- May 2, 2018
- 725
- 2,510
Here we ago again. Some uppity dickhead thinks porn games should be high art.
We've had threads directly or indirectly about this topic a few times. What I'm hoping to do with this thread is to better understand the "problem" and maybe find some solutions or at least provide some advice. I don't know how many devs actually read these forums as most of the games seem to be ripped from Patreon or other sites, but here we go anyway.
Underlying Issues:
Native Language- I think a large portion of us experience these games in English and for many devs, that is not their first language. I put this one here because I think people will be quick to bring it up. I don't think this is actually a source of bad story telling. A poorly translated story and a poorly written story are not the same thing. Misspelled words and incorrect grammar are certainly distracting, but that's not the type of writing issues I want to address.
Lack of Experience- This is certainly a big one. I think it's safe to say that many of the people writing for porn games haven't done a lot of writing before. Based on their specific circumstances, they may not have even been taught much about writing a narrative before.
Lack of Professionals- Highly related to the lack of experience. This covers the idea that many professional or "serious" writers would look down on writing erotic fiction. Also, it probably doesn't pay very well in most cases.
Overconfidence- I think this also stems from a lack of experience, but the idea here is that people don't realize their writing is bad. I'm reminded of auditions on American Idol where someone who misses every single note is singing their heart out. While I imagine a lot of this is staged, I think there are people like this out there. Unfortunately, spirit doesn't make up for lack of talent.
Lack of Interest- What I mean here is that for what seems like many of the players, the writing doesn't matter much. It's hard to say if a poorly written game and a well written version of the same game went head-to-head what would happen. What we know is some games with terrible writing have done very well. So you could point to that and say "see, doesn't matter."
Solutions/Advice:
Read. If you want to write well, a good way to learn is to read good writing. Not simply reading it, but thinking about what makes it good.
Learn. Take a class. Read some guides. There are lots of free ways to improve skills available out there, check them out. One thing I like to do, which I think can help with writing, is watching critiques of movies. You have to find the right reviewer, but learning about the mistakes of others helps you avoid those same mistakes.
Practice. Write some short stories. Something not for an erotic game, just as a stand alone story. Let people read that and see what they think.
Peer Review. I personally have done some writing for an as of yet unreleased game and I have a few people looking at the writing. Now, granted, you need to find someone you know is a good writer and is willing to help you out. I feel like a handful of people on this board would help review writing for other devs. It's very easy to trick yourself into thinking you are great. Even if you are supremely confident in your skills, it never hurts to get a second opinion. If you can be objective about your work, you can improve it.
Let someone else do it. Sometimes you have to face the harsh reality that you aren't very good at something. There's no shame in letting someone else do the writing. Now I'm not saying it's easy to find a solid writer to work with, especially if they are a stranger and money is involved. The point is, it's an option.
Larger Issues:
Erotic games and visual novels are still largely a fan-made effort. As the industry matures, assuming it does, the quality of the products will improve. There seems to be some decent money to be made in erotic fiction, if done correctly. Once the right people start taking notice, we'll see more serious professionals working on titles. The more competition we have in this space, the more important quality of all aspects of a game will be, including the writing. If the industry begins to mature, it may also help legitimize the work for people who were less inclined to do it before. So we might get some indie writers who are willing to try their hand in this market as well. As for discerning consumers, I always look to the movie industry. I feel like the movie industry is extremely mature at this point. There are poorly written spectacle films that do well and well written smaller films that don't. So there will always be room in the market for lowest common denominator type junk food content. At the same time, we can hope for really solid titles that are rewarded for their craftsmanship. While a well written porn game that isn't trying to be a fuck fest might be more niche at this point, if the audience grows on the whole, then it becomes more viable to serve that niche.
Feel free to tell me how wrong I am or to add your own reasons and solutions/advice. If you want to know what qualifies as good story telling or bad story telling, there are a lot of threads on specific aspects of games. I wanted to keep this one more generic.
We've had threads directly or indirectly about this topic a few times. What I'm hoping to do with this thread is to better understand the "problem" and maybe find some solutions or at least provide some advice. I don't know how many devs actually read these forums as most of the games seem to be ripped from Patreon or other sites, but here we go anyway.
Underlying Issues:
Native Language- I think a large portion of us experience these games in English and for many devs, that is not their first language. I put this one here because I think people will be quick to bring it up. I don't think this is actually a source of bad story telling. A poorly translated story and a poorly written story are not the same thing. Misspelled words and incorrect grammar are certainly distracting, but that's not the type of writing issues I want to address.
Lack of Experience- This is certainly a big one. I think it's safe to say that many of the people writing for porn games haven't done a lot of writing before. Based on their specific circumstances, they may not have even been taught much about writing a narrative before.
Lack of Professionals- Highly related to the lack of experience. This covers the idea that many professional or "serious" writers would look down on writing erotic fiction. Also, it probably doesn't pay very well in most cases.
Overconfidence- I think this also stems from a lack of experience, but the idea here is that people don't realize their writing is bad. I'm reminded of auditions on American Idol where someone who misses every single note is singing their heart out. While I imagine a lot of this is staged, I think there are people like this out there. Unfortunately, spirit doesn't make up for lack of talent.
Lack of Interest- What I mean here is that for what seems like many of the players, the writing doesn't matter much. It's hard to say if a poorly written game and a well written version of the same game went head-to-head what would happen. What we know is some games with terrible writing have done very well. So you could point to that and say "see, doesn't matter."
Solutions/Advice:
Read. If you want to write well, a good way to learn is to read good writing. Not simply reading it, but thinking about what makes it good.
Learn. Take a class. Read some guides. There are lots of free ways to improve skills available out there, check them out. One thing I like to do, which I think can help with writing, is watching critiques of movies. You have to find the right reviewer, but learning about the mistakes of others helps you avoid those same mistakes.
Practice. Write some short stories. Something not for an erotic game, just as a stand alone story. Let people read that and see what they think.
Peer Review. I personally have done some writing for an as of yet unreleased game and I have a few people looking at the writing. Now, granted, you need to find someone you know is a good writer and is willing to help you out. I feel like a handful of people on this board would help review writing for other devs. It's very easy to trick yourself into thinking you are great. Even if you are supremely confident in your skills, it never hurts to get a second opinion. If you can be objective about your work, you can improve it.
Let someone else do it. Sometimes you have to face the harsh reality that you aren't very good at something. There's no shame in letting someone else do the writing. Now I'm not saying it's easy to find a solid writer to work with, especially if they are a stranger and money is involved. The point is, it's an option.
Larger Issues:
Erotic games and visual novels are still largely a fan-made effort. As the industry matures, assuming it does, the quality of the products will improve. There seems to be some decent money to be made in erotic fiction, if done correctly. Once the right people start taking notice, we'll see more serious professionals working on titles. The more competition we have in this space, the more important quality of all aspects of a game will be, including the writing. If the industry begins to mature, it may also help legitimize the work for people who were less inclined to do it before. So we might get some indie writers who are willing to try their hand in this market as well. As for discerning consumers, I always look to the movie industry. I feel like the movie industry is extremely mature at this point. There are poorly written spectacle films that do well and well written smaller films that don't. So there will always be room in the market for lowest common denominator type junk food content. At the same time, we can hope for really solid titles that are rewarded for their craftsmanship. While a well written porn game that isn't trying to be a fuck fest might be more niche at this point, if the audience grows on the whole, then it becomes more viable to serve that niche.
Feel free to tell me how wrong I am or to add your own reasons and solutions/advice. If you want to know what qualifies as good story telling or bad story telling, there are a lot of threads on specific aspects of games. I wanted to keep this one more generic.
