What do you think about gender selection in otome games?

[Arisara]

I've noticed that whenever a good non-Japanese otome game comes out, a lot of people start asking for add male MC or yuri routes..

 

[totallyamanda]

i am in the vein of if it's an 'otome', it's a female heroine with love interests with majority if all being male, one or two female love interest does not make it a yuri game to me because the focus is still on a female audience. ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

i do agree with the usage of amare to differientiate between the two because i do believe gender neutrality is an enjoyable way for a multitude of people to enjoy a game. (..◜ᴗ◝..)

HOWEVER, it comes with a caveat of if there is gender selection certain things must be tweaked to have it written to the gender selected otherwise it is immersion ruining a la bathing with men like op or sleeping/sleepovers with the opposite sex (if that makes sense). ( °ヮ° )

like others have stated, the issue arises with the fact that women spaces must be inclusive of everyone and bend to adjust while the same is not expected of men's and is rarely given to women in the same and equal capacity. (૭ ｡•̀ ᵕ •́｡ )૭

there's still a stigma attached to women in gaming let alone 'girl games' that is often met with ridicule or vitriol and so it's hard to not want a little exclusivity when women have been excluded for so long and be protective of these spaces. ( •̀ᴗ•́ )و ̑̑

 

[BiscuitB]

I wouldn't mind it if it didn't affect the quality of the story or my enjoyment of the CGs. But a lot of the time, it does. The MC ends up feeling flat, with no real background, no face, and no presence in the CGs. It takes me out of the immersion. At that point, I'd rather read a Twine story.

I felt like this is one of the reason I moved from V/N to IF. I do enjoy visual novels, I've moved from otome to amare games, as I felt more apart of the game but I agree when they cater to both it can make it difficult to give them distinct characteristic. Which I get can be hard from a game developer perspective,but then makes it unenjoyable for your audience

 

[dogiwall]

I've noticed that whenever a good non-Japanese otome game comes out, a lot of people start asking for add male MC or yuri routes..

like others have stated, the issue arises with the fact that women spaces must be inclusive of everyone and bend to adjust while the same is not expected of men's and is rarely given to women in the same and equal capacity. (૭ ｡•̀ ᵕ •́｡ )૭

I'm frustrated that these kind of people outright refuse to support BL, GL, amare games especially when it's pointed out to them that those games exist and that they should support them rather than demand an entire genre meant for women be changed to accomdodate them. And if you point it out to them, they're gonna ignore what you say, claim that games in these genres barely exist, try to argue that otome is a catch-all term for romance, say that you and the genre is homophobic, and go "Oh, I can't play otome games then???"

It outright comes off across as them thinking that it's easier to leech off a genre that worked hard to get where it is rather than help support genres that's actually for them.

 

[Kyouri]

Selecting gender would make it not an otome anymore. I feel like maybe at most, if you could select non binary or something and not really change too much about the content it would be okay but otherwise, it's always going to lean one way or the other like you said with the pictures/content/etc. I've seen some indie ones where selecting "female" but you end up basically playing a BL which is super misleading....

 

[Arisara]

I'm frustrated that these kind of people outright refuse to support BL, GL, amare games especially when it's pointed out to them that those games exist and that they should support them rather than demand an entire genre meant for women be changed to accomdodate them. And if you point it out to them, they're gonna ignore what you say, claim that games in these genres barely exist, try to argue that otome is a catch-all term for romance, say that you and the genre is homophobic, and go "Oh, I can't play otome games then???"

It outright comes off across as them thinking that it's easier to leech off a genre that worked hard to get where it is rather than help support genres that's actually for them.

I don't understand such ppl. I love bl and amare genre new to me but still like it. But when i want play otome i just want play otome game. I don't understand why need something change. When i want play bl i play bl.

 

[hashi]

I feel that if you can choose your gender, it's no longer a "otome" game.
Up until now, games with female protagonists have been fewer in number compared to those with male protagonists. Even when you could choose a female protagonist, she was often treated almost the same as a male character, or the game was aimed at male players.
In this era of diversity, just when I thought female protagonists were finally being respected, it feels like they're being pushed even further to the sidelines.
Of course, it's fine to have a variety of romance games. But I want the "otome" genre to continue valuing female protagonists and heterosexual relationships.

 

[moçoroca de abacate]

Sometimes I find it annoying because, even when I select the "female" gender, the MC is bald, faceless, and lacks a female body... What is the point of being able to choose a "female" character if she looks completely male?

