Maverynthia wrote:Which gets me into the people talking about male opinion. Really besides an artistic critique (arms too long, eye is wonky) they should keep out of otome affairs unless they are the ones making the game themselves (and at that point they should listen to the audience they are catering to), as it is in main gaming companies women are already told what to put in games FOR them or how the main female character should act. All of this of course to appeal to the male audience and/or appeal to the sense of male culture.
If the characters are interesting and the overall plot of the story is good, then I don't really care if a VN is otome, bishoujo, or whatever other label you want to slap on it. Then again, I generally prefer games with a primary plot that is non-romantic, but may contain incidental romance options... versus a "pure romance" game. There seems to be some debate on if or not a game with a female protagonist actually counts as "otome" if the romance is simply incidental.
Maverynthia wrote:Which is why so many otome games as it is out there have "useless female leads", "stupid female leads", "doormats" and other adjectives to describe the main female lead not being strong or adhering to established stereotypical norms set out by mainstream culture on a way a woman/girl should act/dress/look and what types of men are acceptable for women to like and what they should like (thus why you always get the arrogant one/dominating one/jerk/soft then crazy/angsty/distant/shy/playful/torturerer-who-teases-the-main-lead-to-see-the-reaction type of guys).
I also highly dislike the type of protagonist you describe. At the same time, I often find that the male protagonist in bishoujo games to be eerily similar. They often do not have much of their own personality beyond what the player projects onto them, tend to be average, and often say very little. Often it seems that the girls are just dragging them around, and they may as well not even exist. Again, a very boring protagonist. At least for me.
I think the problem here is that a lot of players actually like having the weak protagonist. They do not have much of their own personality, and thus it allows the player to project their own upon them. The main character is also typically depicted at being merely average at things, thus is someone that they player could realistically be... and yet they have the opportunity to obtain what are often some very colorful, interesting, and attractive love interests.
If the main character is a wealthy CEO, or a skilled spy engaged in a dangerous mission, they are likely to be a more interesting character and also have a strong personality. However, in the setting of a romance game, they may not end up being someone that the player can relate to or project themselves onto. Some players may not like the connotation that it takes being more than an average person to obtain the girl or guy they want.
Just a theory. Personally, I'm for protagonists that are more interesting.
Maverynthia wrote:
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What usually falls into otome game territory: GxB, BxB, GxBG (the ones that usually have the one character you can date/become best friends with)
What usually falls into bishoujo game territory: BxG, GxG ..... Yeah, games for male audience don't get the BxGB, only the BxGA Ambiguous like Subaru from SakuTai (Which NIS screwed up by saying 'she' to in the date movie >_>)
Just a question, because I haven't done much research into the subject, but what about VNs that are actually targeted at the gay or lesbian audience? Do they even exist?
Don't Blame Me. I Voted for Vermin Supreme.
And again, if the categorization ends up becoming a problem for the projects and causes people trouble, we'll probably change it back (barring some horrid technical difficulty.) Please open your mind to the change for the time being and see how it goes.
It means that the ladies making these games for me really know what I like. Easy to get best endings.