Heart's Choice FAQ

Heart's Choice
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Hi! I’m one of the partners and editors at Choice of Games, although one who’s rarely seen on the Forum. I’m leading the way on the new Heart’s Choice label.

We’re moving towards developing our first games for Heart’s Choice, and there’s been a lot of speculation on what Heart’s Choice will and won’t be like. Therefore, we’d like to offer some clarifications.

Thanks for your enthusiasm, and for the great community you’ve built here! We hope you’ll bring that same enthusiasm to Heart’s Choice games when they appear.

Heart’s Choice FAQ

What is Heart’s Choice?
Heart’s Choice is a new label in the Choice of Games family. It will publish high-quality interactive romance fiction written in ChoiceScript. The editorial staff of Heart’s Choice is the same as the editorial staff of Choice of Games, so we’ll be bringing the same high standards to Heart’s Choice’s game design and literary quality.

Will Heart’s Choice games be erotica?
Not all of them, no. Heart’s Choice games will have a wide range of ratings. Some will be fairly soft: if they were conventional romance novels they’d be called “sweet” or “candlelit;” if they were movies they’d be rated PG. Some will be racier: if they were conventional romance novels they’d be called “spicy” and if they were movies they’d be rated R. Some will be erotica. We’re building a balanced catalogue so that everyone will be able to find a spiciness level that’s to their taste.

Will there be pictures?
No. Like Choice of Games titles, Heart’s Choice games will be text only.

Will I be able to choose my PC’s gender and/or orientation in a Heart’s Choice game?
In some Heart’s Choice games, yes. However, because many romance novel readers like to stick with a single combination of genders, we’ll also have some Heart’s Choice games in which the gender of the PC and their love interest(s) is pre-determined. We will work hard to make sure that Heart’s Choice games include a wide variety of genders in the PCs and love interests alike. We want there to be something for everyone!

Can anyone write a Heart’s Choice game?
Heart’s Choice writers will be selected by a process similar to that for Choice of Games writers, and will be limited to authors with previous publications or equivalent experience.

Will there be a Hosted Games equivalent for Heart’s Choice?
No, we’re not planning one in the foreseeable future.

Will Heart’s Choice be as feminist and inclusive as Choice of Games?
Yes. Those values are deeply important to us as a company. Like all Choice of Games titles, all Heart’s Choice titles will show respect for all genders and orientations. Heart’s Choice titles will be sex-positive, too, emphasizing affirmative consent. There will never be a Heart’s Choice game that condones rape.

When will the first Heart’s Choice game be released?
We hope to launch at the end of 2019.

Will Heart’s Choice be an omnibus app only?
For the initial launch and foreseeable future, yes. iOS explicitly demands omnibus apps, and we have decided not to launch with individual apps on Google Play. Games will be available on Steam, iTunes, Google Play Store, Android Amazon App Store, and the website.

Are there games for straight men on Heart’s Choice?
Yes. We have several gender variable games, meaning you can choose the option to play as a man, and romance women.

Many Heart’s Choice games are gender and/or sexuality locked. So far, our genderlocked/sexuality locked games are designed for straight, gay, or bisexual women, and gay men. We have not yet received a workable pitch for a game written locked for straight men. Our Heart’s Choice editorial team does not assign pitches or demand that they be written for genders or sexualities other than as proposed by the author doing the pitching. If and when we receive a pitch for a straight male romance game, we will pursue that pitch as we do other pitches, and if it works, we will publish such a game.

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Quick question about this series, are Hearts Choice Games going to be under their own specific app or will they stay within the core Choice of Games app? Interested to see some more romance focusing games out there, even if some won’t necessarily be for little old straight male me. :yum:

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So when it comes to this will it be more like HG? Well, I get it that maybe if the game is concentrated on just one gender it will probably be easier to outflesh a romance, but the problem I see with this is that I don’t actually think it will work well with the balance. I mean if people submit like the fifth good male-genderlocked game (or vica-versa and the same goes for sexualitylocking) and there is still no games catering for the other gender I don’t think anyone will tell the author “no, we can’t release this yet. Either write something for the underrepresented gender or wait patiently until the balance is better”.

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That and I’m curious as to how folks will react to a Hearts Choice game thats not intended for them. I’m only a tad worried for the slew of 1 star reviews by the casual market.

I also second Cari-san. As I’m not sure how frequent or how many titles are planned thus far so I am definitely worried that either side of the gender/sexuality will be unbalanced.

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My guess would be that it can’t be avoided that some people will complain if a game isn’t intented for them and give one star reviews, but if the balance works actually well then I think that only the most idiotic people will review games like that.

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There a lot…and I mean a lot of idiotic people waiting in the wings to bombard games with 1-2 star reviews for the most arbitrary reasons.

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Aye, I merely hope that it doesn’t discourage cog and other authors from the Hearts line…just a nagging nugget of worry is all really.

