Apparently Doki Doki Literature Club has been removed from the Google Play store. According to its publishers, Serenity Forge, this was because "the game's content violates [Google's] Terms of Service in its depiction of sensitive themes".
Chances are if you are even a little bit plugged into gaming news you know what Doki Doki Literature Club is at this point; if you don't, I did a spoileriffic writeup on it over on MoeGamer back around the time it first started getting attention — nearly ten years ago at this point, Jesus. To summarise for those disinclined to click a link (you know who you are), Doki Doki Literature Club is a visual novel that plays with expectations and tropes of the format to deliver a potent narrative, primarily about mental health but also dealing with subjects such as parasocial relationships with non-existent (or perhaps it would be better to say non-sentient) entities like game characters.
It's a modern classic! Granted, uncharitable sorts might argue it started a somewhat unwelcome trend of western-developed visual novels that felt the need to be self-consciously subversive, insincere and ironic, but it can't really be blamed for what other people did in its wake; Doki Doki Literature Club itself, despite deliberately subverting a lot of classic visual novel/dating sim tropes in the name of telling what is essentially a horror narrative, is a well-written piece of work that makes good use of its medium (and the unique characteristics of that medium) to engage the player and get them thinking about how they are interacting with the characters involved.
Make no mistake, it goes to some dark places — its ESRB M/PEGI 18 ratings are well-deserved, though for those about to make an assumption about it being a visual novel, these ratings are not due to any sexual content. Rather, it gives an uncompromising look at mental health matters, and that sometimes there is no "winning", particularly when you are attempting to support someone else through a difficult time in their life, rather than taking command of your own destiny.
But there's the thing: it's already got those ratings, which make it suitable for worldwide distribution, along with various other ratings from other worldwide ratings bodies, such as CERO in Japan (where, interestingly, it only netted a "C" rating — an equivalent to 15/16 ratings elsewhere in the world) and it is, at this point, widely agreed to be a worthwhile work of art. For Google Play to suddenly decide that it is unacceptable is… bizarre, but not entirely unexpected, sadly.
Those who follow certain corners of the Internet may be aware that there has been a lot of unrest surrounding Visa and MasterCard seemingly interfering with online purchases of late — particularly when those purchases relate to adult (and specifically sexual) content. Naturally, this put sex workers, erotic artists, adult performers and makers of adults-only games in a somewhat difficult position, as it was making it significantly more difficult for them to make a living.
These things always start with porn, because porn is easy to attack. It's the thing that, while people might talk about it openly on the Internet, is still a great taboo in society — and one that is difficult to defend, particularly when you're talking to people who aren't breathing Internet fumes all day. Who wants to be the one standing up and saying that yes, porn is fine and good and should be protected just as with any other form of creative expression? Don't you know that porn is exploitative, and no-one gets involved in it willingly?
While I won't deny that there are parts of the sex work industry — speaking very broadly here — which are exploitative, in the modern day we live in an at least somewhat enlightened age where there are plenty of people who choose to get involved in various forms of adults-only entertainment because they like doing it. Not just because they like having sex, either; consider the artists, who just enjoy drawing naked people because, it turns out, they're good at it — to name just one example.
Why am I talking about porn? Because there are some who fear that Visa and MasterCard's at least partially successful encroachment into determining what it is and is not "acceptable" for people to get their rocks off to in the privacy of their own homes will mean that they will then start looking at what they might consider to be other forms of "unacceptable" media. Media that, say, tells the stories of marginalised groups, or which deals with challenging themes that society would rather we just swept under the rug.
Doki Doki Literature Club is not porn. But it being suddenly branded as "unacceptable" on a platform as big as Google Play sets a worrying precedent — one that people need to stand up and object to, forcefully. Thankfully, the game is still available on a variety of other platforms, including iOS, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox and PC — but for how long?
"[Doki Doki Literature Club] is widely celebrated for portraying mental health in a way that meaningfully connects deeply with players around the world, helping them to feel heard, understood and less alone on their journey," says creator Dan Salvato. "Managing to achieve that — making a truly meaningful difference by using the power of fiction to connect to others — is what I'm most grateful for. It inspires me every day to keep making cool new things, things that can really reach others, especially those in need of connection."
It's an important piece of work that does not deserve to be silenced, so I sincerely hope Salvato and Serenity Forge are able to get the situation resolved as soon as they can — without having to compromise on the work they have created.
Want to read my thoughts on various video games, visual novels and other popular culture things? Stop by MoeGamer.net, my site for all things fun where I am generally a lot more cheerful. And if you fancy watching some vids on classic games, drop by my YouTube channel.
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