Why are the MC's always such cynical pushovers

[Tanwise]

As the title says, why are the MC’s always such cynical pushovers? Look, I know a lot of people get unnerved by the slightest criticism toward adult games, but I’m looking to understand. Because, I’ve tried a LOT of games and it always feels so cringy when the MC’s, are either subtly or blatantly made by design of the game, to be a pushover with their companion(s) or all NPC’s. Even when the MC is “supposedly” the top dog in the game. And there is at least some of this in every game I've tried.

This also comes in many forms, but the two I’ve seen the most often are by being forced to have an NPC companion lead them around while treating the MC like an annoying fool. It also comes in the form of being forced to let NPC’s insult and in some cases smack the MC around. Only for the MC to either sit and take it or go to another NPC for help, only to get the same there. Then there’s the cynical nature of the stories, or the MC themself.

Do people not notice any of these things when playing? Or do people get some sort of perverse pleasure from watching and reading the MC go through all of this? It doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Korentin]

I've noticed something similar, not a fan. In some cases, I think it spills over and almost becomes disdain for the player.

I'm a sensitive soul though

 

[SexiestManAlive]

Sadly lots of men are pushovers when it comes to hot women, so of course they'll end up passing that to the MC's they make.

 

[kytee]

It's easier on the dev to have other characters push the MC to where he needs to be in the plot than to write an MC that proactively seeks out where he should be.

 

[Canade]

The constant heavy mono-logging from some MCs gets annoying too.

 

[Hagatagar]

As the title says, why are the MC’s always such cynical pushovers?

Mainly a lazy writer / dev?

In most cases there is no story, only events that follow one another.
And without a proper narrative / framework / plot the main character cannot be proactive and can only act passively.

Moreover, a MC appears less 'rapey' when the women are the initiators than the other way around.

 

[khumak]

I think the main character is usually going to start off weak in most games because otherwise there's no challenge. In some games he might stay that way but even for the ones where you can progress to studliness, he probably doesn't start off that way. If he does then what's the point? I dislike the games where it's not possible for the main character to better himself but I also dislike the ones where there's no reason to.

 

[Deleted member 229118]

Always?
I played over a dozen games where the mc is anything but a cynical pushover.

Here is a few:
https://f95zone.to/threads/superpowered-v0-38-00-night-city-productions.124/

https://f95zone.to/threads/lab-rats-vren.1394/

https://f95zone.to/threads/lab-rats-2-v0-26-1-vren.7260/

https://f95zone.to/threads/the-imperial-gatekeeper-v1-32-tengsten.33616/

https://f95zone.to/threads/adventure-high-v0-58-changer.1556/

https://f95zone.to/threads/corruption-v1-80-mr-c.1878/

https://f95zone.to/threads/nano-control-v0-27-smiling-dog.7631/

https://f95zone.to/threads/jikage-rising-v0-09f-smiling-dog.29070/

https://f95zone.to/threads/take-over-v0-22-studio-dystopia.10384/

 

[Adabelitoo]

I never had the feeling mentioned in the OP (about all the MC being pushovers).

What I did noticed and not just in porn games but in absolutely any kind of content which tries to tell a story, like porn games, anime, movies, TV series, doujins, hentais, light novels, books, etc is that when the MC seems like a "pushover" is for one or both of this two reasons:

1) To show the other cheek.
2) To show that the MC is good enough to stand that girl when every other man would just give up on her. To show that the MC fought to get her and that the girl probably doesn't deserve such a good guy.

It doesn't happens all the time but in most of the places where I found a "pushover MC" (again, I really don't think most of them were actually pushovers) is because you have a tsundere character, you first have to tolerate her shit and then you'll get her heart and live happily after.

 

[Tyranicon]

I personally am not a fan of pushover MCs, or overly angry/aggressive ones, but I understand the appeal. I make RPGs, so I prefer to let the player choose their own personalities.

 

[Joshua Tree]

I like games where the player have the freedom to develop their character the way they want. Sadly, few games allow for such. It require a lot of work for the creator/dev to make happen. Good story writing that allow for a phased progression and character with some depth can make up for more freedom of choice, but tbh many creators of adult games doesn't come across as good writers and story tellers. To much of the "just another generic fap fap" out there. But that just reflect porn as whole these days (although, not all adult games is porn).

 

[vneotpolemus]

Another factor is that the creators are usually much more passionate about their NPCs.

A lot of PCs are (to a greater or lesser degree) blank slates for the player to project their desires onto. Players can ignore or skip over an NPC who doesn't match their tastes, but you have to put up with the PC or quit the game. As a result devs tend to make PCs as inoffensive as possible or try to give the choice to the player.

By contrast there's much more freedom with NPCs. PCs are a blank canvas, NPCs are a portrait that the dev has painted. And you can bet that the dev finds them interesting and/or attractive. Yes, sometimes they'll go 'I need to include a character for [commonfetish] even though it isn't my thing' and sometimes they'll look back a month later and think 'what the fuck was I thinking, X sucks'. But as a rule, the more effort a creator puts into a character, the more attached they are.

The end result is that devs (often unconsciously) want to create content centered on their NPCs, who they are invested in, instead of the featureless 'protagonist'.