Market Report - Dating Simulation Games by Eleanor Rogers
Image from Unsplash
Dating simulators are a genre of video game in which the gameplay typically centres around a “boy meets girl” narrative, with a male-gaze perspective, where the player character can choose between a number of female characters to romance.
The genre was born in Japan by a small independent company, Elf. In 1992, Elf released what is considered to be the first dating simulator Dōkyūsei, or Classmates, laying the foundations for a male-centric game that focuses on selecting a woman, often objectified, to date.[1] This traditionally features multiple endings depending on the woman chosen. There are exceptions to these elements however, and the gameplay is being increasingly challenged, which has allowed the genre to gain significant popularity.
In 2020, the number of people who played video games worldwide stood at 2.69 billion and it is estimated that this number will have surpassed 3 billion by 2023.[2] A worldwide study states that 19% of players note simulation games as their preferred genre, which, in accordance with the previous survey, would mean that over half a billion players favour simulation games.[3]
The top sellers list of dating simulators on Steam, the leading online distribution platform for PC video games, consists almost entirely of games published within the last five years.[4] Many game releases prior to the early 2000s depict gameplay similar to Dōkyūsei, where despite the addition of new mechanics, such as the minigames in Magical Date (1997), the core elements remained largely similar.
Although development companies were challenging the components of the genre, it was not until they began to challenge the core narrative that dating simulators became more popular among players. For example, Katawa Shoujo, or Disability Girls, a visual novel and dating simulator, was released in 2011 and took place in a high school for students with disabilities.[5] At the time, the game was well received and praised for its ‘genuine and honest’ portrayal of disabilities, however, it has since been more thoroughly critiqued.[6] Despite its controversial status, it’s reportedly recognised as a relatively early example of diversity within dating simulators, and evidently shows that developers and writers have begun to consider the value stories have in dating simulators.
A contributing factor to their recent popularity is the rise of YouTube channels known as “Let’s Play” channels, which have become ‘astonishingly popular’. [7] Many games owe their profits to channels that upload videos of games that are lesser known, such as Surgeon Simulator. Developers utilise YouTube as a marketing strategy by sending free demo’s, or sometimes full copies, to YouTubers in order to gain an audience before launch.[8] Eek! Games took this one step further by creating popular YouTuber’s Game Grumps and LetyDoesStuff as NPCs in the second instalment of their House Party game, a popular dating simulator that holds the “very positive” tag on Steam reviews.[9]
The Game Grumps channel produced their own dating simulator game in 2017, Dream Daddy, which remains on the Top Sellers tag on Steam’s dating simulator browser page.[10] The protagonist is a single father who has recently moved with his daughter to a new town. Not only can the player romance other Dads in the game, but they must navigate their relationship with the player-character’s daughter.[11]
Dream Daddy was incredibly well-received, being praised for its take on the dating simulator genre: ‘Dream Daddy is a clever, good-hearted game that treats its characters with respect.’[12] This Polygon review also notices the games’ take on the heteronormative orientation that dating simulators often adopt, describing Dream Daddy as ‘competent’ in its ability to ‘welcome a queer audience.’[13]
In addition to this, a Nielson article explains that members of the LGBTQ+ community are ‘significantly more likely to play simulation games’ than non-members, so it can therefore be assumed that the portrayal of queer culture in Dream Daddy tapped into a niche market that contributed to its popularity which, as a result, contributed to the popularity of dating simulators as a genre.[14] Business Insider discusses this also, noting that ‘in recent years, the dating sim genre has become more popular in the queer community’ and speculates that this is due to the player’s ability to ‘experience complex narratives involving gay, bisexual and polyamorous relationships.’[15]
According to a 2017 global study, the majority of people who play video games are aged between 21 and 35, with an average of 2% more players being male.[16] However, audience statistics show that when this is broken down by genre, the majority are dominated by male players with the exception of mobile games, a platform in which a significant number of dating simulators are published.[17] Although no studies have been carried out specifically on dating simulation games, statistics show that women are more likely to play life simulators, which often have similar elements, or matchmaking mechanics in the narrative of the games. Furthermore, 60% of people who play visual novel games, which have significant overlap with the dating simulation genre, are female.[18]
The rise of dating simulator games that subvert expectations and create a game welcoming of LGBTQ+ and female players, alongside the contribution of YouTube culture, has evidently generated interest in dating simulator games. Additionally, a study on the number of people that play video games worldwide shows an average increase of 140 million per year since 2015, which aligns with the recent increase in publications of dating simulator games.[19]
Although dating simulators have evolved significantly since the 1990s, both in narrative and gameplay, they are not entirely authentic in representation, and many games are released today that still centre around the male-gaze perspective, with pornographic ideals being prioritised over genuine characterisation. These are mostly published by Japanese companies, which have dominated the dating simulator market, however, western mobile games such as Episode: Choose Your Story and Love Island the Game are overwhelmingly popular with western audiences.[20]
The video games industry is fast-growing and the publication of dating simulators have been more frequent in the last five years, particularly ones dedicated to a diverse representation. Due to the very nature of simulation games, the potential for character, plot, setting and gameplay is abundant, and thus important. The exploration of this diversity therefore only lends itself to the publication of more creative, entertaining, and original video games.
