Porn Game Tropes: The good, the bad, and the fugly

[RogueKnightUK]

It's interesting...short stories, novels, plays, musical compositions, paintings, sculpture, films and television shows, even comic books are now taken seriously as art forms. But video and computer games? Not yet. Roger Ebert wrote an essay before he died about why he didn't see video games as an art form. But you could have written the same essay about comic books in the early 1960s. At this point you can definitely see artistic elements in game design--the art, various aspects of game narrative, and so forth.

It depends whose approval and recognition you seek. In the past 20 years, Hollywood has increasingly been making movies from video games, which I would argue is very much someone recognising the art in the storytelling of games, and putting tens of millions of dollars behind that belief.

But I'll go one step further and say that the vast majority of art comes from games, far predating the internet, the computer, electronics. Someone was playing in tapping sticks on things to see what sounds they could make before it became 'percussion' and drumming. Someone played at making noises before music was conceived. To this day, we talk about 'playing' an instrument, even if you play for a national orchestra.

Painting? Started with playing with muds and juices. Pottery? Someone building sandcastles with mud and clay. Sculpture? Started with whittling and playing around. Dancing, Acting, performance art? You guessed it.

In fact, the only art form not born from play that I can easily think of is storytelling itself - which of course started as just communication (with occasional lying and bragging). Yet narrative, saying something, communication of an idea or a feeling, is at the heart of all other art.

 

[SeKyBoggTrottr]

Jesus you're one of my new favorite authors lol. You should seriously submit to work on dialogue for some games. Friggin modern day master observer of pervs Monty Python, you are.

P.S. They are all more than trope heavy. They all rely solely on the tropes to so much as even draw a feeble breath. I still, however, have to hand it to the Babysitter dev. The dialogue at least was funny, smarter, and deviated enough to almost seem like a new world for perv games....you know, until you immediately step right back into the pile of tropes...usually hammered in by the "MC internal dialogue"

 

[UberDuperTruper]

Are we using the correct use of the word Trope or the Neo-Anglic version of the same word?

Here is what Trope means today: "a common or overused theme or device"

Here is what Trope had meant and still does mean in some parts of the English world, anyone above the age of 50 and in most places in the United States that aren't devoutly "Progressive": "a word or expression used in a figurative sense."

The thing is there happens to be no way to distinguish which meaning of that word you are using in a sentence, while the two meanings aren't the same thing. A figure of speech is not the same thing as a cliche. This is why it is easier to just say cliche as it has a much more precise meaning. Meanwhile, trope can be confusing. Which do you mean? The figure of speech an item has as a literary utility or the same item being used a regularly deployed commonality?

 

[RogueKnightUK]

Are we using the correct use of the word Trope or the Neo-Anglic version of the same word?

Here is what Trope means today: "a common or overused theme or device"

Here is what Trope had meant and still does mean in some parts of the English world, anyone above the age of 50 and in most places in the United States that aren't devoutly "Progressive": "a word or expression used in a figurative sense."

The thing is there happens to be no way to distinguish which meaning of that word you are using in a sentence, while the two meanings aren't the same thing. A figure of speech is not the same thing as a cliche. This is why it is easier to just say cliche as it has a much more precise meaning. Meanwhile, trope can be confusing. Which do you mean? The figure of speech an item has as a literary utility or the same item being used a regularly deployed commonality?

The original usage tends to be specific to literature, the art of words, mainly because that is the focus of the writer - the main market for the dictionary. Thus some definitions specify that it is words or expressions used in a figurative sense. However, the art world also has tropes, in a recurrent object or theme that thus takes on a figurative meaning beyond what it actually depicts.

When movies and TV became a significant medium of communication, so to the figurative use of characters, plots, scenes, etc also fell into the truest definition of 'trope'. A trope is a sketch, an abstract, a familiar device that, through repetition, becomes instantly recognizable, and so has a figurative value beyond merely what is actually used or seen.

So, they are not really two different meanings, just two different perspectives (and possibly oversimplifications) on the same basic idea.

 

[Squib2187]

The "Correct Girl"
In a game, while there is a variety of options it is clear from the writing that the author favours one girl over all the others and expects the player to also favour her and choose her over all the other options. This is typified by content such as; all choices other than the "correct girl" lead to bad endings, the quality of the writing is vastly disparate between the correct girl and all other characters, Forced Order where the player is forced to progress with the correct girl in order to progress with the other characters.

