Opinions on the "creepiness" of a theme?

[ZanithOne]

Hi everyone!

I've started to work on a game, 3DCG VN, the usual stuff. I have extensive background in "vanilla" game development, so I'm quite confident in my ability to finish it. I've already way into the pre-production, have a couple of characters penned and mostly done visually, working on assembling environments. And now when I'm starting to go deeper on the story, I'm beginning to have some doubts about my theme.

The essence of my setting is that the male protagonist (player avatar) gets caught in the effect of an high-energy experiment and get thrown from Earth into the rift between worlds. There his subconsciousness invokes his latent psychic powers and creates a replica of his childhood home. Then some fantasy-ish girls get drawn to this rift house, and the usual romance/corruption happens. There are also more psychic powers (but probably no psychic coercion, don't really want that), light time travel, dreamscapes, yadda yadda.

The main thing that I'm starting to find uncomfortable is that the whole idea is, no one can leave this house, cause it literally is suspended in the nothingness. And the implications of that fact starting to look creepy. Mind, I'm quite aware that for the male harem fantasy, it's pretty much business as usual. But then I personally find many games out there way too creepy. It's one thing to have a open-form poly relationship with many girls, and another to have them locked up with you against their wishes.

I guess I could make it a bit funnier if I make the protagonist weak and clumsy enough, so that the girls are the real power in the house, and most intimate acts are initated by them. That way the protagonist is just a guy trying to learn how to harness his power to get them all out of there. And he also has lots of sex in the meantime, but that's the whole point of the game.

That said, I'm still early enough in the pre-prod, so I can change pretty much everything. I'm considering stuff like accidental travel to alternate dimension, maybe just straight-up fantasy universe, or some sort of urban fantasy blend. I'm very much inspired by the Mythic Manor and by the Harem Hotel, really love those games, and they are not creepy at all, IMO, but I don't want to just straight-up copy those themes. I'd be very grateful to see your thoughts on that.

Thanks for reading!

 

[thecardinal]

Stick to your vision, creep factor and all.

 

[RedPillBlues]

I hope its a big house, because it sounds like you have quite a few characters planned.

 

[おい！]

Keep to your original concept.

 

[xj47]

hmm, I see what you mean. I think removing the creep factor from erotic games is incredibly difficult though. I don't remember a game I've played that hasn't had some negative messaging about sexuality and consent. So it's not a question of "is the game creepy?" but "is the game too creepy for my taste?" and I think that's something you need to decide for yourself.

There's an audience for just about everything so just make a game you think is good and people will (hopefully) come.

 

[ZanithOne]

Thanks for all your feedback!

I hope its a big house, because it sounds like you have quite a few characters planned.

5 to 6 main girls, and yeah, the house is pretty big, like 5 bedroom + various other rooms, and I have thought of some outs if I need to expand it more. But I'll try to keep the scope contained enough. Don't like endless sprawling projects.

I don't remember a game I've played that hasn't had some negative messaging about sexuality and consent. So it's not a question of "is the game creepy?" but "is the game too creepy for my taste?" and I think that's something you need to decide for yourself.

Yea, exactly this about messaging. I have my limits on what I consider too creepy when I play the game, but it's different when I'm the one writing it. I might be thinking "well, there are those reasons for the event, the girl is into it, all good" but if I write that scene badly, people might perceive it very differently. That's why the feedback is so important to me.

 

[redknight00]

If you want to tone down the creep, just give the MC some character development and thoughts that that is not 'she bobs and vagena, me dick hard'. Being in an extranormal setting, with an MC with powers he might not master and understand, and a house with certain rules, it's easy to think of possibilities for better storytelling, such as exploring the house and the MC powers, looking for ways to revert the situation they are in while getting closer to one another and of course give the MC qualities that don't involve his dick, such as making him smart, cunning, resourceful, determined, brave, charismatic, or not, is he an opportunist, greedy, afraid of snakes, utterly bored being locked down, etc.

And most of all, if you don't want to make a creep MC, don't use cheap plot devices like mind control, peeping, sleep rape, if you want it, that's fine, but that's not necessary and makes him look like a criminal.

 

[Retro]

 

[obibobi]

The MC of the game should wear a shirt that say's "The implication".

 

[Brig]

Maybe there is a way to use the Creepiness of the situation and working into an ongoing plot for the story.

 

[Barabash]

I guess I could make it a bit funnier if I make the protagonist weak and clumsy enough, so that the girls are the real power in the house, and most intimate acts are initated by them. That way the protagonist is just a guy trying to learn how to harness his power to get them all out of there. And he also has lots of sex in the meantime, but that's the whole point of the game.

