Serious Question TIme: Can guys write otome games?

[Hikari Beldrich]

This has probably been asked before so if you have to point me at the general accepted guys and otome games post before promptly showing me out the door I wouldn't be angry. But I wanted to ask this myself for a few reasons.

Lately I have found it enjoyable to write stories that follow a female protagonist because I feel it gives me greater freedom to make male characters that are more mysterious and much more complex. Granted most what I have written so far is something I wouldn't even loosely categorize as romance, I have been wanting to do more visual novels lately and finding myself in a bit of a crossroads. I've always felt that the main character in a visual novel should have a rather formless presence (as it allows the reader to more easily project themselves onto that character and thus into their role). And though I love my female characters as much as any guy, I don't want to write a big piece where the only guy is the one the reader can imagine themselves over.

So the question becomes, do you think guys who work alone (meaning I don't have any women to keep my portrayal of my female character in check) would be able to understand the female mindset enough to make a believable otome game?

If no, why not. If yes, what considerations do you think I should take to ensure my work isn't completely inaccurate. Any other advice or resources would be appreciated.

My current plans for the Mystic Grimoire Series is to make four more kinetic novels (that's one for each of the five major types of mystics, you'll understand if you play "The Man and His Shell") then top it off with one big otome game that features different guys (some of whom may or may not be mystics) whom the main character would find themselves involved with. But I kinda wanted to bounce this idea off the forums first.

[KomiTsuku]

Let me give a big, resounding yes. Putting your head inside of another character is pretty much the key profession trait for any fiction writer. If you're character's defining detail is that they are female, you are doing so many things wrong. What is her favorite hobby? What does she think about politics? What was her childhood like? Nobody thinks the same way about the same thing, female or male. This isn't something that is limited to only the protagonist. You can't write a good, flowing story without understanding why your characters are doing what they are doing.

Long story short, you can if you take the time and get to understand why she does what she does. If you can't figure it out or understand, there are many different female perspectives on this board you could get.

[SundownKid]

While I've been told I can write female characters well, I'm not sure if I can write the "ideal" female romance. Basically, while the romance part would probably make sense, it might not be what female readers want their romance to be like. Instead, it might just turn out to be what I would want a girl to look for in the characters, and how I would want a girl to think if I was in her place. That's why I think it would be a good idea to turn to a female writer for advice in such cases if it is going to be a true romance.

[DaFool]

Well I did make one adult game that had a female protagonist and romanceable male characters back when there was no otome scene and was surprised (and embarrassed) when girls played it.

For some strange reason I find it easier to write in first person female pov even though it's unclear if I have the right viewpoints.

But as a guy, here's your main advantage: write believable guys, who interact with each other naturally, with bromance undertones. I find that the older an audience gets, the less need they have to self-insert. Meaning, while a 15-year old girl won't play a game without a female main character (remember, kids still need to self-insert), a 25-year old woman would LOVE to play a game that's just all about the guys, female protagonist be damned. That's exactly the reverse of the moe fandom phenomenon (stories just with girls in it).

[Blane Doyle]

Anyone can write anything. In general? I don't see why a man cannot wrote otome games if they put effort into the story and characters. I know men have written them before. Guys on the forum are working on them now. Besides...

I don't think JK Rowling was a young male wizard when she wrote Harry Potter, John Green was not a teenage girl suffering from cancer when he wrote The Fault In Our Stars, and I'm pretty sure Obscura isn't a gay man either and she writes what she does pretty well in my opinion (better than most gay erotica I have read in fact).

BUT- It's best to run anything for a target audience that isn't you by said target audience before finalizing, in this case women, because otherwise you run the risk of overlooking something you didn't realize was a vital issue. At the very least it would be a good idea to specifically look for female proofreaders or play testers (not hard here). And as Komi said- make sure their defining trait isn't "i'm female".

BUT AGAIN- as DaFool said you have a major advantage. You're a guy. So, in a general speaking sense, this will probably help to make the love interests interesting and/or believable. Girls can definitely write believable and interesting guys (see Obscura) but I think writing your own gender comes more naturally for most people and the opposite takes some time to get into (and the more you do it the better you get until you can write both without much problem).

[KittyKatStar]

So the question becomes, do you think guys who work alone (meaning I don't have any women to keep my portrayal of my female character in check) would be able to understand the female mindset enough to make a believable otome game?

Yes. Now influences may help (growing up with female figures like a mom, sisters, female cousins etc), but I think it's definitely feasible.

Character first, gender second. Write the character you want to create and don't worry about gender. Everyone is different. There's very emotional females, very analytical ones, ones that are aggressive, ones that are shy... I admit I don't really follow this 'female mindset'. ^_^;

I know three writers; two are currently writing otome games, one is writing a game where you can pick to play as the female or male. All of them are male, and from what I've read I feel they've written very believable females. They're *good* characters, and I never thought "oh this female/game was obviously written by a man". And the otome elements themselves are fine...? I think as long as the characters are well-established, the scenes will be enjoyable and the relationship developments engaging.