SOURCES
[1] ‘Video Game: Dōkyūsei’, Video Game Geek. Available from: https://videogamegeek.com/videogame/132126/dkyusei [accessed 03/2020].
[2] J. Clement, ‘Number of active video gamers worldwide from 2015 to 2023’, Statista, 29/01/2021. Available from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/748044/number-video-gamers-world/ [accessed 03/2021].
[3] J. Clement, ‘Preferred genre among gamers with multiple video gaming subscription services worldwide as of June 2020’, Statista, 29/01/2021. Available from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1188479/gaming-subscription-genre/ [accessed 03/2021].
[4] Multiple authors, ‘Browse: Dating Sim’, Steam Store, Steam. Available from: https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Dating+Sim#p=0&tab=TopRated [accessed 03/2021].
[5] Multiple authors, ‘Katawa Shoujo: About’, Katawa Shoujo. Available from: https://www.katawa-shoujo.com/about.php [accessed 03/2021].
[6] Patrick Lum, ‘Unexpected Sincerity: Disabilities, Girls and Katawa Shoujo’, Kotaku, 12/01/2012. Available from: https://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/01/unexpected-sincerity-disabilities-girls-and-katawa-shoujo/ [accessed 03/2021].
[7] Laura Hudson, ‘Using Youtube as an Accelerant for Video Games’, New York Times, 16/08/2017. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/16/technology/personaltech/using-youtube-as-an-accelerant-for-video-games.html [accessed 03/2021].
[8] Dougie Gerrard, ‘Let’s Play: How Youtubers are making millions playing video games’, City A.M, 25/07/2019. Available from: https://www.cityam.com/lets-play-how-youtubers-are-making-millions-playing-video-games/ [accessed 03/2021].
[9] Eek! Games, ‘House Party’, Steam Store, Steam, 30/06/2017. Available from: https://store.steampowered.com/app/611790/House_Party/ [accessed 03/2021].
[10] Multiple authors, ‘Browse: Dating Sim’, Steam Store, Steam. Available from: https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Dating%20Sim/#p=0&tab=TopSellers [accessed 03/2021].
[11] Game Grumps, ‘Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator’, Game Grumps, 20/07/2017. Available from: https://www.gamegrumps.com/dreamdaddy/ [accessed 03/2021].
[12] Simone de Rochefort, ‘Dream Daddy Review: This silly dating sim has more heart than you might think’, Polygon, 10/08/2017. Available from: https://www.polygon.com/2017/8/10/16092084/dream-daddy-game-review [accessed 03/2021].
[14] ‘LGBTQ+ Gamers are an Untapped Demographic’, Nielsen, 10/13/2020. Available from: https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/lgbtq-gamers-are-an-untapped-demographic/ [accessed 03/2021].
[15] Kevin Webb, ‘I played KFC’S bizarre Colonel Sanders dating game so you don’t have to’, Business Insider, 26/09/2019. Available from: https://www.businessinsider.com/kfc-dating-game-sim-i-love-you-colonel-sanders-2019-9?r=US&IR=T#i-love-you-colonel-sanders-starts-with-an-anime-inspired-opening-introducing-you-to-the-games-cast-1 [accessed 03/2021].
[16] J. Clement, ‘Distribution of video gamers worldwide in 2017, by age group and gender’, Statista, 29/01/2021. Available from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/722259/world-gamers-by-age-and-gender/ [accessed 03/2021].
[17] Mitchell Denton, ‘Game Genre & Statistics: Not All Games are Created Equal’, Gamify, n.d. Available from: https://www.gamify.com/gamification-blog/not-all-games-are-created-equal-pt1 [accessed 03/2021].
[18] User: PyTom, ‘Demographics of EVN Community: Results’, Lemma Soft Forums, 05/01/2014. Available from: https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=26915 [accessed 03/2021].
[19] J. Clement, ‘Number of active video gamers worldwide from 2015 to 2023’, Statista, 29/01/2021. Available from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/748044/number-video-gamers-world/ [accessed 03/2021].
[20] Dominic Pettman, ‘Love in the Time of Tamagotchi’, Sage Journals, 27/01/2017. Available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0263276409103117 [accessed 03/2021].
Words by Eleanor Rogers
Image from Unsplash
Edited by Emily Gough