Visual Novels, do you play or do you read them?

[Kenshin_sama]

Like Decay, I use both interchangeably. They're both technically correct; you "play" the visual novel by advancing the text and using other interface features, and you "read" the text that comes up in it.

[ittaku]

Both. Usually one plays with themselves while reading them.

[B0X0R]

I say play because I've always associated VN's as a form of video games. But at the end of the day, I couldn't give even half a shit what verb is used.

[Mikimir]

Both. I mean who cares, nobody is gonna care what words I use.

[Scorp]

I use read. There is no gameplay in your typical VN, so no difference between VN and manga (means in manga you look on images and read text and click/scroll to next page, you do same in VN) as I read both on tablet. Yes, exist some VNs with gameplay like Baldr, but in 99% you really read them.

[Nightmare799]

A friend of mine is constantly nagging me when I say "I'm currently playing *VN-title-here*. He says something like "you don't play them, you read them". Not that I thoroughly agree, but I noticed saying "read" myself after a while when talking about VNs. What is your opinion on this subject?

 

Tell him to ¨read¨ utawarerumono or kamidori alchemy meister

 

Also this argument is like arguing whether to say sex or gender.

I MEAN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!

[Bolverk]

"Visual Novels, do you play or do you read"

Heh. Read, meh. I don't play them either, I plow them.

[arakura]

Depends on how much you are reading versus how much you are playing. Is it Rance or is it Tsukihime? Generally I say read. Games are for playing, written stories are for reading.

[Zalor]

I tend to use the two interchangeably, but usually if I say "play" I actually mean read. So I guess read is my answer. 

[Darklord Rooke]

A friend of mine is constantly nagging me when I say "I'm currently playing *VN-title-here*. He says something like "you don't play them, you read them". Not that I thoroughly agree, but I noticed saying "read" myself after a while when talking about VNs. What is your opinion on this subject?

 

As others have mentioned it depends on the degree of interactivity in each game. 999 is considered a VN but you wouldn't "read" it, rather you'd "play" it.

[Lexyvil]

I actually say "Play" if there's at least one type of interaction present (either by a choice in a conditional branch or any other form of gameplay involved).

 

Otherwise, I say "Read", for a Kinetic VN.

[Noumi Kudryavka]

I usually end up saying read/play all the time (read slash play). But yeah, it's a reading game, what else do you want?

[Thunderbro]

I always use the term read, unless the visual novel has gameplay sections (such as in DanganRonpa or 999), in which case I'd say that I play them. 

[Youko]

I have wondered for some time now how other people think about VNs. Do you think of yourself as playing or reading VNs. For insistence I mostly think of myself as reading them the same way I would read a book or manga but with the added benefit of knowing that the main character will not go insane and decide that he likes a blonde tsundere.  However I know at least one person who thinks of it more like playing a game and plays through the first time making whatever choices he wants to make and after that changes just enough of the decisions to end up on whatever route he wants. 

EDIT

to be clear this is not a question about definitions but a discussion about attitudes. do you try to put a bit of yourself into the game and make as many choices  based on what you think the answers should be, while staying the route you want, or do you sit back and enjoy the story of the courtship or adventures of some interesting people

[Fiddle]

Yes.

[Eclipsed]

They are interchangeable in my book.

In the technicality school of technical linguistic technical differences between technical definitions between the technical words read and play, you would technically be more in line with reading a VN rather than playing due to the technical lengthy texties naturey of the VN.

Like, technically no1 will ever say they are technically playing a regular, physical book, more in that they are reading. Because again, the lengthy texties naturey of the book.

VNs that technically have gameplay elements can definitely be a technical exception in which one is technically playing instead of being limited to the technical read, but

tldr yes

[Soulless Watcher]

42

[Darklord Rooke]

3 minutes ago, Eclipsed said:

VNs that technically have gameplay elements can definitely be a technical exception in which one is technically playing instead of being limited to the technical read, but

tldr yes

Because reading is an activity which can be incorporated in activities you 'play', like you 'play cRPGs' you don't 'read them' even though they can incorporate a good deal of text, VNs with gameplay elements should be said to be 'played'.

[Youko]

9 minutes ago, Eclipsed said:

They are interchangeable in my book.

In the technicality school of technical linguistic technical differences between technical definitions between the technical words read and play, you would technically be more in line with reading a VN rather than playing due to the technical lengthy texties naturey of the VN.

Like, technically no1 will ever say they are technically playing a regular, physical book, more in that they are reading. Because again, the lengthy texties naturey of the book.

VNs that technically have gameplay elements can definitely be a technical exception in which one is technically playing instead of being limited to the technical read, but

tldr yes

it is possible that the way I phrased this topic was misleading. I did not mean this as a technical grammatical question but one of attitude. I am somewhat more detached, enjoying the story of some interesting people while i think my friend tries to put a bit of himself and his attitudes into the main character.

[Deep Blue]

I think there is a thread already about this that's why some users are not answering you, sass level over 9000

 

[Clephas]

42 minutes ago, Youko said:

I have wondered for some time now how other people think about VNs. Do you think of yourself as playing or reading VNs. For insistence I mostly think of myself as reading them the same way I would read a book or manga but with the added benefit of knowing that the main character will not go insane and decide that he likes a blonde tsundere.  However I know at least one person who thinks of it more like playing a game and plays through the first time making whatever choices he wants to make and after that changes just enough of the decisions to end up on whatever route he wants. 

EDIT

to be clear this is not a question about definitions but a discussion about attitudes. do you try to put a bit of yourself into the game and make as many choices  based on what you think the answers should be, while staying the route you want, or do you sit back and enjoy the story of the courtship or adventures of some interesting people

It depends.  Generally, with your standard VN, it is more of a 'reading' feeling.  With hybrids, it is a gaming feeling. 

[Eclipsed]

24 minutes ago, Rooke said:

Because reading is an activity which can be incorporated in activities you 'play', like you 'play cRPGs' you don't 'read them' even though they can incorporate a good deal of text, VNs with gameplay elements should be said to be 'played'.

Ty for the save, Rooke-sama :3
 

7 minutes ago, Deep Blue said:

I think there is a thread already about this that's why some users are not answering you, sass level over 9000

 

Eyyyyy! no wonder it sounded familiar!

merged  

[Leaf]

"Read" sounds more mature than "play" if I say so. I guess it's about how you view the VN and yourself, though my opinion like everything else will always be mixed.

[Fred the Barber]

When I need to vocalize that I am transitively acting on a VN, my brain picks a verb randomly from the set {"to play", "to read"}.

So like Fiddle said: yes

[Valmore]

On 6/30/2015 at 1:48 AM, Decay said:

My opinion: "Who cares?" I use the two interchangeably because it really doesn't matter. I couldn't possibly think of a less important issue.

^ +1 This

I say read. You say play. Whatever. It's not worth arguing over.

 

On 7/2/2015 at 5:23 PM, ittaku said:

Both. Usually one plays with themselves while reading them.

The farce is strong in this one. We can all learn from this.