Emperor Emblem Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I've been gradually introducing my friends into the world of VNs. Primarily through getting them to play some of the easier VNs to set up that suited their tastes, however I've only managed to get about one person interested in VNs through nontraditional and gradual means This was by getting them into the Fire Emblem series first and getting them to be more involved in their characters. By gradually drawing them into focusing on character personalities and relationships, along with occasionally mentioning some VNs, eventually let me introduce them to Majikoi and get them instantly hooked. i'm just wondering if anyone else can think of any fun means of introducing people to this wonderful and moderately niche fanbase. Also sorry about the typo in the topic title, i realized it only moments after release Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinkBlinkel Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Try giving them VNs with gameplay segments. It's how I got myself into VNs, and it's a lot easier to digest a lot of text with breaks in between. Try telling them to play games like Phoenix Wright or Zero Escape. I've actually gotten a ton of people into Zero Escape, and they in turn became more interested in VNs. Not to the point of actually trying any (Actually, I think two of them played Katawa Shoujo), but they were definitely more receptive than they otherwise would have been. 999 in particular is a really solid "buffer" between puzzle game and VN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Emblem Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 yeah, Phoenix Wright is how i got my sister to show interest in VNs, personally i've just always been into this sort of thing, and when i found multiple forms of access... well, let's just say that my VNs and screenshots take up almost as much space as the other games that i always keep installed on my computer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flutterz Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Well, if they like reading books then you can tell them that VNs are basically slightly-animated books or something like that. If you think getting them through a game would be a good idea the Persona series, 999 and Zero Escape are great games with VN elements to them. If both of those fail, well, I guess you could just straight up getting them to play a VN while you watch and see if they're into it. Which one depends on the person, really. One might get hooked through Katawa Shoujo, another through Saya no Uta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Emblem Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Well, if they like reading books then you can tell them that VNs are basically slightly-animated books or something like that. If you think getting them through a game would be a good idea the Persona series, 999 and Zero Escape are great games with VN elements to them. If both of those fail, well, I guess you could just straight up getting them to play a VN while you watch and see if they're into it. Which one depends on the person, really. One might get hooked through Katawa Shoujo, another through Saya no Uta. the primary purpose of the topic though is how to get unlikely people to enjoy VNs, people who aren't into reading, characters, and/or story that much. In other words, atypical means or psychological tricks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flutterz Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 the primary purpose of the topic though is how to get unlikely people to enjoy VNs, people who aren't into reading, characters, and/or story that much. In other words, atypical means or psychological tricks Fair enough. Well, the games method still applies. I've also heard of someone borrowing a friend's USB stick and putting a VN on it without telling the person, and apparently it worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Emblem Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Fair enough. Well, the games method still applies. I've also heard of someone borrowing a friend's USB stick and putting a VN on it without telling the person, and apparently it worked. huehuehue... temptation to do that is rising Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garejei Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Saya no Uta and tell them it's a love story (not a lie). Chuckle as they're scarred for life. Kidding aside, I agree with Phoenix Wright being a good entry VN, partly for its gameplay segments. I've seen too many people being outraged by Analogue on Steam because it didn't have any gameplay. However, for people that might be into anime but are bored of so many moe shows, something like Saya might, in fact, be a good recommendation, just to show them what it's like to really dive into the dark side. Depends on the person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvachief Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Getting people into VNs can be pretty tricky. I managed to cultivate some interest in my girlfriend by showing her True Remembrance, which she loved, but others may be put off by the average art. I've found that getting her to play longer games isn't as successful because she becomes bored during the introductory segments (which are admittedly pretty long). I think Dengeki Stryker is a pretty good introductory VN (once you've gotten someone over the hurdle of the adult content). It's easy to get into, comedic and has a straightforward yet entertaining story. The gameplay strategy would also work well, however, with Dangan Ronpa being a prime example. I personally was hooked by Aselia the Eternal as my first VN, though the relatively complicated gameplay may turn some people off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InvertMouse Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 As WinkBlinkel