Heart's Choice General Discussion

I deleted my original post but I’m back now lol.

Anyway, thank you @HannahPS for your comment; I absolutely agree and you were able to put it into words better than I could.

It feels a little weird to see several comments here about wanting gender locked male MC games in this community specifically. It’s always rubbed me the wrong way.

I have to say I’m so happy to have found a community that I feel does “cater” to me, a woman, because it’s so hard to find that elsewhere. I want everyone else to feel the same way, of course. But I think that HC games having mostly (at this point!) female or gender variable PCs is something to be celebrated and acknowledged in a positive light. Especially when you consider the communities and spaces that women and other people who do not identify as male have been historically locked out of.

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Interesting points. I have no real preference for male-locked romance over gender-selectable - in fact I prefer to have the choice for an added sense of ownership over the character, and tend to play a mix of male and female characters. I’m sure there are numerous advantages to gender-locked games though, especially with regards to the number of variables it has to juggle but also how certain scenes and situations are presented.

As for what I’d like to see, I find that hard to answer since I tend to enjoy romance in games primarily as a means of learning about myself and exploring my own emotions, rather than to experience any specific fantasy. But I expect I’m hardly the norm in that regard.

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I hope to pitch a few games for CoG and HC one of which is a Robin Hood game for HC with a male Robin and the romances being Maid Marian, Lady Isabella (an OC who will be the Sheriff’s daughter) and also Little John and Will Scarlet.

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It is a lazy stereotype that straight males only care about getting to sexy time, because that would mean all the male love interests in romance stories for women aren’t remotely believable. Yes websites like CHYOA are popular but often even there the stories that appear to last most are ones with more engaging plot lines. Even something like Spider-Man is essentially a soap opera with super powers, with Peter juggling his life and feelings towards multiple women both within and out of his power circle.

Plus everyone has sexual fantasies of some sort, far as I can tell (don’t know anyone asexual so perhaps someone can correct me on that point). :thinking:

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I will say that many straight males do tend to like romance but as part of something rather than the dominant thing, so I can see why others assume that a romance dominated game is not going to appeal over another type of game with romance. But every man is different. Some get excited about the power fantasy, others the love of multiple women, some like submissive or dominant partners, and many even the idea of setting down and having kids. Like every other sexuality and gender there’s no one constant.

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Here to correct! I know, and know of, people who don’t.

I’m not sure if it’s a norm or rare :sweat_smile: but it makes a lot of sense!

This makes a ton of sense also!

Edit: I meant to reply to this but missed it - yes, I entirely agree.

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I am always happy to share my opinions! :grin: I usually find in recent years a bit less comfortable doing so since I expect backlash and saying the wrong thing (given my dyslexia and mild autism and what not). Sentinel City Liaisons is in any case precisely the sort of game type logical towards a straight male reader since as I mentioned earlier it’s likely to tick off the ‘power fantasy’ aspects a lot of men (especially nerdy types like me) are drawn towards. I also would think the idea of a game set in an Austen set world but as a Darcy or Bingley like character rather than Elizabeth, could work well - historical games as male characters tend to veer (sad to say) closer to reality with the options available. Sabre of Infinity probably covers some of that of course.

And I mentioned Sci Fi earlier as another logical genre for the guys that veer towards being Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Boba Fett or Captain Kirk.

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If the romance interest was a lady regardless, what would be special about a male MC-locked game that would make it better than a gender variable MC game?

(Edit to add: asking genuine question! Not trying to be snarky, would like to know!)

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I’d say it could set up a different kind of the character? Akin to James Bond classical flick, maybe could lead to more solid and defined MC? Maybe shine a light on issues men experience with dating, allow a solely male character engage in deeper romance in comparison to usual stuff that gets marketed to dudes? Most US stuff for males thinks they’re about as responsive as a rock and so they want fast, attention-grabbing stuff.

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Yes I do enjoy sweet cuddly romance and consider the romances the most important aspect of the COG/HG story, how could you tell.
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A M/F game would likely allow for different types of male players in terms of their respective personalities - say tough vs soft, brawn or brain nerdy or sporty. The idea that every straight male is a cold and sexually aggressive machine is about as believable as the idea that every straight female is a timid fainting princess. :sweat_smile:

(That said I like the idea of a secret agent M/F game, another logical power fantasy type thing, though I definitely would avoid the Sean Connery level chauvinism and slapping. More cheeky playful Roger Moore’y in my case.)

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Sex is easier to write since it’s only one type of situation, which gives the writer more scope for description and types of sexual activity as required. I would assume this to be equally the case for M/F, M/M and F/F games. The female love interests can also feel more realistic without being optionally male and vary in their personalities more, though this can equally work within a GV/F game. As I stated earlier a male specific game can allow for more variation also that suits a straight male character (whilst also allowing for more distinctive individuals to reflect themselves if not the traditionally thought of straight male).

Oh, I was very specifically not asking about gender variable love interests, as we’ve made our opinions on that perfectly clear at other points and I’d rather talk about other things right now!

Sex is easier to write since it’s only one type of situation, which gives the writer more scope for description and types of sexual activity as required

Trans men are men, though. I really wish more MC gender-locked games - whether HC or HG - remembered this. That would certainly allow:

for more distinctive individuals to reflect themselves if not the traditionally thought of straight male.

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Maybe at some point, as the person who knows the answer better than almost anyone (having asked the question the most consistently over many years), you could start sharing that answer with some of the newcomers rather than joining the chorus? :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

If it’s the $64m question, then claim the prize, dude. CoG publishes what writers pitch them. Spread the word.

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I could say something here about the demographics and make up of the romance market just not being there for the straight male-female stories and games.

It is very ironic that the arguments and positions that mainstream publishers and developers so often use and stand-by can be flipped on their head and be used here to explain why not many romance orientated m-f stories and story games are available.

The difference being that one narrative is true while the other false …

I love to see well written, engaging stories, so I hope authors like @Nocturnal_Stillness are successful in pitching things. Although I’d love the type of story Nocturnal is talking about as female lead as well.

Can the fact that men are, in general, more visually orientated be playing into this, especially for a HC game? (if that is even a true trend)

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I also have a pitch for a female locked game although that would most likely be a hosted game as it isn’t really geared to offer romance (MC is a witches familiar and a former witch themselves)

My other pitch for HC is a gender choice MC who is the human servant of a vampire lord/Lady and you have a partner who you have to protect by finding more suitable prey for your master.

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My guess is that this isn’t playing a big role. Men read smut too. On the evidence of reviews, forum discussions and reddit query threads, plenty of male CoG readers specifically liked the erotica scenes in e.g. Werewolves and would buy more of that.

There’s a socially constructed category of “the romance novel” that’s super gendered; the marketing for a m-f game might need to be different to overcome the barriers there. But that rather than a preference for graphics would I think be the main issue constraining the market.

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Guarantee 90% will dump the partner for Vampire Lord/Lady.

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If a gender locked game offered the option to be a Trans Male and the writer was fine with it then that’s fine in my opinion. I personally as a prospective writer of a hyper theoretical game would not feel comfortable or able to know how to write a Trans Male in any way - especially with sex - that I wouldn’t fret about getting something very very wrong, even with some level of advice on that account. Hopefully that makes sense. :thinking:

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Are you asking me to ask straight male writers I might know to write for COG or make something myself? Because in the case of the latter I have considered it, though I would definitely have to learn and practice Choicescript properly. :sweat_smile:

(Though I am just as likely to write something that is GV or maybe even F/M in the case of the French Resistance game I have thought about for years now. Actually I am curious if that’s happened before on COG - someone male or female or non-binary writing something specifically for the perspective of the others.)