Examples of correct girl can be found in; Acting lessons , Being a Dik (at this stage it's too early to tell but it seems to be following this trajectory) and Milfy City .

The Patreon Milker
Game has a monthly update schedule with only minuscule content each month see Glassix & The Twist .

 

[OhWee]

The "Correct Girl"
In a game, while there is a variety of options it is clear from the writing that the author favours one girl over all the others and expects the player to also favour her and choose her over all the other options. This is typified by content such as; all choices other than the "correct girl" lead to bad endings, the quality of the writing is vastly disparate between the correct girl and all other characters, Forced Order where the player is forced to progress with the correct girl in order to progress with the other characters.

Examples of correct girl can be found in; Acting lessons , Being a Dik (at this stage it's too early to tell but it seems to be following this trajectory) and Milfy City .

The Patreon Milker
Game has a monthly update schedule with only minuscule content each month see Glassix & The Twist .

For your second trope, I a couple of years ago I adopted the abbreviation MMP, short for Milking My Patrons. Although in my mind MMP is dragging out the story so that progress in the various relationships is painfully slow, which ultimately stretches out the time and monetary investment for those closely following the game for years.

As for the first point, one should note that linear stories are a bit easier to work with from a developer standpoint, since you can focus you rendering budget on that linear storyline, as opposed to having to split your rendering schedule over the multiple storyline paths. That being said, if the developer keeps 'teasing' numerous other story branches but then locking you out of the story with bad endings continuously, yeah that's annoying.

For both of these points in some cases, where the developer is doing a game in their spare time between the time they spend at their day job and other commitments, I don't mind as much. But if they know that it's going to be a long slog in advance, I do appreciate when they are at least honest with their patrons and fans about how long it may take for the story to progress.

But there are developers out there that ARE deliberately dragging things out, while doing a minimal amount of work, to maximize their donations. What's even more fun is when they start promising updates every month, but fail to deliver them consistently. It's one thing to miss a deadline because you underestimated the time requirement for your story, it's another thing to not share anything at all while taking advantage of the goodwill of your players.

You can usually sniff out the latter in various game threads. These games usually end up with abandoned tags. Sure real life gets in the way sometiems, which causes people to re-prioritize their life, but there are a few developers out there that disappear for weeks at a time, then post up that they are making progress, maybe share a a render or two, and then disappear again.

The whole point of 'Patronizing' an artist is to support their work, and theoretically you are supporting the artist and not any particular project that he may be working on, but yeah people generally donate to a game developer for a specific project they are currently working on, and not just for their artistic talents in general.

There are artists out there that use Patreon, etc. to do exactly that, i.e. randomly generate various art pieces as the whim strikes that have patrons, which is perfectly fine, but when your Patreon page is talking ONLY about one or two specific projects (i.e. your game) yeah people are supporting you for your game, and expect progress on such.

So, while we do need to be mindful that different game developers will make progress on their games at different speeds, and may make design choices based on how quickly they can generate content, there ARE developers out there that do exactly what you are referring to r.e. your tropes. I.E. drag things out to maximize income, while minimizing their time investment.

If a developer is honest up front about what patrons and players can expect progress wise, that's helpful, but when they keep their patrons in the dark constantly, yeah that's when the bad blood starts.

 

[Agent HK47]

I am Iron Man

Your cock is clearly made by Bethesda, cause "It just works"

So, you just came home from school, after fucking 3 students, 2 teachers and the principal herself. Now your mother wants a turn, because her inner slut can't be caged again after you set it free. No worries though, cause you are "Mr. Ever-ready" and you always rise up to the occation. Mom squeals in delight as you ram your overworked elephant dick in her ass and pound her senseless for the next 5 minutes, before somehow filling her up with enough cum, that you can't help but wonder if you are part blue whale.

You sigh, relieved that you can take a little break. Nope! Here comes your sister, dressed in her finest lingerie, sending you expectant looks. At this stage, a mere mortal would probably be feeling slightly sore, and would be having issues getting an erection. Fortunately, you are not only part-blue whale, but you are clearly built by Cyberdyne Systems, so your cock is already rising to the occasion again, without any hesitation.

Good thing that there are only 29 women in your harem. Another 19 and you might start having stamina issues, which would cause disgrace to your family's name.

 

[OhWee]

@Agent HK47

So true! This definitely needs some sort of 'harem related' or other suitable image!

Here's my suggestion:



It's the 'perfect ending' from Dreams of Desire

 

[Agent HK47]

@Agent HK47

So true! This definitely needs some sort of 'harem related' or other suitable image!