Yeah... how about... both? What I really dislike is lack of choice, feeling I'm hopeless in the game. In real life I could at least react somehow. If You don't want to give a choice You can always give an ilussive one, You know, a bit different dialogue etc., but the outcome would be same. But personally I love when You can define Yourself and Your attitude. I get it's difficult to be branching like that, beacause You may end up writing few different stories, but if You'll get it right satisfaction is almost guranteed ;]

So, merely my suggestion.

About the rest... mate, give me more details, I just wanna play Your game
No, seriously, have You got some Patreon or anything?
You have my curiosity

 

[SillyxRabbit]

You could give the girls reasons to be there. Some might be on a mission to explore the rift house. Some might be escaping from dangers. And the player could be there to help them in whatever way possible, while romancing/corrupting them in the process. If you give your game a proper backstory, it wouldn't feel so "creepy".

 

[ZanithOne]

Yeah... how about... both? What I really dislike is lack of choice, feeling I'm hopeless in the game. In real life I could at least react somehow. If You don't want to give a choice You can always give an ilussive one, You know, a bit different dialogue etc., but the outcome would be same. But personally I love when You can define Yourself and Your attitude. I get it's difficult to be branching like that, beacause You may end up writing few different stories, but if You'll get it right satisfaction is almost guranteed ;]

I certainly want to make a branching story, but most likely won't go too dark with content, just not my cuppa. That said, I want to make the game non-linear, even "open-world" of sorts, so branching would most likely take place withing small-ish story arcs, with major events availability being decided by player stats.

About the rest... mate, give me more details, I just wanna play Your game
No, seriously, have You got some Patreon or anything?
You have my curiosity

As I said, it's still in preproduction. I'm quitting my main job right now, so my schedule is a bit frantic as is. I would certainly love to work on this game full-time, so I'll get the Patreon running as soon as I have some actual content to show. It's very encouraging to know that you are curious already, thank you!

You could give the girls reasons to be there. Some might be on a mission to explore the rift house. Some might be escaping from dangers. And the player could be there to help them in whatever way possible, while romancing/corrupting them in the process. If you give your game a proper backstory, it wouldn't feel so "creepy".

All good points. The exact circumstances of girls' arrival to the house could make a lot of difference on the perceived nature of their relationships, true. I'll have to work on that, thank you!

 

[wep]

At the end of the day, you must be confortable with your game.
However the "creepiness" is more or less unavoidable. I mean the 99% of the games here are creepy and sick if you look at them using the standard that you should have (I hope for you ) in RL.
However this is the point of these games.

 

[HalGLC]

I don't want to seem rude, but I voted without even reading the OP

I voted "Keep the theme"

Make the game you want to make. You never know the audience you'll attract. At least follow through on it. Worse case scenario it doesn't work out and you can adapt next time

 

[GuyFreely]

I want to reiterate some of the thoughts of redknight and others. I think a lot of the creepiness comes down to how it's written. It's hard to tell exactly what you have planned from the brief explanation, but if it were me, I would make it a fish out of water scenario. The MC doesn't understand what's going on and struggles to come to grips with the situation. I feel like the story arc would involve him figuring out the situation, how to control it, and how to escape (assuming that's the plan). I'll throw a bunch of random thoughts on plot devices based on your premise, feel free to use any of them.

Everything that happens is connected to the MC, but he has no control over it. For example, it's a copy of his house because it represents a safe place for him. So the characters that show up can represent regrets or wishes. The girl he never had the courage to talk to or "the one that got away." You can have his mother or sister show up if you want to go the incest route, saying there was some latent urges there. Maybe a big celebrity he had a crush on is there. Again, he's not picking them, not consciously, but he is responsible in a way.

You can play with the concept of whether the women are real or just copies of the original. If they are copies, he has more freedom to do whatever he wants, but if they are real people he would have to deal with the consequences. I like it being a bit ambiguous so you are never quite sure.

You can have some sort of antagonist or guide. This person could take any form you like, even a copy of the MC. As an antagonist, they would push and prod the MC trying to manipulate them. As a guide, they would gently nudge the MC in certain directions. It gives you someone to explain the situation even if they are vague or mysterious.

If you feel like the house is a bit claustrophobic, you can have it warp over time. I don't know if you plan to use Daz or something else, but I would use this as a way to poke fun at certain limitations. Like a character walks to the background and says "this is just a wall painted to look like a park." You could have some rooms that start locked and unlock over time to reveal new characters or story elements.

