Dating sim
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Dating simulations (dating sims) are a genre of computer and video games, usually Japanese, with romantic elements. The most common objective of dating sims is to date women, usually choosing from among several characters, and to achieve a romantic relationship.
The technical definition of a dating simulation game, known as a romantic simulation game (恋愛シミュレーションゲーム, ren'ai shimyureeshon geemu) in Japan, can involve several technical elements such as a time limit, several statistics such as looks and charm which can be boosted through exercise, or an "attraction meter" which can increase or decrease depending on one's decisions. However, the term "dating simulation" is commonly defined as simply a romantic game and need not include any of these elements. Dating sims can be simply presented as visual novels, known as romantic adventure games (恋愛ADV, ren'ai ADV) in Japan.
Some dating sims have been imported to the United States by companies such as JAST USA and G-Collections; however most never leave Japan, at least not as official releases. Contrary to popular Western misconception, a very small percentage of them are tied to anime titles, though some do exist, such as Tokimeki Memorial, Angelique, Sotsugyou M, and Chobits. However the first three of the aforementioned titles started off as video games before the animes (based on the games) came later.
Some American fans refer to dating sims as ren'ai games, from the Japanese ren'ai (romance).
Characteristics
Dōkyūsei (Classmates) established the basic conventions for dating sims in 1992. In a typical dating sim, the player controls a male avatar surrounded by female characters. The gameplay involves conversing with a selection of girls, attempting to increase their internal "love meter" through correct choices of dialogue. This then effects which internal "path" you take through the game like it would in a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book. The game lasts for a fixed period of game time, such as one month or three years. When the game ends, the player either loses the game if he failed to properly win over any of the girls, or "finishes" one of the girls, often by having sex with her or achieving eternal love. This gives the games more replay value than some other game genres, since the player can focus on a different girl each time, trying to get a different ending.
Many titles also exist where the player character is female and potential objects of affection are male-Angelique, Harukanaru Toki no Naka De, La Corda D'Oro, Kimagure Strawberry Cafe, and Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side are just a few. This genre is known as GxB. Also of note is the BL genre. While fewer in number, there are also female/female (GxG) titles and titles with no specific gender lines ("all pairings") in existence.
There are many variations on this theme: high-school romances are the most common, but a dating sim may also take place in a fantasy setting and involve such challenges as defending one's girl from monsters. Dating sims, as their name suggests, generally strive for a romantic atmosphere.
Reception in the United States
Dating sims have generally struggled to find a market in the United States. The first eroge to be imported to the United States were created by Megatech Software, a small, possibly unincorporated firm which translated and released games from 1992 to 1995 and then folded without notice sometime afterwards. Jast USA also began making games in 1992, and Himeya Soft began releasing games in 1996, but neither one was noticed by mainstream gamers.
Meanwhile, a start-up called SoftEgg acquired the license to Princess Maker 2 and completed a translation, but because of the lack of a known market for the game, SoftEgg had to work with a small production company which eventually went bankrupt. The first self-dubbed "anime game", Graduation, was released by Mixx in 1997 to much fanfare, but it failed to find a market. These endeavours made American licensors wary about anime style games, and halted the progress of the genre for roughly five years, preventing an English version of Tokimeki Memorial (which would have likely been more popular among gamers).
In 1998, Atlus released Thousand Arms for the Sony Playstation in the U.S. However, while this game contains a dating sim as a side game, this is only a single component of the game. For the most part, Thousand Arms is a role-playing game, and the dating sim is not even required to complete it.
Around 1999, an alliance of small licensing houses, Jast USA, G-Collections and Peach Princess, began to approach the dating sim market from the more traditional eroge side. Eventually, they were able to translate the beloved eroge Kana Imōto, as well as producing some cult pornography titles such as X-Change and Do You Like Horny Bunnies?.
In 2003, Hirameki International approached the dating sim market from the interactive fiction side, removing erotic content from many dating sims and porting them to their AnimePlay technology. In 2005, Hirameki began producing these all-ages games for the PC as well.
Fan translations have recently become a major factor for dating sims and visual novels in the United States, as anime itself becomes more popular in the United States. Translation projects for Kanon and Tsukihime promise English versions of the most popular Japanese titles, as the small eroge producers do not have enough money to license these games. As of 2005, it remains to be seen whether these games will become widely popular.
Gender matching
Most dating sims involve the player taking the role of a male and seeking out females. However this is not always the case:
BL games
BL games (also known as yaoi games) usually refer to H games oriented around homosexual couples, though they can be any male/male dating sim. The defining factor is that both the playable character(s) and possible objects of affection are male (BL stands for Boys' Love). Also, the primary intended audience of these games are females, not gay males.
GxB
GxB is a common abbreviation used in reference to dating sims and occasionally used to describe general fictional works where a female main character dates male characters. Most of these have only been commercially released in Japan, though McKenzie & Co and Girl's Club were American originals, and Natsume released one of the Harvest Moon For Girls games in English under the title Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town. It is short for "Girl x Boy". "X" is commonly used in Japanese in between two names to indicate a pair, the first of the two names being dominant. In the case of dating sims, the first gender is that of the player character and the second is the gender the player character dates. Games with characters of different genders in the same category are usually referred to as "all pairings". GxB games are often referred to as 乙女ゲーム (otome games) or 女性向けゲーム (josei muke games) on Japanese websites.
The first Otome Game is thought to be the 1994 offering from Koei, Angelique, for the Super Famicom, though earlier, less-known titles have been produced, such as Girl's Club for Philips CD-i.
The goal of these games is to have your desired partner fall in love with you (with a confession of love or proposal at the end) and have a relationship with them, but the requirements for gaining a 'good end' differ from game to game. The main character (you) often has several parameters, such as looks, style, intelligence, talent, etc., that can be raised through various activities in normal gameplay. The potential partners usually require a certain parameter or parameters to be at a certain level for them to fall in love with you. There is also usually a pure dating aspect of gameplay. This involves asking or being asked on dates by the love interest, doing an activity with them, and responding to their questions or comments. The player has a choice of responses, and a correct answer will raise your standing with that character.
One feature of these games that has become standard is 'full-voice', or having voice acting throughout the game, not only at major plot points. The love interests are often voiced by well-known seiyuu or voice actors, and sometimes having well-known voices takes precedence in the development stage over interesting characters, polished graphics, or an engaging plot.
At certain points, or when the player passes certain requirements, special events can occur, often with a 'CG' (computer graphic) as a reward. This CG is a set picture featuring the love interest and sometimes the main character in a pose, and some dialogue.
All pairings
"All pairings" is a common term used in reference to dating sims and similarly set-up friendship games where there are both male and female playable characters and/or both male and female potential dates available. Some have truly all pairings (GxG, GxB, BxB, and BxG), while others only have two or more orientations available.