Do you self-insert while playing otomes?

[h4kusa]

I always self-insert if there is a name change function! Honestly, I feel like that's what the genre was originally meant for. If we were not supposed to put ourselves in the story, developers wouldn't give us the option to change MC's name in the first place.

You can really see it in the Tokuten CDs, too—the LIs always talk directly to the listener (as a heroine, and they don't say heroine's default name) rather than a specific character as a heroine, which makes the personal connection feel so much stronger.

 

[Angelzz]

Not really…? I play as if I'm an actor playing the heroines role, so I immerse myself in this kind of separated way. As if I'm learning her emotions and how she thinks and acting and feeling accordingly to portray her well in a TV show or something

 

[coderealize]

i find myself having a hard time to insert myself as the mc. i love watching mcs develop all throughout the game tbh... i treat it like i'm reading an immersive book instead! or maybe somewhat more similar to a manhwa hehe. another reason why i don't use my own name when there's a naming option... i don't like missing out on the way love interests say the mc's name (especially in the angstier scenarios !! like when they scream in despair or something...)

 

[Wikkushi]

Not really. I prefer MC to have their own character. (I also favor them having their own sprite and voice actor if possible). In the same time - if I don't vibe with MC - I usually dip. So yeah, it's double-edged sword.

 

[melodyofchains]

Yes I do! I feel like I'm the MC if I self-insert hahaha

 

[Gyte]

Not really. I tend to view the protagonist as her own person, so I don't self-insert much. It feels more like I'm experiencing her story than putting myself in it.

 

[Eril $akurai]

No.
I want the mc to be her own person.

 

[6161xx]

Of course. If I wanted to watch others fall in love, I would have better options. For example, romance novels and TV dramas on the market, or some visual novels, and the types are even more diverse.

 

[MooMoon]

No, never really like to self-insert. I find it weird since the MC has her own personality, struggles and different with each LIs. I like it when the MC has a voice and the LIs able to say the Mc's name making it more intimate. I've tried it before with putting my name but it's just not the same for me at least. Besides it doesn't stop me from loving the LIs on how hot they are lol

 

[Tran Gia Han]

I do both self-insert and treating the heroine as a single character. I lean more towards the latter, I enjoy watching the female protagonist and the LIs fall in love, much like reading a romance novel :DD. But sometimes, the dreamy side of me resurfaces, and I unconsciously draw myself into the story. φ(゜▽゜*)♪

 

[mhk]

Not really sure, to be honest. While some might see the MC as a separate character, I tend to just project myself onto them when I'm immersed.

 

[Akizuki]

Yes, in a way...? But only when making the choices during my first playthrough, like I try to think what /I/ would do in that exact situation

 

[sumprrson]

I don't really, in games where you could self-insert, like Tokimemo, the mc never says anything that I would say (I wish those kinds of games had more options for the mc's personality, family situation, etc.) but in games with a named mc, while she can still make choices that I wouldn't make, I don't really feel a need to either detach from her experience or to try to ignore her feelings and put my own, I can understand the way she thinks is molded by her backstory (ex. Ceres from Virche) so I don't get too upset if she thinks differently from me.
I also always choose the default name, I like it when the LIs say the mc's name even if it's different from mine

 

[piiinku]

Not really, especially to the game that have voiced name, I'd leave it to default name just to hear voice actors say the name.

 

[kotohabaki]

I used to when I was younger... But not anymore.

Nowadays if the heroine doesn't have a canon visual, I just make up an OC that can fit into the world/story.

 

[oliviya]

I don't self insert ever and whenever I get a faceless/flowerpot MC I have to make up an elaborate story in my head otherwise I can't enjoy it.

 

[avaloncode]

I very rarely see myself as the heroine and prefer heroines that are their own character but I'm curious to see how others view it!

 

[orionsbestie]

I see her as myself unless I'm feeling like imagining a different story with my favorite characters. I'm a self-inserter, and think there's no point in playing an otome game just to think of the heroine as someone else. It's an interactive game, it's not the same for me as some movie or romance novel to be a passive observer of someone else's romance when the whole point is for the player to build a relationship with the characters through choices like... Idk. It just rubs me off the wrong way personally. I'm not playing these games to watch another woman fall in love with the guys I like, that's me in that world!!

Everyone can play however they want, but I prefer to self-insert and fully support whoever else does it too.

I don't exactly care about heroines as separate characters from my experience. I just want their setting and thought process to make sense with the rest of the narrative and be coherent with the tone of the story orz Otherwise it ruins my immersion more than anything else.

 

[avaloncode]

I see her as myself unless I'm feeling like imagining a different story with my favorite characters. I'm a self-inserter, and think there's no point in playing an otome game just to think of the heroine as someone else. It's an interactive game, it's not the same for me as some movie or romance novel to be a passive observer of someone else's romance when the whole point is for the player to build a relationship with the characters through choices like... Idk. It just rubs me off the wrong way personally. I'm not playing these games to watch another woman fall in love with the guys I like, that's me in that world!!

Everyone can play however they want, but I prefer to self-insert and fully support whoever else does it too.

I don't exactly care about heroines as separate characters from my experience. I just want their setting and thought process to make sense with the rest of the narrative and be coherent with the tone of the story orz Otherwise it ruins my immersion more than anything else.

I sort of get what you mean! Nothing wrong with viewing it that way--games are meant to be played the way you want and I've self inserted in one or two!! For me, I almost never play an otoge just because I find a LI interesting. I simply like stories with women as the main character and I love seeing love!! That's why I pretty much never play otoge where the heroine doesn't have an official name (like Amnesia).

Thank u for answering btw! I love seeing different perspectives hehe

 

[kotohabaki]

I'm not much of a self-insert-er unless there's no visuals or it's a customizable MC (LADS and Magical Diary: Horse Hall)...

So I'd say, yeah, I see the heroine as separate from myself.

 

[koten]

I don't self insert, I just enjoy seeing the story unfold from the MC's point of view.

 

[YummyYum]

I don't self insert, I just enjoy seeing the story unfold from the MC's point of view.

Same for me. I like seeing the MC and the LI get together as their own people, not as myself wooing some dude.

 

[nightivory]

I never really self insert, especially since a majority of the time, these heroines have their own personalities, feelings and desires. I like to immerse myself in the story as I'm observing and processing things, and if I were to try and establish myself into the narrative, it would be quite immersion breaking, though I understand if some people do self insert.

 

[mitsumitsu]

I don't really self insert, more like I'm the fly on the wall that's somehow everywhere the whole time watching the main cast.

 

[remo]

I can empathize with the heroine, but I can't fully project myself onto her. That said, I definitely prefer female leads whose personalities are similar to mine.