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Probably in a similar way to the Pride and Pejudice game that was genderlocked, heavy on dating themes and with male only options?
(It doesn’t bother me personally as long as there’s a range of games out there, but I wonder what the store reaction will be. Hopefully that will be enough for most people for it to be a successful line for COG as it is a bit of a different line to the normal COG and HG range.)

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I probably wouldn’t mind if there were an equal amount of other gender/orientation hearts game in the catalogue frankly. But again, we don’t know yet. So I’ll bite my tongue.

(In regards to that game, I personally didn’t enjoy it as much but still gave it a solid 4 stars because it was a fairly solid game. :confused: Sadly tis not the mentality of most non forum-goers)
inb4: “Gay only?!?! You’re just pandering!! 1-star”

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My personal doubt is . I am a straight female That doesn’t mind try other conditions . But I am specially concerned about The supposed game that targeted my group.

Absolutely 90% of marketing for Straight females is stereotypes of What a supposed Women should be.
Shy, submissive to males, only worry in clothing and make up and all top models.
I am totally the opposite. So normally I just find myself more related to male games that the supposed targeted to me.

However, so far most Cog has been very successful in make me feel good and not You aren’t a real woman You should submit to the stereotypes. So I have faith and I will try to give constructive feedback to The bold girls out there who doesn’t want be treated as princess be represented.

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This bothers me.

You give that as a reason for why some of the new games will be locked to a certain gender or orientation.

Isn’t that exactly the reason that games should have a choice?

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I prefer not being gated by from a commercial perspective is far easier and faster just make most fixed and simple possible. Maximize profits.

Also many authors find difficult write about romance out their personal preferences.

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Yeah. I understand that.

My issue is that they’re saying they’re locking stories to certain genders and orientations because it benefits the readers somehow. I just don’t see how that’s true.

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It benefits their efficiency as most readers won’t mind. I personally do mind Because I want experience a more detailed romantic game from perspective of other orientations but I am weird.

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I think it is too early to assume at this point but from my understanding it is an option, not a requirement.

But it’s best @ladybird should be the one that should clarify that line.

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It sounds like some are going to be explicit, rather than the current ones in the COG library that tend to fade to black and not have anything R rated. I can see why they’re saying that might happen if they’ve got established romance writers on board that are used to writing certain types of relationships. They may not feel as if they can write something way out of their experience range and make it good. Those kinds of scenes are hard enough to write well as it is. Anyway, I guess we’ll see what comes out :slight_smile:

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Exactly that was What I was trying to say. Still I will probably read them all. As I like Erotica but sadly most of them is stereotypes and designed by and for male or for a very determined female group that doesn’t include me. So a cog one that is a gender postive is a win win

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I’m not gonna put pressure on someone to write erotica that they don’t enjoy or haven’t experienced…

At some point, you gotta remember that authors are humans, and not slaves to our whims. Variety is always good, and writing to a market is a wise choice, but I don’t expect anyone to write for me. They may just not get my $2.99 if they don’t write at least one gay RO. That’s their prerogative, and I’m not insulted.

On the subject of gender/orientation writing style/quality… Well, let’s say it’s usually obvious when a woman has written gay romance or erotica. Familiarity with the subject matter counts for a LOT, as far as I’m concerned. So, I’m not at all prone to pressuring someone to write to satisfy my whim.

I’ve betaed a gay title for Heart’s Choice, and it’s 100% gay fantasy, and a female MC would have an awkward time at best. I don’t think it would appeal at all to even the yaoi girls.

So, I think you gotta let something just be what it is, sometimes… There will be some inevitable market pressures to be successful, but Patreon is more of a place to pay outright to direct authors that want to work request-style. It works for CHYOA.

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I think a mix of titles works best, and indeed part of me reckons that Hearts Choice would be best to launch with a handful of titles at the same time so as to allow the reader a diverse range of stories with different romance and gender specific options so that they can hopefully choose a title which appeals to their gender and sexuality. I won’t riot if there’s a gay male or female specific title, just as I hope someone else wouldn’t riot if we have a straight male or female focused story.

As the prophet says, different strokes for different folks. :grin:

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I totally understand that there might be a dozen good reasons why an author might only want to write love stories from a certain perspective, or one that only involved certain genders.

I respect, understand, and accept that. It’s the statement that they’re locking some games to one gender or orientation because, “many romance novel readers like to stick with a single combination of genders.”

Locking the story to one gender or orientation can make it easier, faster or more comfortable for the authors, but saying you’re doing it for the reader’s benefit is… well…dishonest.

Let’s say, I’m only interested in reading stories about women falling in love with men. That’s got to be the most common kind of romance novel. How is my theoretical enjoyment of the story hurt if I have the choice to romance a woman, or to play as a man?

Again I totally understand that there are lots of reasons why a story might have to be locked, but telling me that it’s a choice the authors made because of reader preference feels dishonest.

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