The game that changes lives ??

[rydiafan]

Now there is something i don't understand about fans of KS .... how does KS change your life?? ....

Jan 3rd 2012 you have low self esteem , out of shape , life itself is beat the shit outta you, and ur a total asswhip when its comes the feelings and needs of others

Jan 4th 2012 after playing emi's or hanako's route for the first time ... ur a brand new man/woman ... life looks much better ... and you are much more understanding of others around you

Now i been a gamer for 25 years and not once has a game change my life for the better " final fantasy 6 , mother 3 , heavy rain ,the metal gear series ( to name a few dark emotionally draining games i played and beaten ) " it tooks years of building up my self esteem , close friends & family and learning from my screw - ups to make me a better person ( and a 32 i still have social issues ... just not as badly ) all gaming did for me is let me hide from life for a short moment and gave me a false sense of feeling good ( sorta like a bottle of whiskey ) ... real life didn't care if after 102 hours i got 100% on final fantasy X-2 ... my life was still shitty as before i started playing any game

Now its ok if you wanna disagree with me on this ( wouldn't be the first time on these boards that it happened ) but i hate to see fans of such a perfect game be fool to think it's anything but a pefect game .... cause real life will still kick the shit outta you if you feel good about being a white night to hanako or not

this is my opinion only and you are free to feel how you what about KS

[Nekken]

Now there is something i don't understand about fans of KS .... how does KS change your life?? ....

It seems to me that the game doesn't so much change people's lives as much as it gives them the swift kick in the butt that they need to finally do something to take control of their own lives. Or at least, that's one of the common reactions. The other is people retreating into themselves and taking a waifu from the main cast: certainly a life-changing thing, just not a good life change.

cause real life will still kick the shit outta you if you feel good about being a white night to hanako or not

This might not be the best example to use, since the game will also kick the shit out of you if you feel good about being a white knight to Hanako, but you have a point: games are good, but blurring the lines is a Very Bad Thing.

[misterprinny]

I agree with Nekken in that it changes lives in more of a "swift kick in the ass" realization as opposed to something a lot more dramatic. Of course, citizens of the Internet exaggerate of a lot of things, so there you go.

Personally, I developed a new interest in writing and sign language, and some of my views on certain issues in the world were drastically changed. That's it.

[Althamus]

KS isn't magical, obviously. You don't read the story, and then find that suddenly, you're massively more positive, dedicated to your life, stronger, braver, can fly and wish Emi was your waifu.

What it does do incredibly well is help you to relate to the characters, flesh them out so they feel real, get you emotionally involved with them (not necessarily such that you want them as your waifu, but that you care about them and care what happens to them certainly in the story), and it makes them almost paragons of good characteristics; such that you know the character, you know their personality, you know what good characteristics they like, and when you do something bad, you know they will disapprove.

I'm not ashamed to step out and say that KS has improved my life for the better. It's not a big improvement by any stretch of the imagination. But one of my characteristics in life is that when I am going through hard times, I am prone to letting them push me down, rather than keep trying to stand up. As such, Emi really made an impression on me, and I admire the fictional character's refusal to give up, even against all odds (see sig), and I try harder not to get pushed down, and when I am I try harder to stand again.
It's an almost insignificant difference, but KS is a book. I'm not expecting myself to instantly become a millionairre. And I know Emi is fictional, and don't have a consciousness, and wouldn't care about my actions one way or the other. BUT, if it inspires me to make my life better in any way, shape or form, even if I am inspired by something that isn't true, IMHO it's a good thing.

I think the biggest thing I'd say to you is don't think of KS as a game. I too am a gamer, I've played games for 10 years or so, and I've never come anywhere near as close to relating to a character as I have to -any- of the main characters in KS. It's a visual novel, because it focuses on the storyline almost exclusively, rather than the storyline playing second fiddle to the game mechanics (whatever they are).

cause real life will still kick the shit outta you if you feel good about being a white night to hanako or not

The difference is how you react to it. Life kicks you to your knees every now and then, the difference is how long it takes you to stand back up again and try again. I'd argue that since reading the VN, for the next little while until I get bored of it/fades from my memory etc, I'll stand up just that tiny bit faster than I would otherwise.

[rydiafan]

The difference is how you react to it. Life kicks you to your knees every now and then, the difference is how long it takes you to stand back up again and try again. I'd argue that since reading the VN, for the next little while until I get bored of it/fades from my memory etc, I'll stand up just that tiny bit faster than I would otherwise.

ok the game can be a swift kick it the butt i'll argee with that ... and i love the game i would say its it the top 15 of my favorite ... im not dissing the game ... just find it hard to believe that what some ppl are saying how much the game itself changed them ... i find it the same as a person saying the gran trismo series makes me a better driver

[Snow_Storm]

If a video game makes you change your life, you really need to take a long look in the mirror.

