In my quest to find Open Canvas / Paint Tool Sai for the Mac (which is very unlikely to happen), I'm going to compile a list of freebies that I've come across...
45 best freeware design programs
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Visual Novel Games II: On A Cultural Level
I find that the visual novel genre is pretty obscure and applies to a very niche market within the Western gaming community. Even doing a quick Google search yielded little information but most results would refer to VN databases (large amount of Japanese titles), one or two 'doujin' (fan/non-commercially) made novels and various free-ware visual novel making engines.
The whole visual novel genre is incredibly Japanese to the extent that it makes up a large chunk of the Japanese market share in software sales. I can't find a good reference of that but there are a few reasons for that.
VNs require the bare minimum of actual gameplay and programming since it's really linear. So to make up, it is heavily reliant on the visual aspects and story which is why there are a few English VN making engines available on the internet and many doujin games available. It is not uncommon for doujin games to become popular and then be commercially released such as the MMORPG game Ragnorok Online and the TYPE-MOON doujin group is now a commercial company.
Because of the connection between the VN genre and the independence of the maker, demos and trials are available to download on the internet and sometimes at conventions (like the Comiket convention in Japan) the full product can be purchased.
Even though the VN genre may not be on par with the complex gameplay of most of today's games, I find the whole doujin aspect appealing to my project. It doesn't require too much programing yet when done well the replay and entertainment value is still there within the story, characters, artwork and music.
Just to clarify:
VN = Visual novel.
Doujin = Japanese term meaning fan made usually as a hobby or by hobbyist groups (circles) and made for fun rather than profit. Based on pre-existing material most of the time but there are original titles out there. Can apply to just about anything but mostly in comics and VN games.
MMORPG = Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game like World of Warcraft.
Oh I found it! Nearly 70% of Japanese PC games are visual novels.
The whole visual novel genre is incredibly Japanese to the extent that it makes up a large chunk of the Japanese market share in software sales. I can't find a good reference of that but there are a few reasons for that.
VNs require the bare minimum of actual gameplay and programming since it's really linear. So to make up, it is heavily reliant on the visual aspects and story which is why there are a few English VN making engines available on the internet and many doujin games available. It is not uncommon for doujin games to become popular and then be commercially released such as the MMORPG game Ragnorok Online and the TYPE-MOON doujin group is now a commercial company.
Because of the connection between the VN genre and the independence of the maker, demos and trials are available to download on the internet and sometimes at conventions (like the Comiket convention in Japan) the full product can be purchased.
Even though the VN genre may not be on par with the complex gameplay of most of today's games, I find the whole doujin aspect appealing to my project. It doesn't require too much programing yet when done well the replay and entertainment value is still there within the story, characters, artwork and music.
Just to clarify:
VN = Visual novel.
Doujin = Japanese term meaning fan made usually as a hobby or by hobbyist groups (circles) and made for fun rather than profit. Based on pre-existing material most of the time but there are original titles out there. Can apply to just about anything but mostly in comics and VN games.
MMORPG = Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game like World of Warcraft.
Oh I found it! Nearly 70% of Japanese PC games are visual novels.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)