visual novel theory

admit it...you've wondered if a visual novel is the same thing as a game haven't you.

it's kept you up late at night - tossing and turning.

you've been a worry to friends and family as all conversations work their way to the existential crisis of 'are visual novels games? or are they not?'

apparently the question bothered mikey over at renaigames.net so the author decided to work through some catharsis with the question.

for the rest of you, those who don't remember my last post on visual novels: here is the totally expected wikipedia link.

as we all become a little more japanese

first there was the tool i just spoke about whereby you could create your own version of zelda.

mmmm link, zelda, nintendo thumb.
brings back good memories.

now i would like to talk to you about visual novels.

this is an up and coming art form - yes, i said it was an art form. if any warhol could cajole a bunch of bougeois art critics into accepting that the cover of a can of soup was art, or marcel duchamp could put a toilet bowl in the louevre then art is what i say it is.

and visual novels are an art form. the basic idea is that you take the least amout of interactivity with a manga and then you do up some nice work and present it to your reader/player/user.

i always wondered about the whole 'user' term. seems like only those in the substance industry and the computer industry use that term exclusively relating to their customer. i suppose that says a few things now don't it. how many marriages have been ruined - not by (il)legal substances but by the silicon hit.

anyways

long story short - (my fiancée tells me i take too long to tell a story) is that one of the companies that makes this kind of interactive fiction (i.f. takes a whole other long post one day too) has released a free version of the thool they use to create their pieces.

and art students galore wept in glorious wonderment - they now have the basis for their thesis.

go, tell a good story and turn off jerry springer. just leave that man alone.

blade engine for visual novels
better explanation of visual novels
hotel dusk: the hot new game for ds that spawned part of this posting