Getting People into Katawa Shoujo

[Mirage_GSM]

I take it your native language is one of the few KS hasn't yet been translated into?

[Khantalas]

It is probably one it will not be translated into. I would offer, but I'm far better at translating into English, rather than from, and I suck at deadlines and organization.

[Fishpick]

I haven't told anyone about the game. I know this might sound bad, but I'm kind of too embarrassed to. I'm a 24 year old male, and although I know it's actually an intelligent and well crafted virtual novel, most people think "cripple porn" as soon as they look at it. I simply like virtual novels. So far, I've mostly played them on my DS and I had no idea there were any of them this good available online. And free even.

However, if I was going to introduce it, I'd introduce it as a virtual novel style game about a teenager with a serious heart disorder who is transfered to a school for disabilities. The story involves a romantic interest with one of the other students, and it has branching paths that allows you to determine who you become involved with. I might mention that it has skippable sex scenes in the full version.

I discovered this a few months ago. I'm already growing impatient for the full version. To help ease the wait, I finally registered for the forums today. The reason I like this game is because prejudice is a personal topic for me. I like the way the writers treat this sensitive topic, and I love how the characters have overcome their limitations. I don't see it as porn, and if that ever became a focus in the game I'd be disapointed.

[ContinualNaba]

Look, just put it down as an Adult novel about people living with disabilities in an experimental format. Leave it at that.

Jesus Christ, I think the fact that you people HAVE to add that there's porn in it says more than the VN itself. Just because it's the only thing that draws you in doesn't make it so for other people.

[Limbless]

Look, just put it down as an Adult novel about people living with disabilities in an experimental format. Leave it at that.

Jesus Christ, I think the fact that you people HAVE to add that there's porn in it says more than the VN itself. Just because it's the only thing that draws you in doesn't make it so for other people.

But, y'know, it DOES have porn in it. Of cripples.

Kinda the big thing between "not creepy" and "creepy" for a lot of people.

It's not THE BIG THING of the VN itself, but that it's in there at all creeps many out.

I think that's very shortsighted and, well... dumb... but it's true, a lot of the time. Not all, not nearly all, but a lot.

[Worthington]

Look, just put it down as an Adult novel about people living with disabilities in an experimental format. Leave it at that.

Jesus Christ, I think the fact that you people HAVE to add that there's porn in it says more than the VN itself. Just because it's the only thing that draws you in doesn't make it so for other people.

But, y'know, it DOES have porn in it. Of cripples.

Kinda the big thing between "not creepy" and "creepy" for a lot of people.

It's not THE BIG THING of the VN itself, but that it's in there at all creeps many out.

I think that's very shortsighted and, well... dumb... but it's true, a lot of the time. Not all, not nearly all, but a lot.

The game is first and foremost an eroge. It'd be kind of a big oversight not to mention there's porn in it, or will be.

[Juno]

Man, there is sex in practically every written media that is not an essay or aimed to children.
I'd love to see you guys describe the Ringworld saga... "uh, there's this people who fuck with each other a lot and there's some alien planet or some other shit. Did I say they fuck already?"

[minkus]

I have some friends who like VNs, and when that comes up I may mention KS to them, for everyone else I avoid the subject, maybe once the full version is out I'll tell more people to try it out.

[pedrosorio]

Man, there is sex in practically every written media that is not an essay (...)

Blindness (in the original "Essay on Blindness") is a novel by the Nobel prize José Saramago, that contains a good amount of sex, and not just the "good kind" of sex.

Regarding the whole "how to describe Katawa Shoujo", I agree people are putting a lot of emphasis on the sex. Unless you are introducing it to children, I don't think you need to worry about it too much...

[Fishpick]

Look, just put it down as an Adult novel about people living with disabilities in an experimental format. Leave it at that.

Jesus Christ, I think the fact that you people HAVE to add that there's porn in it says more than the VN itself. Just because it's the only thing that draws you in doesn't make it so for other people.

But, y'know, it DOES have porn in it. Of cripples.

