H-Scenes. Really necessary?

[InvertMouse]

H-scenes don't bothered me, but at the same time, I've never played a game where I felt like they were necessary. For one, I can say they do nothing to arouse me in the slightest . I'm one of those people who find clothed girls more attractive. In fact, often I just skip through the H-scenes, because the dialogue during those parts are often generic. The only except I can recall is playing through Kawana Misaki's route in ONE. By the time that H-scene came, I was so attached to the character that I wanted to hear every single word she had to say.

[Okami]

Same as Tay am I am not rely big fun of H-Scenes with the exception that I don't mind them either. I am a big romance fan so I prefer romance based relationship rather than sex based relationship Hower in most ero-games H-scenes are usually main events of the characters' relationship so it would feel like I missed something if I don't read them. But you should know that I am a special case as my beliefs forbid sexual last so after years of training I menage to totally get rid of sexual desires, so when I reed H-Scenes I watch them from different perspectives than most people.

[Eurobeatz]

Sex scenes bore the hell out of me yet I always chose an eroge over an all-ages game when I have the choice. For some reason, romance-based games without sex scenes feel incomplete to me.

[Steve]

we have some serious gravediggers here to revive this topic (but don't take me wrong, its better than starting new topic with the exact same topic so props to you for actually finding it and continuing it )

I think there is one more by Invertmouse on the theme where I commented and I also commented a lot in the Moenovel on why H-scenes are essential for some VNs.

And as for personal preference, I will be repeating what I said in those other topics, this medium of eroge, I like it as a substitute for actual dating, since I stopped doing that years ago. And as for dating, one of the goals (at least for males) is to have sex, so if this medium of dating simulations would lack one of the goals/rewards you do real dating for, it would be insufficient for me.

Yes, visual novels have good story and can be fun even without the romancing part, but then I have very hard times bringing myself to actually finish them, because I feel like I could watch an anime or read an actual book, see a movie or something and I would get the same non-romantic experience.

That is why I never finished Ever 17 after I played 1 route and why I am currently not even planning on finishing Rewrite after 2 routes I payed. Yes the stories of the games are awesome, but I like this medium because I can experience a romantic relationship (with all the stuff surrounding it, kissing, going out together, experiencing difficult stuff together and also having sex together).

If the game only offers a story without a romance, I will probably stay back (give I still have like 10000 animes on my back list that have "good story" but never get to watch them).

I figured for past years that I am not much of a "story" guy as I am a personality guy, so I like games like Mass Effect (where to be honest the "story" isnt the strongest part [good vs evil], but the characters are what make the plot interesting), same as with Game of Thrones, I just love the character interaction and the political affairs between the characters.

One could say that the character inceraction is this "story" people are calling and I would agree, but lot of other people I know say that GoT is boring and that nothing is happening as far as the story goes and its all characters talking - so thats why I think the story as a lore of the world is less important for me and the characters who are in the world and act in the present time (not a story of what happened years ago) are the most important part of any medium for me.

And if you have characters, you have interaction, if you have interaction, on of the interactions that are most human are sexual things, since it is how people are. That's why there is sexual references and acts in game of thrones, as without it it wouldn't make much sense and just be a fairy tale for kids.

So yes, you can have a good story in a VN based on lore of the world, fighting dragons and whatnot, but if you want mature story, before they go to kill this dragon, they would probably want to have sex. That's why soldiers before great battles in history had sex with women in the camp.

And in VNs, it is me who take the role of protagonist and I want to immerse myself to be the protagonist (not like in mass effect for example, where it is a story about a character Sheppard), I am the guy who experiences the stuff so I want to act like I want - have sex in the end (with lolis preferably ).

So yeah, I would probably end up writing much longer post than this but I'm cooking right now so I will shorten it up xD

I want H scenes as they seem like a thing I would want to do while dating and I play VNs because they offer me this dating experience, on which I've given up in the real world. In VNs I am also offered this "first love" experience with the girl, which I cannot experience IRL, as first time is only once and I already experienced it. And maybe I liked first love experience that much that I just want to experience it over and over again, and in VNs I can, with young girls as when I first experienced it myself (for some too young I guess, but first kiss with a loli is awesome xD). So yeah, I have no interest in long time relationship IRL, as it is the first few months I always enjoyed and then it turned into dating routine and I usually ended the relationship. VNs often only display the first moments and then end when it would start getting boring and that's why I love them - I can experience the early stages of love which are IMO the best and most fun And sex there is essential.