I hate how many western otome games feature an MC who is bald, has a male body, and lacks eyes, a mouth, or a face. For example, in The Freak Circus: the MC is bald and lacks breasts or curves in all the CGs. And sometimes, even when playing as a female, she is still referred to using masculine terms (I assume it's a writing error, but it happens frequently even when playing in brazilian portuguese – which is the game's original language since the creator is a brazilian man).

 

[witty*]

As a man myself, i feel much more comfortable playing it with the gender i do identify, so i enjoy gender selection, even though i usually go for a established MC. However, i don't consider these vns to be otoges, but rather amare ones.

I think it's very important to not mix these labels, as doing so could end up undermining safe spaces for women. Even companies use the "otome" label when the game isn't actually one. That said, i've been very happy to see more diversity in VNs, and canon queer LIs. ^^

 

[Pancito]

Personally, I don't have any problem with games offering gender selection. The more options players have to enjoy the game the way they want, the better. However, I do have an issue when that feature isn't implemented consistently. If I choose to play as a female protagonist, I expect the CGs, character design, and presentation to reflect that choice. When some elements are still clearly masculine, it breaks my immersion and makes the experience feel a bit unfinished.

 

[ninnikuryona]

theyre not otome and shouldnt be considered so. id also like it if devs directly specified that their game has a customizable mc so those who arent interested in the genre could avoid it with no issues:D

id also really appreciate it if devs stopped intentionally mistagging their games and then playing victim when theyre being called out. i dont believe intentionally mistagging games to help "boost" visibility is good, because it just reads as deceptive. not everyone is interested in games with a sexless mc. i play otome precisely because i enjoy seeing women being loved by handsome men!! if i want a bl experience, why wouldnt i just play a direct bl game? and, likewise, why would i boot up a sexless blob mc game for yuri experience when there are hundreds of beautiful yuri games waiting to be explored (and supported)?
same with tagging otome as amare btw, when i see a game tagged as amare i immediately lose interest, even if the game itself is a pure amare experience. i hope devs will be able to sort out their tagging issues soon..^^

and also, there are tons of people who treat amare as this holy grail and put it above otome while claiming otome as "hetslop". even then, they steal 90% of their tropes and aesthetics from otome, however they usually cannot even implement them correctly since their yaoi fetish is too strong for a neutral writing LOL so it just feels like youre playing a bl, but with a female protagonist. ????? why would this be valid in any way?

to put it simply, i have a looooot of gripes with amare and the audience it usually attracts WW

 

[ninnikuryona]

()

i guess im just incredibly frustrated with the way otome as a genre is being treated nowadays. its constantly under blast for being "homophobic" or "slop" or "fetishizing/normalizing/sexualizing", meanwhile amare devs are STILL stealing everything from otome and try to pass it as their own creation. no babe you just created a frankenstein's monster no sane romance lover would be interested in. if its somewhat "homophobic" to repeat the definition of otome (gxb with not bl), then why is it not considered homophobic to barge into otome communities and demand bl while leaving actual bl titles to rot with no support? hell, im not a fujoshi yet i still show more support to bl than those who are supposed to be fans of the genre!! is this not absurd? am i not supposed to see the issue with this mindset?

 

[Lynettee]

Well, from my perspective, it's not an otome game. I think I've played very few Amare games; in fact, I only just learned what they're called by reading this post, lol. And when I have played them, it's because they're mislabeled. I'm not interested in BL games, and I'm not interested in Amare games.

The thing is, I've experienced what they're saying: they add so many character customization features—gender, personality—that ultimately, adding so much instead of helping ends up making what you're offering a game with half-baked features, and the CGs are just as bad. No matter how many features you add, the story is going to end up exactly the same. That gives you a protagonist who's flat, much flatter than the protagonists in otome games who have no personality, because in this case, the protagonist doesn't even have a defined appearance.

 

[Mutamento]

Personally, I really like visual novels that let you choose your gender. Even though I always pick a female character, having the option puts me at ease—even if I don't actually end up using that feature. By the way, I used to confuse *otome* games with *amare* games, until someone pointed out that games offering a gender choice should be classified as *amare* games.

 

[藍色水珠]

If I could freely choose my gender/appearance, I would prefer a female character. Long hair isn't necessary; a more androgynous style is fine, and cross-dressing is also acceptable. I prioritize character development, dialogue, and story content; appearance is secondary—as long as it's pleasing to the eye, that's enough.

如果可以自由選擇性別外觀，我偏好女性優先。外貌不見得長髮，偏中性打扮，女扮男裝也可以。我比較在意人物塑造、角色言行、故事內容，外表其次，看得順眼就好。

 

[selinee]

I've noticed that whenever a good non-Japanese otome game comes out, a lot of people start asking for add male MC or yuri routes..

