The ever-present double standard

Not long after Dream Daddy, another Western-developed visual novel themed around gay men has hit Steam: Coming Out on Top. While I applaud the efforts of developers to cater to both the gay male and fujoshi crowd, I was struck by the quoted comments from the reviews on the Steam store page.

Pretty solid reviews, I'm sure you'll agree, yet they leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Why? Because these comments would never be made by a publication such as Rock, Paper, Shotgun or Eurogamer with regard to a visual novel or dating sim that was aimed at heterosexual men and/or homosexual women. In fact, visual novels or dating sims aimed at heterosexual men and/or homosexual women are lucky to get covered at all by mainstream publications.

Let's take something like the Grisaia series as an example. These aren't "dating sims" as such, but they feature narrative routes that can be distinguished by which of the games' five heroines they focus on. Everything Queerty says about Coming Out on Top can also be applied to Grisaia: it is sharp and well-written, it's witty, it has believably goofy characters who show multiple facets to their personalities, and its sex scenes are incredibly hot. I still hold Grisaia up as a prime example of how 18+ versions can be superior to all-ages editions, simply because its erotic scenes are not only incredibly hot, they're also integral to character development and make a great deal of sense.

I have to admit that while I have nothing against Dream Daddy and Coming Out on Top and, indeed, as I say, welcome the fact that hungry gay men and fujoshi are being catered to — both are underserved markets in the West — it's somewhat galling that experiences that do the exact same thing for heterosexual men and/or gay women are ignored at best, unreasonably censured as being misogynist or sexist at worst.

The most galling thing is the fact that games like Dream Daddy and Coming Out on Top are often being hailed with ridiculous hyperbole like "the best game ever" (obviously not intended to be taken seriously, but still) and the implication that they are something new, exciting and daring, whereas the concept they are based on is nothing new. Visual novels and dating sims have been around for a long time now, even in the West, and the fact that the intended audience for many of them is heterosexual men doesn't preclude them from having excellent characters. In fact, as many long-time visual novel fans will happily tell you at great length, female characters typically get way more development and characterisation than males… though Grisaia's Yuuji is an admitted exception in this regard!

All this is why, so far as I'm concerned, sites like MoeGamer and others who pay attention to the wider market of visual novels are important. Many of these games are great, and despite having a specific target audience, can often appeal to people outside of their core demographic through compelling narratives, witty writing and strong characterisation.

As I've said a number of times already, I don't begrudge the success and positive reception of titles like Dream Daddy and Coming Out on Top. But I do object to the double standards on display here. I want to see good works of this type featuring heterosexual relationships celebrated and enjoying some success, too — because they're simply not at the moment.

This is almost certainly part of the toxic culture of political correctness surrounding mainstream games coverage, where anything that can be tied to the amorphous "queer" identity must be celebrated at every opportunity, and anything that might appeal to the terrible evil white straight male (Japanese straight men also fall into this category, despite not technically being "white") must be demonised whenever possible. It sucks, and it needs to stop; everybody should be able to enjoy whatever they like and celebrate it without guilt, regardless of preferences, orientation or… well, anything, really.

If you'd like to read some of my own work on visual novels of this type and haven't already, have some links — feel free to share, too, please!

Grisaia
Frontwing's incredible series about the unusual young man Kazami Yuuji and the equally remarkable young women who become his "family" of sorts.

Ne no Kami
A visual novel based around Shinto myths and legends, with a touch of Lovecraft and Norse mythology thrown in for good measure.

Nekopara
An adorable series of kinetic novels about catgirls starting a new life with their master.

Fate/stay night
An epic, lengthy tale (well, three epic, lengthy tales) about supernatural forces battling for the Holy Grail in modern-day Japan.

Katawa Shoujo
A heartwarming tale about learning to live with disabilities, and how people learn not to let themselves be defined by their shortcomings.

School of Talent
A story about growing up unremarkable in an environment surrounded by utterly remarkable people, and how you can form a connection with another person in that situation.

Supipara
A tale about rebuilding your life after a major upheaval, rediscovering the people and the things that are important to you… and determining whether or not the local witch really has your best interests at heart!

A sincere thank you to you for your support; it's times like this where I feel like what I do with MoeGamer — and what other people I know do with their own sites, too — is all the more important, so I intend to keep celebrating these great games as much as I can, and hopefully at least a few people will pay attention along the way!