On the Topic of Waifus

[The Mighty Palm]

This is probably the most serious issue on my mind. (What am I doing with my life...)

A lot of games now allow for deeper character bonding, Rpgs especially. What I mean by this is, that it is not uncommon

for a game to allow you to get to know your allies better, become close friends, or even romance them.

Though it was pretty much exclusive to visual novels, having romantic/bonding relationships with characters has almost become

a staple of rpg storytelling. Especially for games with multiple endings.

Fire Emblem is the shining example of what most people would call: a Waifu Simulator.

Even games like Skyrim have had elements of this, though it was on a less grand scale.

But is that a bad thing really? To make a character become so like-able, that people actually want to ship them with 

the main character/someone else? As a writer I can think of no greater victory than creating the illusion that my mass of

pixels and text have feelings, or are "real". At the same time though, I can also see how it is shameless pandering to the

forever alone crowd of socially challenged teenage boys/girls. Fanservice for the lonely heart.

What is your thoughts on this? Does no waifu = no laifu? Or is it a sign of the coming desolation in the Rpg world?

Spoiler

I actually love them. Romance has always been my weakpoint. If I lose manly points for that, so be it.

 

[stupid enough to like FF13]

First off: I love how this is posted as "Game Mechanics".

Secondly, it doesn't matter if it is or isn't a "game mechanic" or if you even try. No matter what, if people like the character(s), there'll be people who ship them. With each other, with themselves, with inanimate objects, with characters from other works. It just isn't something you can purposefully do—they have to be interesting characters.

Spoiler

Juicy OTP. (Not going to explain that—WAAAAAAAY too embarrassing. #^_^#)

 

As for actual romance mechanics: that, of course, depends on how well the relationship mechanics are implemented and written.

 

[Seacliff]

Dude, there's absolutely nothing wrong with moe anime girls in video games...

Kantai Collection's entire marketing is pretty much focused on this. Yet I still like that game.

As for elements for story and gameplay, I will agree FE: Awakening handled the idea pretty well. The 'dating simulator' aspect of the game will only effect a handful of scenes in the story, like if Lucinia is your wife or daughter, she won't attempt to kill you and have slight changes in gameplay such as having skills pass on to child characters.

 

[SLEEP]

waifu really sounds like something somebody came up with as a joke but then people started taking it seriously because ???

anyway the problems with waifus as characterization is they tend to be cookie-cutter characters. they're boring. they're made for fanservice, and pandering to a very specific kind of fan. The creepy obsessive otaku fan. And if you're not that kind of fan, the things you do to pander to those fans can be very uncomfortable to the rest of folx.

 

[NPC]

I see nothing wrong with waifus, but I'm a single man, so...

Spoiler

Ikaruga is my waifu tho. Would kill for a gal like her in real life.

But here's my reasoning: It is completely fair for someone to adore a character for being well written or designed. While it is true that some people take it too far, it's something that's happened even before the peak of anime/moe. People fantasize (or even obsess) over someone so much that they may never have (like a celebrity, or the 'hot girl' at school)

As a game developer, if people take my characters as their waifus, that's a huge compliement, but if you're developing a game, and you make a shallow character tht becomes super popular, then that's unfortunate. 

I don't know where I'm going with this, so I'll jsut leave it at that!

 

[Valkyriet]

Fanservice for the lonely heart.

That caught me right in the kokoro.

First off, I like the way you perceive some things. Indeed, if you can successfully give off the impression that your characters are a part of a living universe somewhere, it becomes much more fun to play the game. As for romance in games, I think it's absolutely harmless. For all the games I've played so far, I felt like a matchmaker/mother whenever I was able to unite a potential couple. Of course, not everyone perceives these things the same way but it need not necessarily be construed as "shamless pandering..".

Additionally, I think if you're talking about "love", it exists in more forms than just romance. It might be nice to see games someday which allow you to develop the "best friends" relationship between characters. Or maybe even "sibling" relationships between two characters (of different or similar ages) who are not related in any way.

 

[Milennin]

I didn't think Fire Emblem did it that great, but that's because it kind of happens out of nowhere. On my first playthrough I just happened to pair up my main game with one of the female characters a lot, then got three supports and we were married. After that nothing really happened between our characters, but we did get a child character (who becomes really strong). Yeah, there's a lot of choice, but at the same time bonding happens so fast and easy that it doesn't really feel like you are building a relationship. Admittedly, the few conversations you do get are pretty fun between most characters.

Skyrim was even worse. I almost forgot it was even possible to marry characters, and I don't remember if I did in my playthrough. Did it even do anything?

