The History and Allure of Interactive Visual Novels

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Description

Visual novels (VNs), a ludic video game genre that pairs textual fiction stories with anime-like images and varying degrees of interactivity, have increased in popularity among Western audiences in recent years. Despite originating in Japan, these stories have made their way into global culture as a genre accessible for both play and creation with wide-ranging themes from horror and loneliness to sexuality. The History and Allure of Interactive Visual Novels begins with a comprehensive overview of the visual novel genre and the cultural evolution that led to its rise, then explains the tropes and appeal of subgenres like bishojo (cute girl games), detective games, horror, and eroge (erotic games). Finally, the book explores the future of the genre in both user-generated games and games from other genres that liberally borrow both narrative and ludological themes from visual novels. Whether youre a long-standing fan of the genre or a newcomer looking for a fresh experience, The History and Allure of Interactive Visual Novels will provide an accessible and critically engaging overview of a genre that is rich in storytelling yet often overlooked.

Reviews

In this essential volume for scholars of narrative play, Mark Kretzschmar and Sara Raffel take on the complexity of the form of visual novels, exploring well-known exemplars such as dating simulators alongside hybrids and even less-studied erotic works. Offering this comprehensive survey alongside a detailed ludography of suggested works for play spanning the last several decades, this wide-ranging overview can serve as a guide for exploring these works and the growing significance of visual novels as a global form. * Anastasia Salter, Associate Professor of English at the University of Central Florida, USA *
The Visual Novel as a video game genre is widely recognizable and impactful, deceptively simple in its presentation and tricky to truly pin down in its entirety. This book is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about the rich history of Visual Novels, and how they have through their creators, players, content, media mixing, design, and development made an undeniable mark on modern day video game culture. An interesting read for game scholars, veteran players, and newcomers alike. * Elin Carstensdottir, Assistant Professor of Computational Media, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA *

Author Bio

Mark Kretzschmar is a video game scholar and holds a PhD in Texts & Technology from the University of Central Florida, USA. Sara Raffel is a narrative and technical communication scholar in the English department at the University of Central Florida, USA.