Here's my suggestion:

View attachment 279922

It's the 'perfect ending' from Dreams of Desire

Hah, funny enough that's one of the scenes that was in my mind when I thought of this

 

[RomanHume]

Human Honey
View attachment 269564
Maybe it's all the girls he fucked on the way here
​

Without fail, every heroine will enjoy the taste of of the MC's dick and especially cum. Virgins giving their first blowjob will be floored at the human deliciousness they've been missing out on from their brother. So potent, that in a short amount of time heroines will be licking jizm out of all kinds of orifices like its life extending ambrosia. While a normal person might be worried that they haven't showered in days and that 10/10 MILF might not appreciate putting her lips on your swamp dick, no worries because she won't care. To a lewd heroine boy sweat just adds extra flavor of her favorite dick snack.

I don't see what is so unbelievable about this? Everyone loves the taste of warm jizz heated to a comfortable 98.6 degrees. My last girlfriend enjoyed it so much that for breakfast each morning she'd have a heaping spoonful of watery ejaculate on two pieces of whole grain toast with a slice of tomato and an avocado (she was a health nut). My gran used to say that the key to a good gin and tonic was a dollop of semen stirred in over ice. And my Aunt Yancy used to partake of a warm dram of spunk each night after dinner. Said it helped her with the vapors. Even got my cousin hooked.

So yeah, tasty jizz. Definitely not a trope. Just a fact of life.

 

[Segnbora]

a heaping spoonful of watery ejaculate on two pieces of whole grain toast with a slice of tomato and an avocado

There's a husband and wife I kinda-sorta know (via a mutual friend) that are in an intense master/slave BDSM relationship. He makes her spread his semen on sandwiches that she takes to work for lunch. I've never asked if it's straight from the tap or from a receptacle, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to.

My gran used to say that the key to a good gin and tonic was a dollop of semen stirred in over ice.

It's hilarious that you happened to post this, because I'm in the middle of writing some long-form erotica in which, at one point, a woman takes a sip of her G&T immediately after her lover comes in her mouth and pronounces it just about the worst combination ever.

 

[Agent HK47]

STD = Strickly Theoretical Disease

It's fine, cause no theory ever works out anyway.

Condoms are a wonderful invention in real life. They allow for safe sex, in more ways than 1. In the world of adult games however, condoms are simply a waste of latex & rubber. You can bang your way through 11 hookers, 3 girls with 10+ exes, a guy or 2 (hey, it's all harmless experimentation, right?) and maybe the occasional dog here and there, all in the same day, without any risk of contracting unwanted diseases.
Yes, in the world of adult games, STD's are not any concern of yours. Aids died with Freddie Mercury, chlamydia & gonorrhea are just free birth control, and syphilis sounds so horrible, that it must be a myth created to strike fear into horny young teens.

Now, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start banging anything with 2 legs - incuding amputee dogs. And remember kids: By not using condoms, you are saving the rainforest!

 

[OhWee]

When you say D is short, what sort of real life heigh would you say she is?
Love your work

STD = Strickly Theoretical Disease

It's fine, cause no theory ever works out anyway.

Condoms are a wonderful invention in real life. They allow for safe sex, in more ways than 1. In the world of adult games however, condoms are simply a waste of latex & rubber. You can bang your way through 11 hookers, 3 girls with 10+ exes, a guy or 2 (hey, it's all harmless experimentation, right?) and maybe the occasional dog here and there, all in the same day, without any risk of contracting unwanted diseases.
Yes, in the world of adult games, STD's are not any concern of yours. Aids died with Freddie Mercury, chlamydia & gonorrhea are just free birth control, and syphilis sounds so horrible, that it must be a myth created to strike fear into horny young teens.

Now, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start banging anything with 2 legs - incuding amputee dogs. And remember kids: By not using condoms, you are saving the rainforest!

Was looking for a crabslayer pic, this one popped up.



Also this one:

 

[OhWee]

Who Needs Clothes Anyways?

​

Your Female MC used to be such a conservative gal, but she's discovered that clothes are overrated. And she slowly discovers that she gets a huge thrill out of wearing less and less.

Pretty soon, she's walking the streets of the city in her birthday suit in broad daylight. And most of the city's male population, as well as a few gals applaud her choice, whistling their approval as she struts down the street, her firm naked boobs gloriously bouncing up and down in unison with her strut...