mentioned, ones with gameplay elements might be good. I think introducing them to shorter works is also a good idea. That'll let them have that satisfaction of clearing a game more quickly. If they are gamers, referring VNs as games instead of VNs could help, too? I've shown Narcissu to a couple of friends before. They seemed to have genuinely enjoyed it, yet when the sequel came out, they never bothered to give it a go. Odd ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supah Kawaii Weeaboo Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Don't be a pushy fan. If you insist that people like the things you enjoy, you'll probably turn them away. One of the reasons I entered VN fandom was because I wanted romance games. I understand that not too many people share my interest. Still, if you find someone who wants a romance story, think about what they already like, and why they enjoy it. Look for freeware and commercial VNs that are similar to their favorite media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Emblem Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 Don't be a pushy fan. If you insist that people like the things you enjoy, you'll probably turn them away. One of the reasons I entered VN fandom was because I wanted romance games. I understand that not too many people share my interest. Still, if you find someone who wants a romance story, think about what they already like, and why they enjoy it. Look for freeware and commercial VNs that are similar to their favorite media. it's not to force it upon them, i try to show most friends and decent acquaintances just how broad of an area games, books, VNs, anime, manga, comics, and plenty of other pop culture things cover, the issue is that many people i know have an initially biased opinion of VNs or completely misunderstand what they are and use that uninformed opinion to avoid playing them. Most of the time i just try to introduce people to these sorts of things just so that they can have a personal non-biased opinion, if the still don't like them then that's completely fine with me. The whole gradually sneaking in a VN or two is done simply so that they aren't immediately going to say "no" or maintain those biased opinions and not even focus on what's going on and just say that they don't like them. My intentions are largely pure at heart, and in my case, well i'm essentially one of the most heavily absorbed into this culture and want to bring it up for those who aren't likely to ever look into it... most people i know didn't grow up with a sibling that did the initial introduction into the world of Japanese otaku culture and developed the habit of at least researching something before forming an opinion of it. Some people that i know don't really have any interests or have not taken the time to develop any, this is another reason why i introduce them to this stuff, to let them start forming an idea as to what they enjoy when it comes to entertainment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest loppez Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Don't be a pushy fan. If you insist that people like the things you enjoy, you'll probably turn them away. One of the reasons I entered VN fandom was because I wanted romance games. I understand that not too many people share my interest. Still, if you find someone who wants a romance story, think about what they already like, and why they enjoy it. Look for freeware and commercial VNs that are similar to their favorite media. this. don't push it. i am not sure why you are so eager to do that. if they don't like japanese culture, anime etc. i really doubt they are gonna enjoy vns. if they do like such things, they will find out about vns without anybody's help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
O. Van Bruce Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Get then to play the Persona Series, Danganronpa and Corpse Party. Fron there move onto Point and click adventures like Phoenix Wright or Time Hollow. Then move into proper VNs like Umineko or Steins;Gate. If the other party is a weaboo then you can surely move him/her onto more moe and drama stuff. 2 tips: - To like reading =/= liking VNs. You should have some exposure to japanese media before otherwise, very few VNs reach the quality of your usual best seller novels so you must enjoy the constant use of memes and premade personalities used on 95% of VNs. - Don't force it: this is a niche genre for a reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azengar Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Get then to play the Persona Series, Danganronpa and Corpse Party. Fron there move onto Point and click adventures like Phoenix Wright or Time Hollow. Then move into proper VNs like Umineko or Steins;Gate. If the other party is a weaboo then you can surely move him/her onto more moe and drama stuff. 2 tips: - To like reading =/= liking VNs. You should have some exposure to japanese media before otherwise, very few VNs reach the quality of your usual best seller novels so you must enjoy the constant use of memes and premade personalities used on 95% of VNs. - Don't force it: this is a niche genre for a reason. I agree, having a great understanding of the japanese media if I would've discovered visual novels before watching and reading tons of animes & mangas I don't think I would've enjoyed much, not to mention that most VN are also very long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanleys Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 It seems to me that VN's are kind of an acquired taste. Not many people I know started reading VN's or watching anime because someone introduced them to it but because they saw it on their own and were interested on it. Its just one of those things people have to find on their own to enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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