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That's a lot of must and shouldn't that are not backed by anything. "Visual novels" are definitely niche, but they are somewhat games and have very minimal int
by dudul 2y ago
That's a lot of must and shouldn't that are not backed by anything.
"Visual novels" are definitely niche, but they are somewhat games and have very minimal interactivity. Yes some have branching narratives but others are just "click click click". They just tell a story and that's perfectly fine.
- constantcrying 2y agoI think even the term "visual novel" separates them from "games".
- krisoft 2y agoThey are a subgenre of games. Visual novels, and interactive fiction is definietly computer games. The developers of interactive fiction are also game developers. You wouldn’t say that “platformers” are not games just because we have a name for them.
- emsy 2y agoVisual novels are like choose your own adventure books with pictures. Are those books games? Is it useful to classify them as such?
- dudul 2y agoYes they are.
- constantcrying 2y agoTo me interactivity is the core element here. Platformers can only be interactive. There is nothing about a visual novel which has to be interactive, in fact the interactivity is usually limited to a few branching paths (although more involved VNs do exist). I think it is fine to count them as games as long as there is some interactivity, but that obviously puts them at the outer edge of what games are. To get back to the point, I think a visual novel should be eligible for a literature award, but that is because the interactivity is inherently limited.
- dudul 2y agoWhat if they were called "interactive story driven games"? The market finds simple denominations to help consumers navigate the offering, but these are not always accurate or very descriptive. Focusing on the content as opposed to the label, why do you not think that these are games?
- constantcrying 2y ago>Focusing on the content as opposed to the label, why do you not think that these are games? As I mentioned above, to me interactivity is the core element. Certainly a VN can have interactivity, although that is usually limited so I would put them at the outer edge of games. If it has no interactivity, then I wouldn't count them as a game though. A picture book is not a game.
- dudul 2y agoWhat about a picture book where the reader is supposed to find things on the page? Interactivity is just the ability to respond to a user's input. Even VNs with very limited branching do that.
- constantcrying 2y agoAt the same time you can imagine a visual novel without any choices. I don't see that being a game, it is a novel with pictures presented in a digital format. Not a game.