[Crimrui]

Depending on the plot and a theme I guess. You can't have nukige without it. But for the normal ones, where they are integrated after you get it going with your chosen heroine, like 俊 (Jun) stated the h-scene is mostly like a bonus. I prefer romance over it, but there are some cute and tender ones that I enjoyed, especially the ones where female is more dominant. I don't play VN with hardcore rape involved where girl is pleading for help. It's a turn off for me.

But the bottom line is, yeah, H-scenes are welcome but they are not a deal-breaker for me. I enjoy them but they are way below my primary focus.

[sanahtlig]

I feel like H-scenes cheapen the VN experience. I understand that these scenes can represent a culmination of romance between two characters, but I don't understand why they have to be so graphic.

I feel like these scenes are included in VNs for the same reason they're included in most AAA movies: the obligate sex-appeal to be used for advertising.

Sex appeal is pervasive in anime culture. It's a highly sexualized medium. Eroge are simply the culmination of that. One of the disappointing things about eroge is that many of them don't do a very good job with the buildup. You have all these fan-servicey scenes in anime, yet often in eroge they just skip right to the sex.

Whether H-scenes "cheapen" the experience depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for romance and/or sexiness, then I don't see why a decently written scene would necessarily detract from the experience. If you're not...why are you playing games that center on romancing a selection of pretty girls? Are H-scenes truly the "problem", or would the wider issue be that romances are crammed into stories that don't necessarily need them? I think it's interesting to ask oneself why one plays these games. If one of the answers is "pretty girls" or "art", then perhaps you should reexamine your position. It's one matter to dislike H-scenes on principle. It's another to dislike badly written or superfluous H-scenes.

[LordBlane]

I'm okay with it if these scene don't come out of nowhere. Like, "let's have sex now !" and they barely know each over. That what I hate the most .

[Crimrui]

I'm okay with it if these scene don't come out of nowhere. Like, "let's have sex now !" and they barely know each over. That what I hate the most

To put it more accurately:

Male: Hey... let's have sex!

Female: Eh? That's a bit...

Male: What... you don't like me?

Female: N-no... I do... it's just...

Male: If you like me then there is no problem... right?

Female: Well.. if it's you, then I don't mind...

me: Fuuuuuuuuuuuu...

[Down]

Sometimes it's also:

*Characters are alone, they talk like usual, they're not going out yet or whatever*

*Suddenly they fuck*

you: What the hell? That sure escalated quickly!

Kara no Shoujo was a by-the-book demonstration of this. The most hilarious was (not really a spoiler but still)

MC has a flashback about his dead wife. Now, you would think it would be a flashback about their encounter, about a heartwarming scene, or whatever.

But no, the whole flashback is a H-scene. Dude.

Thank god it's an awesome VN beside the H-scenes.

[Daeyamati]

Meh, like so many others have said before I don't mind H-scenes in my visual novels, but it bothers me when it's poorly written (nukige is a different ballpark altogether). More often than not I find myself just holding down the CTRL button until it's over. Like in Hoshimemo:

I can't remember if it was Asuho's second or third H-scene, but basically Asuho and You go to her house after school, she puts on a maid costume, and they have sex. There was no buildup to it; they literally had a normal day at school then went home to have sex afterwards. Yes, at that point they were already in a relationship, but to me that scene in particular just felt tacked on for the sake of having more H.

I realize I'm not the target demographic for eroge, especially male-orientated eroge, and sex definitely sells, but it can certainly be better written.

[Tay]

Whether H-scenes "cheapen" the experience depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for romance and/or sexiness, then I don't see why a decently written scene would necessarily detract from the experience. If you're not...why are you playing games that center on romancing a selection of pretty girls? Are H-scenes truly the "problem", or would the wider issue be that romances are crammed into stories that don't necessarily need them? I think it's interesting to ask oneself why one plays these games. If one of the answers is "pretty girls" or "art", then perhaps you should reexamine your position. It's one matter to dislike H-scenes on principle. It's another to dislike badly written or superfluous H-scenes.

