So fellow KS-forums users, how does KS motivate you?

[Enemy |]

Yes, but with lots of sweat.

[dwarduk]

Long story short, KS doesn't motivate me. Playing it made me go into a self-critical introspective state that broke down enough of my mental barriers for me to decide to improve myself; all the motivation comes from within.

[Camoufrage]

Long story short, KS doesn't motivate me. Playing it made me go into a self-critical introspective state that broke down enough of my mental barriers for me to decide to improve myself; all the motivation comes from within.

Exactly. Like I said people give KS too much credit!

[Gandara]

Long story short, KS doesn't motivate me. Playing it made me go into a self-critical introspective state that broke down enough of my mental barriers for me to decide to improve myself; all the motivation comes from within.

Very well put. I'd have to agree with this.

At the end of the day, KS is just a game (visual novel). You have to be the one to take the first step, you can't rely on some inanimate outside source to fix your life for you. If KS has helped you self-reflect and realize some changes you need to make in your life, then so be it, but it's your task to carry out.

[HarvestmanMan]

It made me decide to never date a girl with eyes larger than chestnuts.

[ShinigamiKenji]

Long story short, KS doesn't motivate me. Playing it made me go into a self-critical introspective state that broke down enough of my mental barriers for me to decide to improve myself; all the motivation comes from within.

Very well put. I'd have to agree with this.

At the end of the day, KS is just a game (visual novel). You have to be the one to take the first step, you can't rely on some inanimate outside source to fix your life for you. If KS has helped you self-reflect and realize some changes you need to make in your life, then so be it, but it's your task to carry out.

But what if you play KS again (or read the marvelous works from the authors of this forums) so you remember that feeling that made you realize the need for change? And it brings again that need for a change? Does that count as motivation? (If it's not clear yet, I do it all the time )

[Magnenntae]

I think KS is more of a push to go ahead and improve yourself, KS breaks you down, and lets you take a look at how you really are. KS doesn't motivate you, you do. I mean, sure, Lilly and the others are a good motivator now and then, but, you're aware of the fact that they're fictonal, and if you're aware of that you must be aware of the fact that nothing will really happen if you "let them down". In the end it's you motivating yourself to do whatever it is you're doing, the characters are just a sort of mascot, y'know?

[JoshuaJSlone]

It really seems to be splitting hairs to say that KS isn't itself motivating, but is instead a catalyst for self-motivating.

[Gandara]

It really seems to be splitting hairs to say that KS isn't itself motivating, but is instead a catalyst for self-motivating.

I'd have to disagree with you. I think that the amount of impact KS has had on many of the members of this forum (and many more still who do not frequent this place) has lead to an idealized, almost romanticized view of the game. To many, this is the game that fixes problems and causes people to get their lives in order. I think it's an important distinction to make because if someone goes into a playthrough of KS thinking that their life will be ten times better by the end they will be sorely disappointed.

As another poster put it, KS breaks you down completely, and it's your responsibility to build yourself back up afterwords. Nobody can fix you but you.

I almost think there should be a warning label at the intro of the game saying, "Results may vary."

[Xanatos]

It really seems to be splitting hairs to say that KS isn't itself motivating, but is instead a catalyst for self-motivating.

It's entirely splitting hairs. If some dolt with no grasp of the concept of subjective experiences goes in EXPECTING a life change, they deserve disappointment. In any discussion of the game, I always make it very clear that this thing did a lot for me but will likely do jack shit for them.

[Weird Badger]

I think KS is more of a push to go ahead and improve yourself, KS breaks you down, and lets you take a look at how you really are. KS doesn't motivate you, you do. I mean, sure, Lilly and the others are a good motivator now and then, but, you're aware of the fact that they're fictonal, and if you're aware of that you must be aware of the fact that nothing will really happen if you "let them down". In the end it's you motivating yourself to do whatever it is you're doing, the characters are just a sort of mascot, y'know?

In the end, KS really didn't do much to motivate me. I think its a good VN that everyone should play. But the whole idea of "feels" is stupid to me. Its been a good 6 months since I played KS and just like everyone else it made them all mopey and sad for a while. Like many others I wanted to change after it etc etc. But after a while you realize its all kinda silly. After all, its a story that was made to give you emotions. You get over it after a while, any member here longer than 3-4 months should probably know that. That's why the KS devs always say they weren't expecting this kind of reception. I'd be surprised too! People come out of movies all the time feeling the same way and yet this one garnered so much attention for it for some reason. I'm pretty sure people just weren't expecting it so it seemed like a much bigger deal when you realized what you were playing.

And no offense to anyone who have changed their lives after a playing KS, but I think you're giving it too much credit. It was YOU who changed you, not some VN you found on the internet.

And that's all I gotta say about that.

Well, maybe not to the extent of changing their lives, perhaps, but maybe as a jump start? How about that?

