Is there still a market for text-based games (not VNs)?

[taiki_wata]

Just to clarify, when I say text-based games I'm not talking about VNs. I mean games like this (Warsim):



Or maybe this (Degrees of Lewdity):



What do you think?

 

[MissCougar]

Yes. Love them. But the writing and theme have to be better and it has to have some kind of creative mechanic.

I like these better because I can usually imagine better than someone can artistically do, especially in the indie porn scene.

 

[ciri_in_trouble]

You might as well do an HTML game though IMO

 

[Iexist]

Considering that games like TiTs, CoC 2 and... Corrupted Saviors? I think that was the name? have their dedicated fan-bases and still seem to be going in terms of development and whatnot... I'd say that yes, there's still people interested in playing primarily text based games, and not just VNs.

I couldn't say how profitable they are though.

At the end of the day, these types of games are very tricky to get right. Writing matters a lot and it's very easy to end up with something that's very meh if the writing isn't at least passable. The mechanics of whatever is being made also matter a lot for obvious reasons.

Since we're talking about a game here, and not just a VN, then the gameplay, such as it is, makes its own difference. Corrupted Saviors is, after all, primarily played because of the gameplay as far as I'm aware.

 

[Brosewood]

Is there a market? Yes, but people expect more from you. They want more freedom. More customisation. More to do. Better writing, etc. They are the sort of games that can become overwhelming before long, and I'm saying that from experience.

It's also harder to build an audience as visuals are a universal language. Everyone from Paris France to Paris Texas understand big ol' titties when they see 'em. Limiting yourself to only English speakers and people who are willing to read walls of text.

If you really are eager to participate in the madness that is game development, I'd advise that you create something simple to begin with. Learn Twine/Sugarcube/HTML/Whatever and learn about it. Learn how to use it. Learn how to plan your game out. Learn what works and what doesn't. You can always make the big game when you have a grasp of what you're doing.

 

[taiki_wata]

I consider myself a decent frontend developer, so if I'm going to make something I'd definitely use HTML5.

But to be honest given the current atmosphere, I don't even know where I can sell it properly. My idea is a slave training / trading game (focused more on the trading part, which I think it's quite underdeveloped aspect of this genre imo), but obviously slave means non-con so Patreon is a no-go... I don't know if Steam will let me publish a game that is more or less "slavery simulator," even it has nothing to do with real world slavery.

Of course it's way too early to think about monetization as this idea might not fly anyway, but I'd like to know whether it has at least some potential to make a few bucks.

 

[taiki_wata]

After some research, I think it might be best to release the game (if I really make it) for free and just have a donation page on Fanbox.