That's a good expression of the crux of this thread: it all depends on why one plays a VN.

Personally, I love the interactivity and incorporation of audio, visual and reading to present a story. I also love the medium's ability to have significant slice-of-life elements (which isn't practical or interesting in most mediums).

Yet, I'm also a romantic at heart. I love love stories, especially slice-of-life love stories. The romance is really important (as it often reminds me of great memories with my now-wife).

Despite liking the romance, however, I don't like the sex scenes. The h-content is usually awkwardly done, sexist in varying degrees, and comes of as fanservice of the worst sort, usually playing exclusively to male power fantasies. Not to mention grossly exaggerated anatomy.

[sanahtlig]

The h-content is usually awkwardly done, sexist in varying degrees, and comes of as fanservice of the worst sort, usually playing exclusively to male power fantasies. Not to mention grossly exaggerated anatomy.

This is mostly true, as most VNs are tailored for a male audience in much the same way many softcore porn novels are tailored for a female audience in the US. Indeed, many would argue that the concept of moe itself is sexist, and Japanese culture overall is heavily gender-biased. Otome games with H-content do exist, and I expect they would address your concerns to some extent, especially since the choice of male heroes would allow you to filter out the ones with overtly sexist attitudes.

I do think the H-scenes in some male-oriented eroge would challenge your accusations of sexism. The scenes in Saya no Uta for example didn't seem particularly sexist to me. Cruel and inhuman maybe, but not sexist.

[Joshyan]

I don't have any problem with H-scene as reader (as I usually skip them).

But as a translator, it's pain in the butt and hard to do in various ways.

[tjg92]

I don't really care one way or the other. I haven't played a lot of VNs but of the ones I've played with H-scenes:

Katawa Shoujo, I can't think of a greater sin that playing this with the H-scenes turned off. Didn't even pop a boner during any of the scenes, I was to busy giggling and being really happy and shit.

Fate/Stay Night, sex scenes are completely unnecessary (and dumb) but serve really well as comedy. The game is already hilariously awkward and thank fuck they took that to the extreme with the sex lol.

That being said, I don't know if EVERY VN needs this stuff. Probably wouldn't mind if FSN didn't have any. Also it's kind of dumb that so many VNs seem to revolve around characters in high school and also have to have a disclaimer that everyone is 18. Come on, put 'em in college or something. TBH from what I've played so far these games have great stories but, not great writing*, and I think in order to write a sex scene that doesn't sound stupid you need to be a fucking fantastic writer.

*writing is kind of broad. I'm not talking about the way the story is told at all, just the way the words and sentences are pieced together. I guess I mean prose? I don't know, I'm an ignoramus. I would blame this on translation but even KS is bland in this regard.

[Fujimoto Takashi]

To put it more accurately:

Male: Hey... let's have sex!

Female: Eh? That's a bit...

Male: What... you don't like me?

Female: N-no... I do... it's just...

Male: If you like me then there is no problem... right?

Female: Well.. if it's you, then I don't mind...

me: Fuuuuuuuuuuuu...

:D/>

Yandere in a minute...*sigh* Like..I just pressed New game and BAM! H-scene...I couldnt help but facepalm and skip foward to the best of my abilites, I mean, I just got to know the girl (me, not the character) and didnt even find her attractive or anything, but the game forced me to be a perve, wich tottaly ruined the moment, WHERE IS MAH OPTIONS GODDANGIT!

Moving on...I generaly dont like nor dislike them, if they are purely there for fan-service, like, literaly throwed at you out of the window, them yeah, ill skip them, if they happen only after hours and hours romancing the heroine in question (wich is what I love the most, the romance part, Id rather have a scene where they just stand on top of a hill kissing or hugging eachother while the sun sets then a H-one) with just the intention to deepen their relationship then im tottaly fine with it, as long as they dont overdo it of course, I dont want any harcore stuff since it feels out of place due to with my intentions.

[Crimrui]

Yandere in a minute...*sigh* Like..I just pressed New game and BAM! H-scene...I couldnt help but facepalm and skip foward to the best of my abilites, I mean, I just got to know the girl (me, not the character) and didnt even find her attractive or anything, but the game forced me to be a perve, wich tottaly ruined the moment, WHERE IS MAH OPTIONS GODDANGIT!

