What is a Visual Novel?

Summary

The video discusses the growing popularity of visual novels, a genre of narrative-focused games originating in Japan. With the rise of free engines like Ren'Py, visual novels have become accessible to both novice developers and a wide range of players. These games are also used in education and health for topics like language learning and underrepresented narratives. Despite the genre's popularity, there is no unified academic definition. Through a literature review and analysis, the video proposes a new definition based on 10 core features, aiming to guide future design and research.

Takeaways

• 📚 The visual novel is a widely popular narrative-focused game genre, originating from Japan, and has seen a global surge in popularity.
• 🎮 Free game engines like Ren'Py have made visual novels more accessible to independent designers and novice developers.
• 🌍 Visual novels are accessible to a wide range of players and skill levels, making them suitable for high-impact domains like education and health.
• 📖 Visual novels have been used to teach various topics, including language learning (e.g., Kanji Combat), chemistry, and cooking.
• 🏳️‍🌈 The genre has also been used to explore underrepresented narratives, including queer stories, as seen in Dream Daddy.
• 📑 Despite the genre's popularity, there is no unified academic definition of what constitutes a visual novel, with definitions ranging from interactive textbooks to multi-ending adventure games.
• 🎨 A systematic review of visual novels and their academic definitions revealed 22 design features, with 10 core features appearing in 95% or more of the analyzed games.
• 🎵 Some key features, such as background music, on-click progression, and menu choices, were often present in games but not consistently reflected in academic definitions.
• 📝 The study's unified definition of visual novels includes a focus on art, aesthetics, and interaction, while acknowledging that story quality and narrative structure are important but not required.
• 🔑 The research presented a new unified definition for visual novels based on analysis of 30 academic definitions and 54 visual novels, emphasizing their versatility and potential for use in educational and research domains.

Q & A

What is a visual novel?

A visual novel is a genre of narrative-focused games, originally from Japan, that has gained global popularity. It typically blends text-based storytelling with visual elements and player interaction.

Why has the popularity of visual novels increased in recent years?

The rise in popularity is partly due to the availability of free visual novel game engines like Ren'Py, making it easier for novice and independent designers to create visual novels.

What makes visual novels accessible to a wide variety of players and developers?

Their simple mechanics and the availability of free development tools like Ren'Py make visual novels accessible to players with different skill levels and to developers with varying levels of experience.

In which high-impact domains have visual novels been used, and why?

Visual novels have been used in domains like education and health because their accessibility makes them effective tools for teaching and engaging with topics like language acquisition, chemistry, and even mental health.

Can visual novels address social issues? Give an example.

Yes, visual novels can explore narratives related to underrepresented communities. For example, 'Dream Daddy' is a visual novel that explores queer narratives.

Is there a unified academic definition of visual novels?

No, there is no unified definition of visual novels in the academic literature. Definitions vary, ranging from describing them as interactive textbooks to adventure games with multiple story endings.

How did the researchers in the script approach defining visual novels?

They conducted a systematic literature review and analyzed existing visual novels. Through this, they identified a set of key features and used them to construct a unified definition.

What are the key categories identified in academic definitions of visual novels?

The definitions converged on four categories: art and aesthetics, interaction, narrative structure, and story quality. These were used to help identify the core features of visual novels.

What are some core features of visual novels identified in the analysis?

Core features include background music, click progression, and action/dialog menu choices, among others. These were present in 95% or more of the visual novels studied.

What does the new unified definition of visual novels emphasize?

The new definition emphasizes the core features like art and aesthetics, interactivity, and accessibility, making visual novels highly suitable for both entertainment and research domains.