[Brogurt]

yeah we've never had this thread before

[Althamus]

just find it hard to believe that what some ppl are saying how much the game itself changed them ... i find it the same as a person saying the gran trismo series makes me a better driver

For the more radical cases, I think a combination of people jumping on the bandwagon "Yea, it changed MY LIFE too! I can talk to ALIENS NOW, it changed MY LYF MOAR", and people exaggerating. I'd say for me, it gave me a little push towards becoming a person I've wanted to be for years, no more, no less.

You can be inspired by all sorts of things. Why not video game characters as well?

[rydiafan]

just find it hard to believe that what some ppl are saying how much the game itself changed them ... i find it the same as a person saying the gran trismo series makes me a better driver

For the more radical cases, I think a combination of people jumping on the bandwagon "Yea, it changed MY LIFE too! I can talk to ALIENS NOW, it changed MY LYF MOAR", and people exaggerating. I'd say for me, it gave me a little push towards becoming a person I've wanted to be for years, no more, no less.

You can be inspired by all sorts of things. Why not video game characters as well?

thats a good question ... i wanna disagree with why can't a video game character be inspiring but i can't find a logical reason why lol

[Trysdor]

You’re missing some very important causal steps in this issue. It isn’t Play KS => Profound change. It’s more like this. Playing KS leads one to introspection, introspection leads a person to see things wrong with themselves and desire to change them, this desire to change, if strong enough, manifests into a legitimate change and improvement in your life or attitude. The truth is that any piece of literature, art, or other work can lead a person to introspection. KS just so happens to be very good at making one introspective, because it both reminds us of some of the great weaknesses that we as people have, and it also reminds us that great strength can be found in unexpected places. For some people, KS helps them look inside and see something they don’t like. It won’t have that effect on all people or even most, but for some, it allows them to introspect and see something that they want to change, and then find the strength in themselves to change it. There’s nothing wrong with it. No more than saying that there’s something wrong with a great work of profound literature like Proust or Dostoyevsky caused one to look inside themselves and change for the better. It happens all the time. KS is just one of a million possible catalysts for this kind of self-analysis, and for some people, it was enough.

[Nekken]

If a video game makes you change your life, you really need to take a long look in the mirror.

Yes, exactly, except that you've got it backwards. This appears to be how the game changes people's lives: by making them take a long look in the mirror.

Yeah, it's not the most manly or epic reason to get introspective. It's not going to get you a movie deal (though if Densha Otoko is any indication, it might get you a book deal in a niche market). But hey; if it's what gets you to take that look, that's what's important.

[Axelownz]

It didnt really make me change my life, but i admit it made me look at it, though that was more for a confessing a crush i had for the longest time, and that confession failing hardcore, during Rin's playthrough that got me into that.

Other than that though the only other way it effected me was me thinking of running. I have always been a very fast runner though no endurance. I havent started but my dad was telling me he was thinking of doing it and i said i should, i am thinking of doing it just to prove to him i can do it, and who knows, i might have my running partner there too.

Probably though for KS, its gonna be a game i am going to fondly remember for a long time. I got similar feelings from the Anime/manga Kashimashi and Persona 3/4. Nowadays i remember them fondly, and i see KS being that way in the future.

[gRaViJa]

KS, a great VN as it is, didn't make me change my life. However, i'm at a moment in my life where i have to make some important decisions. I was planning on changing some things, but KS lead to introspection. I begain to think about what i really want, not just what is expected of me. KS was that extra nudge that i needed to take mather in my own hands. I'm not "in love" with any of the chars or call the my waifu, the game as a whole just made me think about my own life.

[elkuhn]

I wouldn't say it exactly "changed my life" or even had a significant impact on it, but that's not to depreciate the emotional value of a wonderful VN such as KS. Anything that can give you a case of the feelies as well as KS can at least prompt some self inspection, especially if you're already looking to change. I myself have been working towards being more patient and understanding with those in my life. Playing through the Shizune and Lilly routes didn't change my life or even change my mind, but it did give me a bump in the right direction. The self-inspection of Hisao in the narrative, how Lilly and Shizune's personalities play out with their disabilities, and the emotional weight of the story caused some self-inspection of my own, making me realise how little progress I'd made towards my goal and gave me that little push I needed to stop being such a jackass to the people I care about. So it isn't a life changing game, it's a "force you to do what you actually intended to do but didn't have the balls or willpower to actually do, but will now do because of all those icky emotions it gives you" game.

[AnotherKatawaShoujo]

KS, a great VN as it is, didn't make me change my life. ... the game as a whole just made me think about my own life.

This is essentially how I felt after completing the game. It made me ponder some of the upcoming changes in my life (graduating college in May, wedding coming up, etc). It also made me think about how my relationship with my fiance has changed me for the better. It wasn't life altering, but it did make me think about a few things and allowed me a bit of time to reflect on and be thankful for my own situation.