KS have changed me for the better.

[Tomate]

So after years of being inactivate KS comes along and Emi gets you to start running track .... now matter how much you try a character in a VN / Game will never replace Self worth , family and friends .... no matter how much you try to hide from it ... reality always wins in the end

I absolutely agree with you on this one , but a quote from The Adventures of Baron Münchhausen comes to mind: "Your reality, sir, is lies and balderdash and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever"

[Nyarly]

Hanako's route made me more aware of some of my flaws (most notably, that I should speak my mind more often and not just stay quiet when I'm displeased with something), but I can't really say that it changed my life.

[Omnicretus]

I think what some of us has been saying has been taken out of context. As for me, I'm not saying this was a life changing experience, it was more like a wake-up call, which in turn, may become life changing, regardless of the fact that this is "just" a game, a book, whatever. The sole fact that it makes you think of something in a different way can be enough.

[Nekken]

Games don't change people. But game stories, like all stories, can cause people to reflect on themselves and their lives, and that's something which can change people.

[komarunda]

It's pretty much the same as with Nyarly for me.
I learned something from KS, or at least came to understand myself better.

As for the "lifechanging" thing, the term is maybe a bit exaggerated. The game on it's own can't change your life. I think that people who respond very emotionally to the game have seen themselves reflected in one of the characters, that's why it affected them so much. In the game, you see the characters grow and overcome their problems (the emotional ones) in just a short period of time. If you can relate to them, they show you your flaws, and what your could be like. Who you could be.

Of course, KS is technically "just a game", but even a game is just another medium for a message, like a film, a book or whatsoever. And it is therefore completely understandable to me that people can be inspired by that message. The game itself can't change you, but it can be a starting point from which to move on in your life.

(Edit: Double ninja'd. I'm too slow at typing )

[Lloonnee2]

Since, starting the game on the 4th, I've actually been running my own miles in the morning. and sticking to it.

Hey, you and me both, buddy. This game made me feel like building a life I am content with, to an extend I haven't experienced before. I actually get up an hour early in the morning now, just to have a morning run, even though I've always been the kind of person which gets up 2 minutes before I'm supposed to be where I gotta be.

You two guys and me

Instead of slacking around before lessons, I started doing the "Emi Running Plan", currently following the 'week 1' schedule. After a few days of running, one of my friends decided to be my running partner. I guess I do have a visual image of Emi running beside (actually she'd be in front >.<) me, and all those people over the world that also started to run due to her path. It's an inspiring thought.

I guess the game does have varying effects on people. Some may not be affected in the least, and that's perfectly normal. Sometimes people just can't relate to the issues that the visual novel is built on, and as all of us have different lives and perspectives, naturally there'd be people that can't relate to the game that much.

Then there are those that find the vn has had some impact on their lives. I can't speak for others, nor would I dream of, but the vn gave me an idea that there are people who'd mask their sadness pretty well, despite being able to be so lively and cheerful. These same people are those that might have helped me, or may in the future, yet they may simply be escaping from the issue.

There I go, rambling off again... >.>

Still, it's a bit tough to explain why I started running to classmates.
"Oh, I started running because I played a visual novel/dating sim genre and I liked one disabled girl that happen to run, so I thought I'd run also!"
Their probable reaction: "O_O...?"

[rydiafan]

just remember this is my opinion only .... im human and cried at certain time in KS and other games ( Celes trying to commit suicide in FF6 being the moment that to this day is still the sadist moment in video game/ VN history IMO ) but as a person im still the same person i was before playing KS

[themocaw]

I'm a results oriented guy. I don't care how you get there as long as you get there. If a visual novel about disabled girls is inspiring you to better yourself, more power to you. It's no sillier than lawyers idolizing Atticus Finch.

[danyo]

I'm a results oriented guy. I don't care how you get there as long as you get there. If a visual novel about disabled girls is inspiring you to better yourself, more power to you. It's no sillier than lawyers idolizing Atticus Finch.

I agree fully with this, no matter the reason, if you decide to change your life for the better, it's always a good thing.

Since, starting the game on the 4th, I've actually been running my own miles in the morning. and sticking to it.

Hey, you and me both, buddy. This game made me feel like building a life I am content with, to an extend I haven't experienced before. I actually get up an hour early in the morning now, just to have a morning run, even though I've always been the kind of person which gets up 2 minutes before I'm supposed to be where I gotta be.

You two guys and me

You can add me to the running people aswell

[Brisingr]

I can't really say if KS changed me but I can defiantly say that it has changed my perception of myself and everything around me. I already stated that I had heart issues in another topic and I don't feel like repeating that brick wall of text but I will say that while my heart is now perfectly fine, this game really made me think about how bad I had been and how much worse I could have been. Life can be taken away so quickly, both through internal and external forces that just sitting in bed like a lump if you don't need to is a serious waste of a life.