One otome writer was actually, um, hurt when people doubted his ability to write for an otome game because he's male. ^^; He absolutely adores otome (he actually got me into otome), so I can't wait to see his game released. (I can't say much but it's very very cute and adorable and I love it. )

There's a few BxG games out there that were written by women, too. =)

If you're realllly uncertain you can ask a female friend to help, etc, but all females are different. ^^; (Like, whenever a male asks me what a female would like/do/etc, my answers never seem to match up with what they'd expect. OTZ They stopped asking me.)

Uh, if it's too long, didn't read, just GO FOR IT. ^_^v

[EroBotan]

My suggestion is:
- Make a game with female character
- Guys will be your main target market instead of women

[azureXtwilight]

Yes, why not? I think it will be something fresh and new, it will make it quite different than the others. There will always be a market for that, and I would like to see how guys write guys. My advice is that you might want to ask to your female friends about what girls like for your game. Or you can just market a game with a female POV to the male crowd

[Auro-Cyanide]

I think it doesn't depend on what gender the writer identifies with, but the skill of said writer. Good writers are able to flesh out characters of many different types and personalise their tone of voice. In that case they can write whatever they want because they aren't restricted by something that can be as stereotypically restrictive as the concept of 'gender' and what genders do and do not like.

However, my experience in the real world has taught me that there are many people wandering around with no concept of different perspectives. For example, related to otome/male perspective, some guys don't understand why approaching a woman in certain situations will trigger them as a threat, and they get confused when women might classify them as 'creepy' due to their actions.

If you are ever in doubt, I second the concept that you actually go talk to women, there are plenty of us around

[EroBotan]

I think it doesn't depend on what gender the writer identifies with, but the skill of said writer.

I agree with this, if you're new in this writing stuff I highly suggest you follow my previous advice, if you're an expert then feel free to do what the others suggests and write your otome story.

Edit: Since you (the OP) are asking if a guy can write otome, i automatically assume that you're not experienced writer yet. Sorry if I'm wrong ^^

[Blane Doyle]

I think it doesn't depend on what gender the writer identifies with, but the skill of said writer.

I definitely third this statement.

I think a skilled writer can potentially tackle anything they try. A novice, or even experienced writer, regardless of gender or any other personal orientation can tackle many things but it will take them a while before they gain the skill where they are able to write anything they want to effectively on all levels. But try hard enough, practice, hone yourself, learn from feedback, etc, and eventually that ability will shine through.

[arachni42]

For example, related to otome/male perspective, some guys don't understand why approaching a woman in certain situations will trigger them as a threat, and they get confused when women might classify them as 'creepy' due to their actions.

My answer to the general question is a resounding "yes." But I do agree with the above -- there can be pitfalls, and perspective is important. I think this can go for either gender, and it's best to just get as much feedback as possible. I think the fact that you're thinking about the mindset and complexity of the characters is a good sign!

I also agree that self-insertion is not necessary. In my own experiences, self-insertion can be disappointing because of the limits of the game (the illusion gets broken by limitations in choices), and the formless protagonist can get boring after awhile. Plus, I love going through all of the options eventually. So, I find myself really appreciating a characterized protagonist. (*Relevant note: I am 32.) But, I can certainly see the appeal of fantasizing yourself as the protagonist. There have been games I've played where I've said to myself, "I find this kind of meh, but boy, I would've really loved this back when I was 15!!"

So, again... the value of feedback, hehe.

[jack_norton]

I admit when Kitty introduced me two of her male writer friends I was quite dubious, but without any real data. I mean I never had before a male write an otome game, so I was just "fearing the unknown"
I was happy to be completely proven wrong, since both Roommates, Nicole and Amber Magic Shop have really beliveable female characters and the editor/proofreaders checking the texts adore the characters

[gekiganwing]

So the question becomes, do you think guys who work alone (meaning I don't have any women to keep my portrayal of my female character in check) would be able to understand the female mindset enough to make a believable otome game?

First, it would be limiting to assume that men are only capable of writing a small range of stories. If you have the interest and the skill to create fictional women who are genuine compelling characters (even if we don't see their viewpoints), then it does not seem difficult to think that you could write a woman's viewpoint. That said, you may benefit by getting feedback from women. Doing research on male thoughts/behavior versus female thoughts/behavior might be just as beneficial.

Second, as Blane Doyle said, there are quite a few women who create stories and games that men enjoy. Off the top of my head, I know that S.E. Hinton was a pioneer in defining the category of young adult fiction. And Roberta Williams was so influential in graphic adventure games that her name got top billing on box covers. That said, I'm trying to think about men who write stories and games which women enjoy. I'm having trouble thinking of any... Can you name a few guys whose works primarily appeal to women?

(Back in the mid-2000s, there was a short article in the No Need for Tenchi comics in which the Viz Media editor stated that the majority of fan feedback for this guy-oriented harem comic was from girls. That seems like a case of unexpected audience crossover, rather than the creator trying to appeal to women. Or maybe a case in which guys didn't have anything clever to say...?)

[papillon]

That said, I'm trying to think about men who write stories and games which women enjoy. I'm having trouble thinking of any... Can you name a few guys whose works primarily appeal to women?

I don't want to name names, but there have been successful romance novel authors who were male but wrote under female pen names because of market expectations. (The romance novel market is a bit weird and MOST of the names are probably fake anyway.)