When do you call a Visual Novel a video game?

[Sir Auriel of Lionel]

Many gamers refuse to see Visual Novels as proper video games but make exceptions for titles that are mainly non-romantic focused with have investigation mechanics or puzzle solving in conjunction to heavy story reading for the player.

Some indie titles to mixed results have also adding stat building and mini games to change up the game play style but also given the side eye of gaming. So what will it take for a Visual Novel to be taken seriously as a game if there's emphasis on romance? Of course where do you draw the line yourself, at where it becomes a video game?

 

[fake-kun]

All VNs are video games.

 

[bjork]

They're no less a game than old text adventures were, and those were a big deal in the early days. I could see someone saying they don't enjoy that type of game, but I wouldn't agree with the notion that they aren't games.

 

[Stingy Perry Stingy Perry]

Not just VNs but even those interactive text adventures can be considered video games imo for there’s interaction between you and that software.

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

I think you kind of answered your own question in your first sentence. Games like the Ace Attorney series or the Zero Escape series are by all accounts VN's, but the reason many would refer to them more as video games is because of the actual game play and interactivity required from the player. Both series incorporate elements of point-and-click adventure games and puzzles usually based around logic. Basically, the actual stories can't progress without input from the player. The majority of VN's just require a button press to keep the story going (The video game equivalent of turning the pages of a book I guess).

Not sure about this notion they're not taken seriously due to romantic themes, I think it would be very possible to create a VN with said themes AND also have it taken seriously like the Ace Attorney or Zero Escape examples I mentioned. I think it would just require a type of interactivity similar to those games that would keep people interested and wanting to see more. I think it really just comes down to people not wanting to feel like they're reading a book.

 

[ShadowsofCreationAga]

Many gamers refuse to see Visual Novels as proper video games but make exceptions for titles that are mainly non-romantic focused with have investigation mechanics or puzzle solving in conjunction to heavy story reading for the player.

Some indie titles to mixed results have also adding stat building and mini games to change up the game play style but also given the side eye of gaming. So what will it take for a Visual Novel to be taken seriously as a game if there's emphasis on romance? Of course where do you draw the line yourself, at where it becomes a video game?

The elementa of 'gameplay'. Visual novels, IMO have to at least have decisions points to be games. Kinetic Visual Novels (All story, no paths) Are, by definition, not games, as there is no interaction between the player and anything else.

In the same vein: A novel is not a game, but you can argue that a choose your own adventure book IS a game, as there are rules and decisions to be made by the reader/player.

 

[miles]

All visual novels are video games. Visual novels are literally a genre of video games.

 

[TacoMeister]

I always saw them as a genre of video games too.

 

[elwynd16x]

Good question, but even better: when does a visual novel stop being one? Is it still a visual novel if say, there's reoccuring mini games that decide the narrative, or any interactable elements outside of the text box?

 

[cloudsets]

I am going to add my name to the pile saying they all are video games. People who disqualify them as video games simply prefer other genres and are being elitist about it.

 

[BlueBottlecap]

The existence of kinetic novels are the only real problem. They're akin to animated graphic novels, and the interaction from a player is nothing more than something like making selections at the beginning of a DVD/Bluray or something

While I consider them video games, I accept and understand other people's line in the sand there

The distinction between the two was a huge problem for me a decade+ or so ago because I didn't want a 60 hour animated graphic novel. I wanted to interact and those kind of novels hadn't yet become popular in my gaming bubble. 999 was the first time I'd seen it done in a way that vibed with me.. Ace Attorney felt more like Point & Click adventure to me, but with 999 I actually "got" it

 

[Adrastia]

All visual novels are video games. Visual novels are literally a genre of video games.

This.

I think you kind of answered your own question in your first sentence. Games like the Ace Attorney series or the Zero Escape series are by all accounts VN's, but the reason many would refer to them more as video games is because of the actual game play and interactivity required from the player. Both series incorporate elements of point-and-click adventure games and puzzles usually based around logic. Basically, the actual stories can't progress without input from the player. The majority of VN's just require a button press to keep the story going (The video game equivalent of turning the pages of a book I guess).