Also, given you have a non-traditional setting, you need to start early with an explanation of "the rules." Generally, this is done by the characters testing things. Simple things like "Every time I open the fridge, it's full of food again." "I left my clothes on the floor last night and they were washed and pressed when I woke up today." What happens when you go to the "edge" or try to leave the house? Maybe the windows are unbreakable, maybe everything is unbreakable. Can people be injured? Can people die? You don't have to explain absolutely everything, but try to cover some basic questions.

 

[polywog]

Hi everyone!

I've started to work on a game, 3DCG VN, the usual stuff. I have extensive background in "vanilla" game development, so I'm quite confident in my ability to finish it. I've already way into the pre-production, have a couple of characters penned and mostly done visually, working on assembling environments. And now when I'm starting to go deeper on the story, I'm beginning to have some doubts about my theme.

The essence of my setting is that the male protagonist (player avatar) gets caught in the effect of an high-energy experiment and get thrown from Earth into the rift between worlds. There his subconsciousness invokes his latent psychic powers and creates a replica of his childhood home. Then some fantasy-ish girls get drawn to this rift house, and the usual romance/corruption happens. There are also more psychic powers (but probably no psychic coercion, don't really want that), light time travel, dreamscapes, yadda yadda.

The main thing that I'm starting to find uncomfortable is that the whole idea is, no one can leave this house, cause it literally is suspended in the nothingness. And the implications of that fact starting to look creepy. Mind, I'm quite aware that for the male harem fantasy, it's pretty much business as usual. But then I personally find many games out there way too creepy. It's one thing to have a open-form poly relationship with many girls, and another to have them locked up with you against their wishes.

I guess I could make it a bit funnier if I make the protagonist weak and clumsy enough, so that the girls are the real power in the house, and most intimate acts are initated by them. That way the protagonist is just a guy trying to learn how to harness his power to get them all out of there. And he also has lots of sex in the meantime, but that's the whole point of the game.

That said, I'm still early enough in the pre-prod, so I can change pretty much everything. I'm considering stuff like accidental travel to alternate dimension, maybe just straight-up fantasy universe, or some sort of urban fantasy blend. I'm very much inspired by the Mythic Manor and by the Harem Hotel, really love those games, and they are not creepy at all, IMO, but I don't want to just straight-up copy those themes. I'd be very grateful to see your thoughts on that.

Thanks for reading!

View attachment 224729

It's your fantasy story, don't worry about being politically correct, unless you're planning on running for office. Half the best seller list, is books about women's fantasies about being raped.

 

[215303j]

Sounds good to me!

I do find the girl a bit over the top, but maybe it'll fit the story. I just prefer the cute/sweet type myself...

 

[ZanithOne]

but if it were me, I would make it a fish out of water scenario. The MC doesn't understand what's going on and struggles to come to grips with the situation. I feel like the story arc would involve him figuring out the situation, how to control it, and how to escape (assuming that's the plan). I'll throw a bunch of random thoughts on plot devices based on your premise, feel free to use any of them.

... For example, it's a copy of his house because it represents a safe place for him. So the characters that show up can represent regrets or wishes. ...

... You can have some sort of antagonist or guide. ...

... You could have some rooms that start locked and unlock over time to reveal new characters or story elements. ...

... Simple things like "Every time I open the fridge, it's full of food again." "I left my clothes on the floor last night and they were washed and pressed when I woke up today." What happens when you go to the "edge" or try to leave the house...

It's incredibly funny that almost exactly same things came to my mind also. In fact, some of them are already in writing. Maybe I'm relying on tropes a bit too much, but on the other hand, genre conventions and all that. Thank you, it's really helpful to have a fresh take on things.

Sounds good to me!

I do find the girl a bit over the top, but maybe it'll fit the story. I just prefer the cute/sweet type myself...

Well, she is over the top, it's kinda her nature and job at the same time. And there will be girls with different characters, absolutely. Hopefully, you'll find at least one that you like

 

[GuyFreely]

It's incredibly funny that almost exactly same things came to my mind also. In fact, some of them are already in writing. Maybe I'm relying on tropes a bit too much, but on the other hand, genre conventions and all that. Thank you, it's really helpful to have a fresh take on things.



Well, she is over the top, it's kinda her nature and job at the same time. And there will be girls with different characters, absolutely. Hopefully, you'll find at least one that you like

There is nothing wrong with tropes, they are tools. They can be done poorly or well. I mean the loner badass that ends up saving the day is a trope, but people tend to love that shit. The hero's journey is one of the most used tropes ever, because it works. You don't have to re-invent the wheel to tell an engaging story.