Kinda the big thing between "not creepy" and "creepy" for a lot of people.

It's not THE BIG THING of the VN itself, but that it's in there at all creeps many out.

I think that's very shortsighted and, well... dumb... but it's true, a lot of the time. Not all, not nearly all, but a lot.

The fact that we'll have the option to skip these scenes implies it is not a heavy focus. So those who find it creepy can skip them.

[Worthington]

Look, just put it down as an Adult novel about people living with disabilities in an experimental format. Leave it at that.

Jesus Christ, I think the fact that you people HAVE to add that there's porn in it says more than the VN itself. Just because it's the only thing that draws you in doesn't make it so for other people.

But, y'know, it DOES have porn in it. Of cripples.

Kinda the big thing between "not creepy" and "creepy" for a lot of people.

It's not THE BIG THING of the VN itself, but that it's in there at all creeps many out.

I think that's very shortsighted and, well... dumb... but it's true, a lot of the time. Not all, not nearly all, but a lot.

The fact that we'll have the option to skip these scenes implies it is not a heavy focus. So those who find it creepy can skip them.

The devs have stated though that skipping these scenes is the same as skipping any other portion of the game (i.e. you're going to miss out on stuff); they're not tailoring the game to work without them. Like I (and the devs) said, this game DID start out as an eroge, which doesn't diminish it's value in the slightest (assuming the sex scenes are done as tastefully in the slightest), but you really do have to point it out to people. I'm not going to tell someone to watch Hard Boiled without telling them that there are gunfights in it.

[Fishpick]

The devs have stated though that skipping these scenes is the same as skipping any other portion of the game (i.e. you're going to miss out on stuff); they're not tailoring the game to work without them. Like I (and the devs) said, this game DID start out as an eroge, which doesn't diminish it's value in the slightest (assuming the sex scenes are done as tastefully in the slightest), but you really do have to point it out to people. I'm not going to tell someone to watch Hard Boiled without telling them that there are gunfights in it.

I was wondering how they were going to do that. Whether they were going to avoid putting important details there. Good to know. Regardless, I still feel the fact they're making it skippable implies it's not a heavy focus. And I would mention tat they're in there anyway, but only after I told them everything else I intended to tell them. Just as I would mention that the movie I Love You Philip Morris contains a lot of sex scenes that involve homosexuality. Incase they may be put off by it. It's not an issue to me, but it may be to others. So it's good to know before going in.


My point was mainly that I don't consider it porn. It's simply a game that has some sex scenes. But like you said, it does depend on how they're done. And I do hope they're done tastefully.

[Guest]

Ah, but SOME people hope that the characters get the chocolate.

[G3n0c1de]

Regardless, I still feel the fact they're making it skippable implies it's not a heavy focus.

The devs are focusing on the sex scenes with the same amount of importance as every other scene in the game. They're making it skippable as the bare minimum for people who absolutely can't handle the sex.

Sex, especially for the first time is a very important step in a relationship. So imagine skipping one of the more 'important' scenes in act 1. Like when Hisao has his heart attack at the track. Just jumping from the end of Hisao's day to the Nurse's room would leave me pretty confused.

[Brogurt]

Regardless, I still feel the fact they're making it skippable implies it's not a heavy focus.

The devs are focusing on the sex scenes with the same amount of importance as every other scene in the game. They're making it skippable as the bare minimum for people who absolutely can't handle the sex.

Sex, especially for the first time is a very important step in a relationship. So imagine skipping one of the more 'important' scenes in act 1. Like when Hisao has his heart attack at the track. Just jumping from the end of Hisao's day to the Nurse's room would leave me pretty confused.

I think most people are concerned that a cheap wank (or something out of a horror story) is the only purpose they will serve. I know this is a problem with many other VNs, and while the devs have said that the scenes in KS should be done tastefully, those are just words with nothing to back them up. Especially so because "tastefully" means different things to different people. On top of that, the devs have been very secretive and inconsistent about anything that has to do with the sex scenes, except for the abandoned Hanako rape thing, which I'm sure didn't help many people's confidence.