Notable examples of this trend are usually RPG Maker games. A specific example is eluding me at the moment, 'cuz it's been a while since I played the game I had in mind for this post. Maybe Sarah's Life or Valiant Warrior Astrid? Suggestions?

Edit: Yeah the stat name that I was trying to think of before for this trope is Inhibition Level! Thanks for jogging my memory IHNPaIMF, aka Fap Dude!

Inhibition Level - lower this stat to allow a girl to wear more and more risque wardrobe choices in specific situations, If this stat is low enough, the Birthday Suit becomes an option, usually in limited situations at first, but eventually, when the stat is lowered enough, yeah public nudity is no big deal to her!

 

[IhaveNoPornAndIMustFap]

Who Needs Clothes Anyways?

​

Your Female MC used to be such a conservative gal, but she's discovered that clothes are overrated. And she slowly discovers that she gets a huge thrill out of wearing less and less.

Pretty soon, she's walking the streets of the city in her birthday suit in broad daylight. And most of the city's male population, as well as a few gals applaud her choice, whistling their approval as she struts down the street, her firm naked boobs gloriously bouncing up and down in unison with her strut...

Notable examples of this trend are usually RPG Maker games. A specific example is eluding me at the moment, 'cuz it's been a while since I played the game I had in mind for this post. Maybe Sarah's Life or Valiant Warrior Astrid? Suggestions?

That's a nice collage you made there, I assume wanting to make the collage was the primary motivation for writing the trope?

Progressive lewdification of the attire is certainly a trope in many female protag "corruption" games and might as well be part of the stairway to heaven in several male protag games, like convincing Lisa to no longer wear undies in Big Brother. One RPGM doing this trope to a tee is Succulence, where, playing a busty public school teacher, most of the games lewd content is strictly gated behind what lewd outfit you could unlock so far, and it also has streaking as a mechanic.

 

[OhWee]

That's a nice collage you made there, I assume wanting to make the collage was the primary motivation for writing the trope?

Progressive lewdification of the attire is certainly a trope in many female protag "corruption" games and might as well be part of the stairway to heaven in several male protag games, like convincing Lisa to no longer wear undies in Big Brother. One RPGM doing this trope to a tee is Succulence, where, playing a busty public school teacher, most of the games lewd content is strictly gated behind what lewd outfit you could unlock so far, and it also has streaking as a mechanic.

Actually it was the other way around. I remembered playing a RPG Maker game that had streaking and just general nakedness elements in it for the MC. As the MC became more comfortable with her body, her stat would allow her to go out on the street from the house in her underwear, then her sexy underwear, and eventually in her birthday suit. As I said, I think it might have been Sarah's Life, but I remember the 'path to nudity' being a bit more direct than that. It was probably an imcomplete game anyways...

Anyways, yeah I hit on the idea of the various maid outfits at that point. So the trope applies to other situations as well, besides the situation I described. Essentially, the idea that, as you develop a relationship with a girl, or when you lower the Female's MC inhibition levels, yeah their wardrobe choices become more and more risque.

Inhibition level, yeah that was the word I was trying to think of before! Need to work that into the tropes post...

Inhibition Level is similar to Corruption Level, so yeah there can be a bit of overlap on the tropes. Usually, though, in the context I'm thinking of, Inhibition is tied soley to how comfortable a girl is with showing off her body, and isn't directly tied in to her willingness to have sex, which may be tied to relationship stats instead. It all depends on how the stats are broken down...

This trope, when taken to the extreme, isn't seen in a number of newer games, because it's so simplistic and also very unrealistic. But yeah, essentially, lower the inhibition level, lower the cloth to exposed skin ratio, and which associated outfits she can make it out the door and onto the city streets when wearing them.

As I mentioned, since RPG Maker games often involve a lot of walking around, where you regularly interact with other characters on the map, where they might comment on your attire if the game designer has an 'appearance check' coded in. And yeah, that's where I've seen it used, sometimes to an extreme.


There may be a Renpy game out there that does this, but one doesn't come immediately to mind, as Renpy games usually have 'point to go here/choose this menu option to go here' mechanics, not 'and then we walk from point a to point b, avoiding the walls, etc.' mechanic. The associated 'get your girlfriend/love interest to wear less clothes when she's around you' is usually how I see it done in Renpy games, and yeah it's generally more directly related to a corruption level stat at that point.