Of course that's legitimate. I just think people give it too much credit for changing them.

It's sort of a 3 part question, to be honest. It's merely out of curiosity and general nosiness as well.

Browsing around the forums, I've noticed that KS has inspired most of it's players to take control of their lives and change it around for the better. I see pictures of Hanako, Lilly, Emi etc with the slogan 'Do it for her'. I also saw the picture which claimed that the idea of 'Doing it for her' was wrong in that the girls were nothing more than templates for our own insecurities, our own flaws. Now let me ask you guys, how do YOU use KS to motivate yourself? Do you do it for the girl of your dreams? Or do you do it for yourself? Or a combination of both?

I'd also love to know how each of you guys constantly remind yourself about KS. How do you guys keep the feels? How do you guys remind yourself to keep going onwards?

One last question, does replaying KS dull the feelings? Like how repitition brings about boredom, does repeating KS dull the FEELS?

KS inspired some change in me and in a lot of people but it did not cause it. It was a push.
It was was the spark that lit the fuse but we decide the rest of the path, we decide how to proceed.

The thoughts that now guide my steps of change were already in my mind before playing KS, i was happy but also bored.
I felt that something was missing in my life and KS woke me up. But I am doing everything now. At the beginning the emotion of KS may be your fuel but after some day the shock will disappear and you must continue on your own with your own motivations.
No you are not doing it for Emi/Rin/Hanako/etc. you are doing it for yourself and thanks to yourself.

2 To remember about KS maybe it is useful to listen the soundtrack, however it may not work the same for everyone but on me the music has a great effect.
The different tracks remind me of the most touching moments of KS, this will help you going onwards but the most important things is your own motivations. Remember you're not doing it for fictional characters even if thinking about them can help you on your path.

3 Playing KS for 7 times in the short run will probably dull the feelings. However I have some books/movies/songs that inspire me/makes me cry/gives me strenght but i am not always reading/watching/listening them or their effect will disappear.
And when i am depressed/demotivated about something, well i know where to look and they help me.
And believe me even after you "use" them 200 times they will never lost their effect if you wait some time between one use and the next. Now KS is in my collection ready to be used when i will need it.


PS grammar nazies please have mercy of my soul ;D

[Helbereth]

I don't think anything in particular motivated me, but it helped me gain some perspective. Honestly, I've never read anything like it - not so plainly, anyway. Most of my reading has been spent on fantasy and science fiction novels, and they're not genres known for hitting on interpersonal relationships quite as directly as Katawa Shoujo.

You could say it motivated me to explore some of my past relationships (family, friends, whatever) and that led me to writing about my past itself, as well as making use of my experiences in creating my own little arm of the KS universe through an OC fan fiction. Writing itself is something I haven't approached in 10 years (more, really) and i've been surprised at how differently I write compared to then.

I used to write very dialogue-heavy prose that spent very few words describing the inflections and changing moods of the characters involved. Reading some of that old material now, I'm constantly surprised at how poorly-developed the language was - not to mention the almost non-existent world view.

Now, though, I focus heavily on building the world and concentrating on the perspective of the characters. The dialogue I write now ends up feeling more powerful, as well, because the pages aren't stuffed with constant, pointless conversation. Ten years ago, I often went on for pages having frivolous conversations that stood in place of describing the world; using dialogue to describe what was going on instead of looking through someone's eyes. It's rather painful reading some of it because it often feels like the story isn't going anywhere.

TLDR:
I think I might be rambling a bit, but I guess I can summarize by saying that KS motivated my looking back at my life, rediscovering writing and seeing how much I've changed.

[Xanatos]

using dialogue to describe what was going on instead of looking through someone's eyes.

Common mistake. Doing it through dialogue is often easier but quality will be lower...Like a convenience meal.

[Helbereth]

using dialogue to describe what was going on instead of looking through someone's eyes.

Common mistake. Doing it through dialogue is often easier but quality will be lower...Like a convenience meal.

Yeah, reading up on it, I discovered it's a common mistake among younger writers.

It can be difficult to make a paragraph that flows right, though, without having a decent vocabulary.

I think those two conditions likely go hand-in-hand.

[Xanatos]

using dialogue to describe what was going on instead of looking through someone's eyes.

Common mistake. Doing it through dialogue is often easier but quality will be lower...Like a convenience meal.

Yeah, reading up on it, I discovered it's a common mistake among younger writers.

It can be difficult to make a paragraph that flows right, though, without having a decent vocabulary.

I think those two conditions likely go hand-in-hand.

Ugh, vocabulary...I'm cursed with having a very extensive vocabulary, while also having autism that prevents me communicating right half the time anyway. It's frustrating as hell.

Another mistake among writers is being Stephanie Meyer or a fan of Stephanie Meyer. That's neither here nor there though.