How do you define an otome game? Does Infinity Nikki count as one?

No, I wouldn't consider Infinity Nikki an otome game. An otome game is a game with a female protagonist that focuses on romance as a core element, with several male characters that the player can build relationships with. Infinity Nikki is primarily a dress-up and adventure game with media aimed at women but romance isn't a major focus of the game so it not an otome.

Litth said:

An otome game is a game with a female protagonist that focuses on romance as a core element, with several male characters that the player can build relationships with.

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I second this!

Also, another issue is whether the developers themselves even label it as an otome game. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there was a game that avoided the otome label, maybe Love and Deepspace? But I can't recall clearly =)))

Honestly, I'd call Infinity Nikki as josei-muke(translated as 'for women'). In the broad sense, all otome games are josei-muke(because otome games are geared 'for women'), but not all otome games are josei-muke, because otome games focus on romance. IN does not have romance, afaik(there are hints in earlier Nikki games though).

To be honest, I have a bit of a hot take about this. I actually find the term R18 'otome' games like an oxymoron, because otome means 'maiden'. Most people who knows Japanese would know the word otomegokoro(a maiden's heart) or.. just what is the general consensus of why someone is called an 'otome'/maiden(I'm not talking about gender here. Even some people call a straight guy to have an 'otomegokoro'. Lol. An otome/maiden is typically described as someone who has shy, conflicting feelings of a young, innocent girl in love). That's why I think it's weird for R18 to be paired with the word otome, so I simply classify R18 otome games as 'joseimuke' games in my head. But otome games have already established itself as 'any game with a female protag romancing one or more guys', so even for R18 otome games or otome games with a mature female protagonist, they're still called otome games as long as romance is involved.

It's the same if someone came up to me saying they like this 'shoujo' manga because the female protagonist is mature or is not a teenager, not knowing that the term 'josei' exists. Hahaha. Josei-muke is a newer term than otome games, much like how the term 'josei' is a newer term than 'shoujo'.

LapisWhale said:

I second this!

Also, another issue is whether the developers themselves even label it as an otome game. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there was a game that avoided the otome label, maybe Love and Deepspace? But I can't recall clearly =)))

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Nah, I think Love and Deepspace is marketed as an otome game. If they don't use the word 'otome', they'd still market is as a game for women.

I think you're probably talking about Jack Jeanne? It does have a female protag that can bond with male characters, but the romance is honestly not a focus on that game, so people might be disappointed or feel ripped off if it's marketed as an 'otome' game.

Like my other message, some devs want to pull away from the word otome precisely because the word otome itself is associated with 'innocence'. So even the game even if TEMPEST is an otome game but the tone of the story doesn't 'feel' like an otome game, but there's no good popular enough term to advertise it as such.

You could call it a female-oriented game, but you definitely can't call it an otome game.

Female-oriented games are aimed primarily at a female audience. This includes otome games, BL, card collection games, dress-up games, and so on. As long as the main target is female players, you could even call it a female-oriented game.

Otome games are just one branch of female-oriented games. The core of an otome game is romance, with a female protagonist and multiple male characters as love interests. You progress through the story to reach a romantic ending.

To put it in a kind of crass analogy: It's like saying "the father resembles the son" — it just doesn't work the other way around lol.