Brothel King has a mechanic where you can eventually get a whore to work her shift completely nude after you train her to become more and more comfortable with the idea, and it's a goal of mine to run an all nude brothel in that game. The associated dialogue talks about the girl walking the streets naked at that point, 'cuz it's so liberating' or some such, but, so far, Goldo hasn't coded any 'naked street interactions' into the story. BK is still a work in progress, and has a number of other very involved game mechanics going on at that, that are still being tweaked.

 

[dirkbones]

The Infinite Throat

The one thing all the women in your life love more than anything is sucking your dick. It's the first thing they think about when they wake up and all they dream about when you inappropriately fondle them while they sleep. It's a good thing they all have acquired the talent of taking the entirety of your wizard's staff without any issue.

Every lust-addled woman in your life has developed a dimensional portal on her epiglottis, allowing her to take any size of Man Meat. Whether you present a substandard, rather embarrasing, Footlong Shlong, or you're rocking a telephone pole that would give a blue whale an inferiority complex, your harem of eager cocksuckers will have zero problems taking your Skyscraper of Sin balls-to-chin.

Are you worried that her lack of experience will somehow lessen her glans-annihilating abilities? Worry not! Whether she be a doe-eyed just-turned-18-year-old who thinks 'sex' is a number between five and seven, or a just-turned-18-year-old who somehow has gained more sexual experience in two days than a pornstar and a priest combined, her instinctual urge to slobber all over your flesh rocket will immediately grant her the ancient knowledge of every woman who has ever sucked a throbbing knob.

So don't be concerned that your semen rfile, which is most likely measured in meters, will somehow damage the internal organs of your eager harem. Face fuck away!

 

[megaplayboy10k]

One thing I've noticed is that the whole tendency to quantify the metrics of seduction is a pretty male thing. "I'm scoring points! Her Arousal stat is now 85! Just 15 points to go before she fucks me!" In my life experience, women's perspective on social situations is less concrete. The way to her heart/cervix is some holistic combination of circumstances and feelings, communications, intimacy-building etc.
Another thing is that the Stairway to Heaven probably isn't a realistic universal approach, even for incest games. Odds are that some mothers, aunts, cousins, sisters etc might have more of a deep dive, in for a penny, in for a pound approach once the first move is made and accepted. Kissing leads to foreplay which goes straight to fucking. My advice to devs would be, go ahead and have the characters fuck "early" sometimes, then come up with other plot elements and challenges to keep players engaged.

 

[Proto Persona]

One thing I've noticed is that the whole tendency to quantify the metrics of seduction is a pretty male thing. "I'm scoring points! Her Arousal stat is now 85! Just 15 points to go before she fucks me!" In my life experience, women's perspective on social situations is less concrete. The way to her heart/cervix is some holistic combination of circumstances and feelings, communications, intimacy-building etc.

You're right. The majority of game writers and makers are male. Even without that, having a point system gives the player clear feedback for his actions. It is still a game after all.

Another thing is that the Stairway to Heaven probably isn't a realistic universal approach, even for incest games. Odds are that some mothers, aunts, cousins, sisters etc might have more of a deep dive, in for a penny, in for a pound approach once the first move is made and accepted. Kissing leads to foreplay which goes straight to fucking. My advice to devs would be, go ahead and have the characters fuck "early" sometimes, then come up with other plot elements and challenges to keep players engaged.

The Stairway is more a byproduct of Patreon style funding. You have to keep your patrons hooked along (and thus paying) for as long as you can. You need to make progress, but you can't just give people the payoff or they'll move on to something else. So goals get stretched out as far as your audience will allow. It's much easier to stretch the goal out than to actually create a bunch of side content.

 

[megaplayboy10k]

You're right. The majority of game writers and makers are male. Even without that, having a point system gives the player clear feedback for his actions. It is still a game after all.

The Stairway is more a byproduct of Patreon style funding. You have to keep your patrons hooked along (and thus paying) for as long as you can. You need to make progress, but you can't just give people the payoff or they'll move on to something else. So goals get stretched out as far as your audience will allow. It's much easier to stretch the goal out than to actually create a bunch of side content.

I get that. My suggestion was to change the "payoff" part of it. Perhaps the payoff is different sex positions, costumes, etc. Really, they could sacrifice a few dozen handjob renders and move things along briskly, instead of padding out the space between "reward" type h-content.

My other point was that you could have a system that indicates progress without assigning "stats" or "numbers" to it. "She feels really close to you now", "She seems less hesitant to try new things now", etc.