well it’s daunting at first, doubt eat at you and all, but you can’t know what you can do unless you try, and if it suck…keeping at it will make it look better 
2 Likes
I usually prefer games with romance, for a multitude of reasons. I make exceptions for games that specifically have strong inter-character relationships (characters counting the mc), but if it doesn’t have that then it’s a pass from me. An example of such an exception is Parenting Simulator. The main relationship is between the mc and their child, which was strong enough and interesting enough to catch my attention despite the game having no ROs. However, most games that don’t have romance focus on plot over characters (usually quite heavily). Another issue that tends to crop up is that romance is often one of the primary ways to get to know someone better, so I sometimes feel less able to know the characters I’m interested in without the ability to enter a relationship with them. I think this may be starting to change, though perhaps not as much as I I’d like.
Another thing is that romance is attractive to me because it’s something I can’t get as easily in other places. Other media is far more likely to restrict my options to only opposite gender options (for context, I’m pan ace) and to have bad representation or no representation. COG is where I come to take a break from all that. Though I’ll be the first to admit I’m not entirely happy with their representation either, it’s leagues better than most of the other media I consume, and there truly is a lot of representation to be happy about here. Aside from that, I like my escapism sometimes, either for the aforementioned reason of this being one of the only places I can get unproblematic fluffy queer love stories, or because my own love life is non-existent.
So yeah, I’ll read no-RO stories, but it’ll be a harder sell for me.
8 Likes
I’m just going to speak up for the people who are already in really fulfilling real-life relationships who also thoroughly enjoy romance in games. I don’t see the two as comparable, and with the kinds of games I like to play (mainnly genre/scifi/fantasy/historical/horror games) the two just serve different purposes entirely.
1 Like
I’d rather play a CoG or HG with no ROs than ROs who were not executed well. As long as the author doesn’t ‘lock’ the option to get to know the character(s) behind the romance ‘door’ then I don’t have any strong feelings for or against ROs being included.
9 Likes
I’m not big on romance myself. But this topic of conversation is interesting enough that I think it deserves a follow up poll.
Would you play a game with no romance, if it allows the MC to forge deep friendships or non-romantic relationships with other characters?
- I like romance, but think that would be enough for me.
- I don’t care about romance, but I’d still like that feature.
- It wouldn’t be enough for me. I’d still want romance.
- I don’t care about romance, and wouldn’t like that feature.
0 voters
3 Likes
I’d love this to be a thing in some games for variety. One thing I find is under represented in CS games are the deep friendship/comradery type relationships with no romantic overtones to colour it into something else.
5 Likes
I did some brainstorming to pass my time during lockdown and I came with some names for a dragon powered superhero (I don’t plan to do anything with him yet).
I just wanted to put up a poll so I could see which name will be popular among people.
- Drag
- Drage
- Drak
- Drakan
- Drek
- Dregon
- Ladon
0 voters
Thanks.
1 Like
Drek means shit in some languages.
3 Likes
Well, some dragons are brown-colored, so I think the name suits 
3 Likes
Out of curiosity, what kind of comparatively niche relationship-focused games would you be interested in playing?
NOTES:
- “Romance game” means romance and romanceable characters are the main part of the game, but not necessarily the only part of the game (think of The Wayhaven Chronicles or the Heart’s Choice line).
- Format is MC gender/RO gender [e.g., F/M romance game means you play as female and all the romance options are male].
- “Gender-choice” means you can play as female, male, or non-binary.
- “Gender-variable” means the genders of the romance options are choosable or determined by the MC’s sexuality.
- “Various” means there is a variety of fixed-gender female, male, and non-binary romance options.
