personally I have no issue with 3rd person, as long as you don't do it in 2nd. Those tend to be a bit too annoying if I cannot actually immerge myself into the MC. But third person, I know plenty of stories like that and only in retrospect. Didn't even notice they were 1st or 3rd when I played them, so if you think 3rd would work better for you then go for it.

yeaa, i just edited the post i actually mean 2nd person :/

[Selidor]

I don't like second person at all. I don't play games to be myself, or base customisable protagonists on myself, I see the protagonist as a character I'm creating and manipulating, and it makes me uncomfortable when the game essentially turns around and tells me that actually the protagonist is me.

[glithch]

I don't like second person at all. I don't play games to be myself, or base customisable protagonists on myself, I see the protagonist as a character I'm creating and manipulating, and it makes me uncomfortable when the game essentially turns around and tells me that actually the protagonist is me.

hmmm, i understand. i kinda feel like it fits my game though,,, maybe i should post a fragment of my code and ill ask for critique then

[Mammon]

If you want to do it that way, do it that way. I have played 2nd person games that worked, but in a lot of cases 1st and 3rd are simply superior and 2nd becomes annoying in comparison. It depends on what your story is and how you write it.

[nekobara]

When I'm writing, I tend to use the first person point of view quite a bit. If I'm being honest, I probably use first person almost one-hundred percent of the time, actually. Very rarely do I use third person point of view, and when I do, I'm usually switching speakers. Most of the time that's when I'm giving the spotlight to a main character other than the protagonist to allow the reader to see another side of the story. Truthfully, I dislike third person because I feel that it's much harder to relate to the character and become immersed in the story then say, if it had been written in first person.

Now, second person, that is something that you don't see a lot. You said that you thought it was interesting in your original post, and you know what? You're absolutely right. Because it is rarely seen, it's new, it's fresh, it's interesting. Though I did claim to like first person best, I don't really have much of a problem with a story being written in second person. Unlike with third person, I feel that it doesn't really take away as much from the immersion. Some sources actually say that second person actually gets you more involved with the story and makes it more personal. http://thewritepractice.com/second-person/ Of course, it does depend on the story. You need to make sure that using second person point of view is right for your specific story. You have to decide if it's the right way to go for your game. Because it's all about making your game the best that it can possibly be. But I really honestly think that you should go for it. If you feel that second person is the best point of view for your visual novel, then do it! I think that it could be really amazing.

[glithch]

heres a post with an example of my code. viewtopic.php?f=43&t=41579&p=436960#p436960 if any of you could read it and give me your opinion that would be really cool <3
i kinda feel the the 2nd person feels more.. cynical and i feel like that fits the parody-ish style of the game? i dont know. i dont want to use it if its irritating to the readers.

[Mammon]

From the same sample of that thread, I say it works well enough. I can't say whether it'll be good, but that depends on your writing skill rather than your choice of perspective.

[glithch]

From the same sample of that thread, I say it works well enough. I can't say whether it'll be good, but that depends on your writing skill rather than your choice of perspective.

nice! thanks! it think i may try just going for it! theres no harm in trying anyway

[Katy133]

I actually think that 2nd person can be very effective in the right context. Many writers use 2nd person for crime and thriller stories, because it allows the narrator to coldly distant themself from the main character, yet allows the narrator to have a personality in writing style. I highly recommend reading the thriller novel "Blink and Caution" by Wynne-Jones, as it effectively alternates between 3rd person (for "Caution's" POV) and 2nd person (for Blink's POV).

[glithch]

I actually think that 2nd person can be very effective in the right context. Many writers use 2nd person for crime and thriller stories, because it allows the narrator to coldly distant themself from the main character, yet allows the narrator to have a personality in writing style. I highly recommend reading the thriller novel "Blink and Caution" by Wynne-Jones, as it effectively alternates between 3rd person (for "Caution's" POV) and 2nd person (for Blink's POV).

oooh! i called that thing 'cynical' but 'coldly distant' is a much better definition. and that novel sounds super cool! i bookmarket it, im gonna go see if i can find it in my library.

