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Persona 4 has ruined my dating life
Crowpaw
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I recently had a bit of an epiphany as to why a lot of my dates don't end quite the way I'd like.
Nerdy Japanese dating sims might be sabotaging my dating life.
I'm a huge fan of Atlus' Persona series, which revolves around various relationship aspects (including dating) at a Japanese high school. And I spend a good portion of my professional life these days editing Japanese dating-sim text. Plus, even "traditional" JRPGs like Dragon Quest and Star Ocean throw some light relationship elements into the mix. But since RPG nerds aren't usually the most socially gregarious folks to begin with, is all this pretend dating really healthy for our real-life relationships?
For a long time, I've felt that the romantic-comedy "romance montages" were dating poison, because they imply that dating is nothing more than nebulous "chemistry" set to a cheesy Phil Collins soundtrack. We don't really see the effort these people put into getting to know each other. Real relationships take work -- you can't just show up for a date, hope for the Phil Collins to kick in in the background, and magically charm a girl. It's so much more complex than movies lead us to believe. And I get a similar vibe with a lot of these dating sims. In order to build relationships with the object of your affection, you simply bribe them with gifts or make plans to hang out with them. There's no effort to actually get to know these people as three-dimensional characters.
For example, if you want to date (and eventually have sex with) martial-arts chick Chie Satonaka in Persona 4, all you have to do -- for all intents and purposes -- is stalk her. It doesn't really matter what dialogue options you select when you hang out with her -- just keep heading up to her favorite hangout on the roof after school, invite her to get together, and she'll eventually find her way to your bedroom.
Somehow, I think anyone who attempted to woo a real-life Chie with that kind of behavior would end with a kung-fu kick to the nether regions.
But since dating aspects are only a part of most of these RPGs, there's not really enough time to forge realistic relationships with these characters. Hell, even if Chie's my "girlfriend" in Persona 4, it's only when the cut-scene shows her in my bedroom -- as far as the story's concerned, we're not even together. But is it possible to take these relationship-based games to the next level? Can they go beyond bribery and simple menu selections? Or are they a welcome break from the complexity of real life? I can see both sides, but part of me definitely would like to see dating -- and relationships of all kinds, really -- dealt with in a far more realistic fashion in games.
Anybody else have this problem?
Nerdy Japanese dating sims might be sabotaging my dating life.
I'm a huge fan of Atlus' Persona series, which revolves around various relationship aspects (including dating) at a Japanese high school. And I spend a good portion of my professional life these days editing Japanese dating-sim text. Plus, even "traditional" JRPGs like Dragon Quest and Star Ocean throw some light relationship elements into the mix. But since RPG nerds aren't usually the most socially gregarious folks to begin with, is all this pretend dating really healthy for our real-life relationships?
For a long time, I've felt that the romantic-comedy "romance montages" were dating poison, because they imply that dating is nothing more than nebulous "chemistry" set to a cheesy Phil Collins soundtrack. We don't really see the effort these people put into getting to know each other. Real relationships take work -- you can't just show up for a date, hope for the Phil Collins to kick in in the background, and magically charm a girl. It's so much more complex than movies lead us to believe. And I get a similar vibe with a lot of these dating sims. In order to build relationships with the object of your affection, you simply bribe them with gifts or make plans to hang out with them. There's no effort to actually get to know these people as three-dimensional characters.
For example, if you want to date (and eventually have sex with) martial-arts chick Chie Satonaka in Persona 4, all you have to do -- for all intents and purposes -- is stalk her. It doesn't really matter what dialogue options you select when you hang out with her -- just keep heading up to her favorite hangout on the roof after school, invite her to get together, and she'll eventually find her way to your bedroom.
Somehow, I think anyone who attempted to woo a real-life Chie with that kind of behavior would end with a kung-fu kick to the nether regions.
But since dating aspects are only a part of most of these RPGs, there's not really enough time to forge realistic relationships with these characters. Hell, even if Chie's my "girlfriend" in Persona 4, it's only when the cut-scene shows her in my bedroom -- as far as the story's concerned, we're not even together. But is it possible to take these relationship-based games to the next level? Can they go beyond bribery and simple menu selections? Or are they a welcome break from the complexity of real life? I can see both sides, but part of me definitely would like to see dating -- and relationships of all kinds, really -- dealt with in a far more realistic fashion in games.
Anybody else have this problem?
Crowpaw on
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Though I do have a friend who loves the Persona series to the point of near obsession. But even he puts down the controller and goes outside to talk to real girls.
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