One example that did the relationship thing well, in my opinion, was Harvest Moon (even though I never managed to get married, lol). It felt like you had to really work to make the relationship work, and it took a long time. There were also a bunch of events you'd play with your character and see the relationship grow a bit every time.

I can't even imagine such a system working in an RPG Maker game. Most games don't even use original graphics and who would want to marry an RTP faceset (major lols at the idea). Getting custom art good enough that your characters look appealing (in a way that they'd maybe want to love them) to the player is pretty challenging. Secondly, a lot of RPG Maker games don't flesh out their characters enough for you to get to know them on a deeper level, which is something you'd probably want if you want to give the player the option for romance. Not just that, but you also need to be a good writer. Nothing ruins a romance more than badly or cheesy written dialogue.

Third, it also need to make sense in your story. If your party is on an adventure to save the world, surely you have more important things on your mind...

 

[cygnus flamel]

"As a writer I can think of no greater victory than creating the illusion that my mass of

pixels and text have feelings, or are "real""

Here you aren't describing a "waifu" you are describing a well written character, so if your idea of waifu is a well written character that can provoke real empathy to the player (if it provokes "romantic" feelings or not in the player depends more in the player himself than the character) then yeah, waifus are a must in every game and creative work

 

[mlogan]

I see nothing wrong in writing characters likable enough that the player feels bonded to them. After all, it's a big part of why people fall in love with books and have for centuries - because they can in someway relate to the characters or feel a connection with them.

I think the problem comes when the player/reader/viewer takes it to the extreme and becomes obsessed with it, foregoing real relationships for this connection with a make believe character.

To be honest though, I'm still not entirely certain the true meaning of this "waifu" concept and what it technically means, but in short my opinion is: a "harmless crush" on a make believe character is one thing, a life altering obsession is completely different. And that's all on the player.

 

[trouble time]

You know I first read the title as "On the topic of Walrus" and thought it'd be about designing a giant enemy Walrus, but waifus are cool. 

Now, there are actaully teirs of waifus among the more...zealous anime fans. Generally it ranges from "Sh*t tier" to "God tier". What you described, a character with a personality people fall in love with is the "God tier waifu" and nearly everyone loves them cause they're interesting even to people that don't want to marry them.  

Now, what people worry about are the "sh*t tier" waifus, this is a character made with the intention of being a waifu to sell their merchendise to lonely people. They usually have little in the way of real character and are piles of generic positive triats and a few "cute" flaws like being clumsy or being a bit weird (granted I do love weird characters myself). You can tell the character is a cash grab. EDIT: I should note these characters still end up being popular with certain people, cause the characters personality might not be much different, but the design might be better than the others.

Though also, waifu WAS a joke, that people began to take seriously. It's a pretty big thing in some corners of the net now, it generally harmless...but you don't wanna get involved in the Waifu Wars (I did once...it was about the voting for the next character in Skullgirls...I was voting for Issac.)

 

[woootbm]

I think romance in games is fine. Whether it's done well or not? I mean, EVERYTHING in the game will be about whether it's done well or not. I don't see this as some added risk or weird thing.

I say this because movies and other media have made quite a killing by being all gushy. It really is something games should probably do more of to grab the attention of certain sections of the audience. There are people out there who really want it. If you wanna give it to them and care about doing it right and not just as some gimmicky scam add on, then good on you.

As for the idea that it's like... creepy or something? Well, the percentage of games where the main focus is killing stuff is pretty dang high. Seems silly to condemn being able to simulate romance when we're so comfortable simulating murder.

Lastly: yeah, there's people who get super serious and argue about tiers of waifu and get obsessed over their preferred choice. I don't know that this pushes people into becoming asexual or reclusive or even just socially awkward. I'm not a psychologist. But I tend to think people who do that are already that way, they simply gravitate towards the things that allow them to do so. And there's people who spend years building the Enterprise D in Minecraft. Some people just really get into their games.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

A well written relationship won't feel like a waifu or husbando. 

In fact, I'm also really a sucker for well written relationships. Not that vacant sort of consolation prize crap relationship that happens in a lot of games where the writers spontaneously decide two characters are together. That is much more like a waifu.

Harmless fictional crushes are pretty cute, actually. But, if someone likes your character so much that they feel married to them in real life then you're not the one with a problem.

 

[mlogan]

Yep, relationships have to be done well to work. In some RM games I've played, you can make choices that allow the characters to hook up in the end or not. I always make the choices that allow them to do so, being the hopeless romantic I am. But I remember playing one game and the female MC had the male best friend and suddenly out of nowhere he was like "So, I love you, let's be together." There had been no lead up other than being friends, no hints that it was coming, no choices to work towards it, so I declined, lol. It felt forced and there just for the sake of being there.

If you want to show a relationship developing do so genuinely.