SweetieGames

After I was burned out on one of my favourite genres, I returned to it on my break from writing and remembered why I’ve loved it for so long. I’m talking about otome, the subgenre of dating sims that are primarily made by girls, for girls (you can read my history with the genre in this article!)

I’ve loved every second of being back on my otome shenanigans. I think it’s helped that to come back from my break I chose to play 9 R.I.P., a game I had heard many good things about from the wider otome community. And for good reason! The art and characters I’ve met so far have been great.

Being back in the otome sphere, a place that is dominated by women, has exposed me again to people who criticise not only otome but also any genre with a wide female fanbase such as life sims and story games. There’s a strong chance that these people haven’t actually played the games they’re criticising, so why are they even talking about it at all?

It’s frustrating when people use the excuse of not wanting to play as a female protagonist because it “isn’t immersive”. I have played many games where I have to play as a male protagonist and I can’t say I’ve ever felt not immersed enough because I’m a girl playing as a man. If you only consume media where the protag is like you, you’re going to be missing out on a plethora of not only fun games, but also books, films, music and more!

I also think there’s a level of selfishness amongst some video game fans. I’m fully willing to acknowledge that not every game is made with me in mind, and is aimed at a very different audience. I think the people who criticise otome or female centric games can’t see that not every game is meant specifically for them. Of course, this doesn’t stop people from outside the target audience from playing them, and it shouldn’t! But you should at least acknowledge fully that the primary target audience isn’t you. And besides, nobody is forcing you to play these games, so why waste energy on spreading hate online? For clout? For interactions? You do realise that once you turn off your phone or computer, none of the interactions you received were actually real, right?

Of course, everyone has different tastes. But female centric games are always the butt of the joke, criticised and not thought of highly by the wider gaming community. There are some real hidden gems amongst games made primarily for girls! It looks like they’re going to have to be underground for a little while longer.