[trooper6]

I like second person a lot. Many of the old choose-your-own-adventure books were second person, so there is a precedent. But more relevant for me, when I make VNs, I'm thinking of them in the realm of RPGs, table-top RPGs. And I've been GMing RPGs since 1984. And in GMing, the standard narration convention is second person.

Alex: What do we see?!
Me: You walk into the room and it is darker than outside. Your eyes adjust slowly. When they do, you find yourself in an room that looks like no one has been here in decades. There are dust sheets on the furniture and a thick layer of dust everywhere. The are portraits on the wall of severe looking men and women...all of whom have a distinctive square nose...just like the nose you have Bix.
Bix: Really? Do I recognize any of the people in the paintings?
Me: Roll an IQ roll.
Bix: Made it by 3!
Alex: I have the Art Connoisseur skill, can I roll, too?
Me: Sure, go for it.
Alex: I make it by 5!
Me: Okay, Bix, all of these faces look really old to you. You don't know any of them...except one...there is a painting of a woman with intense dark eyes and very high cheekbones. Her hair is up, in a bun and she has a cruel look. She looks a bit like your mother. Alex, you check out the paintings and from the art styles, you'd say these are a serious of family portraits, mostly done by different artists, starting in the 1600s and ending in the early 1800s. None of the artists are known to you and none seems especially famous. There is one odd thing you notice. The painting of the woman...from her outfit and clothing...and from the style, you'd say it was painted in the 1760s...however looking at the canvas and the paints and the smell...you'd say it was actually painted in the last month.

What do you both do?

This style of telling interactive stories is second nature for me. And since I often want an RPG style experience (rather than a book experience or a movie experience) I want the 2nd person POV.

[glithch]

I like second person a lot. Many of the old choose-your-own-adventure books were second person, so there is a precedent. But more relevant for me, when I make VNs, I'm thinking of them in the realm of RPGs, table-top RPGs. And I've been GMing RPGs since 1984. And in GMing, the standard narration convention is second person.

Alex: What do we see?!
Me: You walk into the room and it is darker than outside. Your eyes adjust slowly. When they do, you find yourself in an room that looks like no one has been here in decades. There are dust sheets on the furniture and a thick layer of dust everywhere. The are portraits on the wall of severe looking men and women...all of whom have a distinctive square nose...just like the nose you have Bix.
Bix: Really? Do I recognize any of the people in the paintings?
Me: Roll an IQ roll.
Bix: Made it by 3!
Alex: I have the Art Connoisseur skill, can I roll, too?
Me: Sure, go for it.
Alex: I make it by 5!
Me: Okay, Bix, all of these faces look really old to you. You don't know any of them...except one...there is a painting of a woman with intense dark eyes and very high cheekbones. Her hair is up, in a bun and she has a cruel look. She looks a bit like your mother. Alex, you check out the paintings and from the art styles, you'd say these are a serious of family portraits, mostly done by different artists, starting in the 1600s and ending in the early 1800s. None of the artists are known to you and none seems especially famous. There is one odd thing you notice. The painting of the woman...from her outfit and clothing...and from the style, you'd say it was painted in the 1760s...however looking at the canvas and the paints and the smell...you'd say it was actually painted in the last month.

What do you both do?

This style of telling interactive stories is second nature for me. And since I often want an RPG style experience (rather than a book experience or a movie experience) I want the 2nd person POV.

ooooh, i actually just started playing dnd recently with my friends after all my begging so maybe thats why the second person seems so cool to me.

[Lesleigh63]

I think it can work.

Only problem I see is when I'm told I'm doing some sort of action or thinking something - and I think to myself "I wouldn't be doing that in that situation based on what I know about my character". That type of thing throws me out of the immersion. [Bit like when a VN gives me choices and I want another option because I wouldn't choose any of them on the list].