Not sure about this notion they're not taken seriously due to romantic themes, I think it would be very possible to create a VN with said themes AND also have it taken seriously like the Ace Attorney or Zero Escape examples I mentioned. I think it would just require a type of interactivity similar to those games that would keep people interested and wanting to see more. I think it really just comes down to people not wanting to feel like they're reading a book.

The Zero Escape series has some romantic themes. But they are all rather dysfunctional. Just look at Eric and Mira. Play with cringy English dub for maximum effect.

I think that adding more interactive elements does help the VN genre. But some people might prefer to just enjoy the story.

 

[Rox00]

All VNs are games imo, it's just the approach behind the VN like any other game in their genre. While some VNs are just kinetic novels that follow a narrative, there are some that focus on more strategy or involve puzzles, you might have a VN that involves making choices for a bad end or that continues the route. There's a lot of ways you can do a VN overall.

 

[Dyne]

I think for something to be a game, there has to be a "win" condition and a "lose" condition.
If you just click through until the story unfolds that isn't really a game. But if you make choices or solve puzzles or something then sure, I'd call it a game.

 

[taigaisak4]

All VNs are considered games for me. That's why i still prefer to use the term "playing" rather than the much more used "reading" when talking about visual novels

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

I think that adding more interactive elements does help the VN genre. But some people might prefer to just enjoy the story.

And that's fine, people can enjoy what they want. I was just trying to answer the question as to why people take interactive VN's more seriously and consider them to be more legit as games as opposed to the ones that use a kinetic novel style.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Not even gonna bother giving my two cents because everyone has already said it. There's no reason that Ace Attorney and AIR should have vastly different takes on whether or not they're games when they're the same genre

 

[DaeZun]

When they have more interaction than just picking the occasional decision and reading walls of text throughout the rest of the experience.

I mean, VNs like Steins;Gate may have great storytelling, but if I can watch the anime, which is pretty much the same but not limited to using only renders and illustrations, it kind of leaves a lot to be desired as a game tbh.

 

[ShadowsofCreationAga]

Not even gonna bother giving my two cents because everyone has already said it. There's no reason that Ace Attorney and AIR should have vastly different takes on whether or not they're games when they're the same genre

Those are very different examples. One has adventure game elements and the other doesn't. They are quite different. Fun fact: In Japan they DO Differentiate the two: AIR is a Visual Novel while Phoenix Wright (or even early entries in the genre like Famicom Detective Club) Are referred to as "Japanese Style Adventure Games'.

Not even arguing whether visual novels are games with this response, just that even the home of both genres does consider them very different things.

 

[takafumisakagami]

Fun fact: In Japan they DO Differentiate the two: AIR is a Visual Novel while Phoenix Wright (or even early entries in the genre like Famicom Detective Club) Are referred to as "Japanese Style Adventure Games'.

Someone should inform Key of this. They're still calling AIR a "romance adventure" game.
Their go-to port studio are just calling it an adventure game!
Actually, we need to let Capcom know as well. They're calling Ace Attorney a "mystery adventure".

Both of these are considered ADV/AVG. They're typically differentiated by thematic genre, not gameplay genre.
Even if you look up specifically 'visual novel' recommendations, e.g. ビジュアルノベル おすすめ10選, you'll surely end up looking at a list that features an Ace Attorney game.

 

[ciro64]

I consider VNs to be games on a technical level and I refer to them as such, but I do put them in a complete different category of games. When you see me ranking my 5 favorite games or whatever I'm always leaving visual novels out. And when I'm ranking my visual novels I always leave traditional games out.

It's important to note that videogames have broaden the meaning of what a "game" is, and some games will have a different balance of what's it's focusing on. I think visual novels are often a subject of debate because they usually go to an extreme degree:

 

[Sir Auriel of Lionel]

I think I also need to bring up what the The Visual Novel Database website (the general authority on vns and collection of information on titles) classifies as what a VN its.

Now to what the site also says on exceptions and exclusions.

Sources:
Adding Visuals to the site guidelines
Special Games Exclusions and Exceptions

Post automatically merged: Today at 4:53 PM

My general frustration comes not just gamers that don't include them but also what genre experts and the studios involved have to say on the authority what classifies as a visual novel. I think this rigidness holds stagnation of the genre from continuing forward to what it can achieve than just be good game in spite of it's limitations of a heavy visual novel format.