Upupupu, so you basically knew what game I was thinking off. Haha, awesome.

Id rather have a scene where they just stand on top of a hill kissing or hugging eachother while the sun sets then a H-one

Yup, that pretty much is the winner for me. Some really tender moment can win hands down any erotic scene they throw at our way.

[InvertMouse]

I've recently put a game up on Steam and have learned of many educated people's opinions. A lot of folks will see an anime girl on the cover and go, "Ugh, it's porn ." It's certainly no help if it turns out that they're right XD. Your opinion of this in real life could affect your decision as well. Are you in a relationship for love or sex, etc. For me, I'll be happy if it just ended with a dere dere moment between the two characters (/u\).

[Fox_DL]

I liked H-Scenes when I started reading VNs but the more H-scenes I got to encounter after picking up another VN, it became more of a drag.. But if the target audience were adults, I think H-Scenes are really necessary as long as it doesn't ruin the experience.

Of course, the production company should still invest more effort with plot and character development since most adults are critical and would rather not waste their time..

[farispie]

Honestly for the most part, I really don't care for the H scenes. It just feels like fapping fodder to me.

However, there are certainly exceptions. I do take a peek at the H scenes to say if anything important lies within the sex scenes. There are only three or four visual novels that I've read that I can think of where the sex scenes are important to the character development :

Shikoku no Sharnoth- The sex scenes with M and any of the female characters really tell you about the nature of his character.

Sienen no Iganock- The sex scenes between Gii and Ati brought a good sense of the nature of their relationship (the bits where Ati has to hold back her strength for example).

Muvluv Alternative- This is actually more of a bad example, but the "evil " H scene if you will. It was pretty disturbing and it highlighted the suffering that Sumika went through .

I am sure there are more out there, but I can't think of anymore on top of my head.

[Fujimoto Takashi]

Upupupu, so you basically knew what game I was thinking off. Haha, awesome. :D/>

Yup, that pretty much is the winner for me. Some really tender moment can win hands down any erotic scene they throw at our way.

That laugh....

Wait! you were actually thinking of Yandere? wow! I never knew I was that good at guessing!

Yeah, tender moments win imo at least, H-scenes just feel shallow to me, like our friend here said:

Honestly for the most part, I really don't care for the H scenes. It just feels like fapping fodder to me.

Wich so far has been true, thats why I tend to skip them.

[Croosboy]

School days without H-scene is equals to

no

Yandere killing

and yes H-scene are actually need, specially when you are new to the VN world.

You know that just hearing the word Visual Novel/Eroge, the first thing that comes to our mind that it has H material in it.

For those who are adventurous in their young age, their ego would say "Hehehe. I guess lets try it".

But as one new beginner plays, they would find out that the story set for the VN has character and feelings and thus they would be attracted to the story before they know it.

Lets just say that H-scene are like candy after all the time you spent reading for the VN.

Note*

The things that I said above won't work in Nukige genre were youare really after the H materials

[furudo]

I don't particularly like H scenes. They make me kind of uncomfortable since I'm not very much into the moe ugu crying that anime girls and JAV stars do, so I don't read them very actively.

But I had this conversation with my girlfriend and we both agreed that while we don't play for the porn, it somehow feels empty if there isn't porn. The medium allows for H scenes so if there aren't any, somehow it feels like a copout even though we don't care about the porn itself... Does that make sense? She said it feels like getting canon smutfic for a pairing you like, and I really liked that description lol. It really is just a type of bonus, I think.

[Xasther]

I don't really have a problem with the H-Scenes, since skipping them is always a possibility. For those who like that, there you go B)/> . I just wished all games had the option to just skip them, because it happens to me so often that I skip to long and miss some dialog.

[marjoni01]

Well about the H-scenes..

I'm not a big fans of that ._.

Everytime there's H-Scenes I Immediately skip it..

Well sometime I hope there's an option like "Do you want to watch H-scenes" or something ._.

So yeah, I don't really like H-scenes~

[Steve]

You should just try them once, close door to your roo or whatever, put Do not disturb sign for roommates or whoever, and enjoy your private time with the girls in the H-scenes. You can never get that close to a character in any other form of media Love them, make them happy, I guarantee they will make you happy too! xD