It's because Western fans have a fundamental misunderstanding of the otome genre. They either think it's a generic dating game or a game for girls - which means BL is okay, because ALL girls like BL too, right?? It's fanservice! Everyone wants it!! /s

^ Post from X btw. "Yaoi in their otome" bro if it's otome it won't have yaoi, and if it's yaoi it can't be otome. Pick one.

People like these is why I don't want gender selection in "otome games" anymore. I used to be fine with it, but with the rise of performative inclusivity crowd, people have seemingly forgotten that otome is a genre for women focused on het romance. It is what the genre is about. Not every genre has to be for you, and that's okay. You don't go into a bakery complaining why they don't serve you fried chicken.

If it has gender selection, it falls into the amare category, or dating sim, or romance game, but not otome. I'd rather otome developers focus on writing a story with a specific, well-developed MC, than a genderless entity without any defining characteristic.

 

[dogiwall]

It's because Western fans have a fundamental misunderstanding of the otome genre. They either think it's a generic dating game or a game for girls - which means BL is okay, because ALL girls like BL too, right?? It's fanservice! Everyone wants it!! /s

SMH, people always try to credit fujos to like everything there is lmao

Regarding the comment in the screenshot, I don't think they realize that there's men that aren't into yuri and hates it lol. And I dunno if it's just me, but I find it extremely iffy for obvious reasons. If they wanted inclusivity, wouldn't they want it to be taken seriously rather than as fanservice????

 

[koschej]

I think it's a good idea to make a distinction between otome games and amare games. To me, otome games should have female protagonists.

I think it's great that some games offer different gender identities to choose from. I know some people really prefer that, and I think representation is important. But as others have said, slapping the otome tag on those games doesn't really help anyone. It just makes it harder for everyone to find what they're actually looking for.

 

[starlight7]

I came in thinking how I always love it when there's gender option for non-otome games.
I've never heard of amare(?) games and it doesn't sound appealing to me esp if the cg or character design doesn't look like female even if you choose female.
Although by having a choice to be a male..it no longer seems like "otome" game.
If there is option to change gender, they should at least make two different versions of story and character design!

 

[Karoliuxx]

I agree it is not considered otome anymore, but amare. I do enjoy playing them, but it often feels like the gender choice doesn't matter and my character seems to be treated like a man.

 

[BiscuitB]

I feel like it the western part of the world not truly understanding what Otome actually is. They joined in to a community usually either from BL or something similar and don't understand why it's not catered to them in the way they want it.

 

[kevinless]

It simply isnt an otome, and im saying this as a person who prefers 'otomes' with gender selection. I think people only call amares otomes is because they just havent heard of the term amare or dont know the full meaning of otome, im guessing the meaning just got lost in the translation.

 

[Rosellia]

Gender selection seems to be so common for western indie otome games now, but I am personally not a fan. I am fine if they label it as amare instead of otome but so many of them label it as otome that it muddles the genre. I personally don't like gender selection in romance VN in general since there are always differences between male and female protagonists and other characters reaction to the protagonists that pretty much gets ignored in these types of games. To me it ends up having a protagonist and game world that feels empty. This is mostly the main reason why I play more JP and CN otome games because otome for me will always be female protagonist romancing male LI

 

[hib]

Those Are Not Otome . . . . It's Amare ! !
No Shade , But Devs Mistag It And It Clogs Up Searching Otome On Itch : (

Also , Gender Selections Are Always So Half Baked Most Of The Time . It's Easy To Just Switch Out Pronouns And Write A Genderless Blob , But That Ends Up With A Genderless Blob With Pronouns . When Devs Put In The Effort To Write Gender And Appearance , It Is Amazing ! ! !

For Now , This Only Happens With Genitals For Sexo ; Good Forbid You Have A Cock And Want To Poke Butts . You ' re Now Sentenced To Bottom Role For Life ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

 

[mizumachi]

I don't consider romance vns with selectable genders or the mc being gender neutral otome. back in the day, i understand people using that term since the english otome community was very small and growing, but now? we have amare - use it. or just say romance game, it's that easy.

The issue with gender neutral amares is that a gender neutral mc essentially equates to man. a male love interest SHOULD react differently if the mc is a girl or if the mc is a boy or even nonbinary. it's basic writing!! i love when rpgs have a gender selection and it affects dialogue and how characters interact. amares skip over this, and it stands out especially in more modern settings.

They want the "otome" feel for their bl/amares but they fail to realise that the feel literally stems from male characters reacting to a female. even in vns like birushana and kenka bancho where the femc is in a male disguise, you're just waiting for the point when the men realise she's a girl