“Generally speaking, I’d be interesting in playing a well-written…”
- F/F romance game
- F/Gender-variable romance game
- F/M romance game
- F/Various romance game
- Gender-choice/F romance game
- Gender-choice/M romance game
- M/F romance game
- M/Gender-variable romance game
- M/M romance game
- M/Various romance game
- NB/F romance game
- NB/Gender-variable romance game
- NB/M romance game
- NB/NB romance game
- NB/Various romance game
- Romance-less game about familial relationships
- Romance-less game that lets you develop deep friendships with a variety of characters (essentially, Friendship Options instead of Romance Options)
- Romance-less game that lets you develop deep antagonistic relationships with a variety of characters (essentially, Rivalry/Enemy/Nemesis Options {a.k.a. “Hate Interests”} instead of Romance Options)
- None of these interest me
- Abstain
0
voters
2 Likes
I maybe dumb, but where is gender choice/ gender variable romance games?
5 Likes
I think because that is one of the most common formats it isn’t included? The poll is for comparatively niche alternatives if I understand it correctly.
1 Like
Something that I’m kind of conflicted and curious about;
What PoV do you prefer while playing IF?
- 1st-person (“I run from the tree as fast as I can.”)
- 2nd-person (“You run from the tree as fast as you can.”)
- 3rd-person ( “Alice runs from the tree as fast as she can.”)
0 voters
11 Likes
If I’m allowed to comment this early on a poll? If this isn’t the place for it let me know, I chose the 1st person option as my choice, I don’t actually mind the 2nd person perspective but less so than 1st. I’m aware I’m reading a piece of IF of course but reading from a 2nd person perspective makes it more apparent I’m reading it, I often get the feeling that a story is just being read to me if that makes sense to anyone? It’s more immersive using a 1st person perspective and easier to get fully invested as I feel more connected to the story and characters.
10 Likes
Of course you’re allowed, this is a poll after all. Plus, explaining the reasoning behind one’s choice helps others to hopefully understand why they did that 
3 Likes
I say 2nd person . 1st person never worked for me . Be it in a story (always feel like…it’s not my character, but kinda I’m looking over the shoulder of the writer…) just doesnt fit . Thats why in games (outta there), that damn 1st person view where you see only hands and peoples harpe about ‘Immersion’ crap…its a floating camera . Nothing more…
I get immersed with 2nd and 3rd view . But rarely if ever in 1st person view .
3 Likes
Fair enough, even though I’m a 1st-person guy. There’s something about that immersion crap that draws me in 
Although I will admit this; 1st-person is more limiting in what the PC sees. 2nd-person and 3rd-person doesn’t seem to suffer from this issue much. At least, not what I’ve found.
I would like to present you with the “Epiphany of the Year” award, if you don’t mind
Just one question; where did you find a published CoG/HG/HC game that takes on a 3rd-person PoV?
1 Like
and some peoples like me, get headech and dizzie and confused in 1st person view . Thats another reason why I can’t stand it .
There is nothing wrong with 1st person view . But some peoples use it as an exuse to shove it into others . Every person get immersed in their own way . But to claim ‘‘1st person view is better for immersion’’ is utter bullshit and its just a power grab thing .
never seen one . when I mentioned the 3rd person, was talking about games outta there where you get to zoom out and see your character . Though, maybe normal books have 3rd person?
‘‘Alice met the wizard of Oz…and he wouldn’t share his cookies. So she punched his silly hat off and run away again’’ 
4 Likes
I agree with this, except the “power grab thing”. Never in my entire internet life (about to be a decade now) I saw someone trying to grab power by trying to claim that 1st-person was better than 2nd-person or 3rd-person
It would probably go like the “PC Master Race” thing, if I were to guess how someone would campaign for it.
Almost all normal books have 3rd-person PoV.
I can vaguely remember an HG game that had 3rd-person PoV. I think I found it during my ulitmately futile search for the third game of the VERSUS series, back when I was new to CoG.
The cross-over that didn’t happen, but should’ve happened
3 Likes
Oh, I hope what I said earlier didn’t come across that way, I wasn’t trying to say it’s a superior writing style in general, I merely meant that I personally consider it more immersive.
1 Like