Understanding Game Terminology

Like most fandoms, the world of Japanese romance games also is filled with terminology that may be confusing to foreign gamers. Below is a lexicon of common terminology used for Japanese romance games of all types, with some explanations of common misconceptions about certain terms. Understanding the terminology used can make it much easier to understand game descriptions and genres found on Japanese gaming websites, such as Getchu, Erogamescape, or a game company's website, as well as differences between Japanese terminology and the terminology used by English-speakers.

Types of Ren'ai Games

Ren'ai game (恋愛ゲーム) - Any game in which the main objective is to gain a romantic relationship with one of the characters.

Adventure game (アドベンチャーゲーム) - While English-speakers think an "adventure game" is something filled with action or going on an adventure like an RPG, it is not: it is a term used by the Japanese for a type of game that involves following a story which takes different directions based on options that are selected by the player. You can think of them as "choose your own adventure" stories. The typical setup is thoughts and dialogue displayed in a text box at the bottom of the screen, with images of the characters above it. Based on choices you make, such as different text options about your actions or dialogue, or choosing to visit certain characters, will branch the story into different story routes. These are the most common form of ren'ai games. Some examples of adventure games include Enzai, Gakuen Heaven, Silver Chaos, to name just a few; the majority of all BL and girl games are adventure games.

Sometimes adventure games are referred to as "visual novels", though a true visual novel actually has a slightly different setup. They are also often called "dating sims" by English speakers, even though that is a very inaccurate term.

ADV - An abbreviation for adventure games. This abbreviation is very commonly used among game companies and fans, and you will see it more often than "adventure game" written out.

AVG - Technically, AVG is an abbreviation for "Adult Video Game", which would be any game that is restricted to 18+ years of age. By this definition, any game that has sex (regardless of gender of the characters involved) is an AVG. However, I have also seen it used as another acronym for adventure games. Since most 18+ games are adventure games, this is probably where the confusion comes in with it being referred to with both meanings.

Visual novel (ビジュアルノベル) - A game that is very text heavy and actually written in the style of a novel, sometimes with the text displayed over the entire background image and not just confined to a text box. Many of these also involve very few or no options. This term is often used by foreigners instead of "adventure game" to describe adventure games, even though it is really not very accurate. An example of a visual novel is the bishoujo game Refrain Blue by Elf, the bishoujo doujin game Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and the boys' love game Rakuen Yuki by Alice Blue.

Kinetic novel (キネティックノベル) - A Kinetic novel is a visual novel that is very short and typically has no choices. These are also mainly distributed via the Internet either from the Kinetic Novels site or from the company's website, and in some cases are later released on CDROM. Companies such as Key and AMEDEO have published Kinetic novel games.

Simulation game (シミュレーションゲーム) - A kind of game that involves some sort of simulation gameplay and isn't strictly just story-and-options; for example, scheduling daily activities, creating or managing something, and raising stats through different actions. Even many RPG ren'ai games are technically considered to be under the simulation game category, and may be listed as such on Japanese game sites. Usually simulation games will also involve adventure gameplay as well, such as meeting with characters, holding conversations, and making text-based option selections that will guide the story in addition to simulation elements. The famous bishoujo games Tokimeki Memorial by Konami and Pia Carrot e Youkoso! by F&C, and the boys' love games Ore no Shita de Agake by Alice Blue and Fragrance Tale by TAKUYO are examples of simulation games.

There are also some specific "sub-types" of simulation games, such as "raising simulation games", which refer specifically to a kind of simulation game where specific stats are raised or lowered depending on activites within the game, which are then used to determine events and endings. Examples of raising simulation games are the bishoujo game Princess Maker by GAINAX/Cyberfront, and the boys' love games Perfect Prince by Gimmick House, Jewel Garden by White Plum, and Kakure Tsuki by Alice Blue.

Another sub-type of simulation games is training simulation games, which involve the sexual training of a character. Typically more training options become available as others are mastered, and these usually also incorperate a stat-raising element. Examples of sexual training games are the bishoujo games Custom Reido by KISS, Custom Sex Doll by Light, and Koyoi mo Meshimase Alicetale by RUNE. There are not many games of this type in the girls' game and BL game genres, but some examples include ROSARIUM by OPTiM and the doujin games ABDIEL and Kichiku Yuugi ~Momo~.

Games that include some sort of limited battle system, card battles, or interactive mini-games can also fall under the category of simulation games.

SLG - Abbreviation for simulation games.

Dating sim - This is a term used by English-speakers referring to ren'ai games in general. It is a very inaccurate term, since technically the term would imply a simulation game based only on dating. Even the famous Tokimeki Memorial is not a "dating sim", but rather a stat-raising sim with adventure game elements, and overall is more of a simulation of highschool life, not just of dating.

Doujin game (同人ゲーム) - A game made by either an amateur group or individual that is self-produced, and not produced by a company. They are usually either free or sold for a much cheaper amount than commercial PC games.

Fanbox / Fandisk (ファンボックス / ファンディスク) - A disk that contains extras based on a game, typically computer multimedia, mini-games, extra scenerios, dramas, or other goodies.

Tokuten disk / Omake disk (特典ディスク / おまけディスク) - A "privilege" or "special" disk or a "bonus" disk. These are usually limited edition disks that are promotional or come as bonuses with first releases of games. They usually contain things such as computer multimedia, voice files, extra scenerios or demos, or dramas and music.

Ren'ai Games Content Terminology

18-kin game (18禁ゲーム) - A game prohibited for sell to anyone under the age of 18. Any game with sexual content is considered an 18-restricted game.

Bishoujo game (美少女ゲーム) - Term used for games where you play a male main character persuing cute girls, targetted to a male audience. This term may be used for games with or without sexual content.

Gal game (Gyaruge) (ギャルゲ) - Another term for bishoujo games. This is not to be confused with "girl games", which are a completely different kind of game.

Ero game (Eroge) (エロゲ) - A game that features male/female sexual content.

Hentai game - Term used only by English-speakers to refer to male/female games with sexual content.

H game - Abbreviation for a hentai game.

Girls' game (Shoujo game / Otome game) (少女ゲーム / 乙女ゲーム) - Term used to refer to games targetted to females. These are usually ren'ai games where you play a female main character pursuing cute boys, but can also be used to describe any game in general targetted to female players. Boys' love games are considered a type of girls' game since they are targetted toward women.

Typically, games labeled as shoujo games (少女ゲーム) are for younger players and have all-age appropriate content, while otome games (乙女ゲーム) is used more often for games targetted to older girls and have sexual content. More and more, the term "otome game" is being used in general to refer to all games featuring a female protagonist with a male supporting cast, regardless of if it has sexual content or not, and "shoujo game" is being phased out of use.

It is easy to confuse girls' games with bishoujo games ("pretty girl games") or gyaruge ("gal games"). However, bishoujo games and gal games are games that feature a male protagonist with a female supporting cast, targetted toward men; they are called such because the cast is mainly composed of cute female characters.

Boys' love game (ボーイズラブゲーム) - Term used for games with male/male relationships, targetted to a female audience. This term may be used for games with or without sexual content.

BL - Abbreviation for boys' love. You can see this used for a wide range of media, such as anime, manga, doujinshi, and games that feature boys' love content.

BL Game (BLge) (BLゲ) / BLG - Abbreviation for boys' love games.

Shounen-ai game - Term used only by English-speakers to indicate a boys' love game without sexual content.

Yaoi game - Term used only by English-speakers to indicate a boys' love game with sexual content, or sometimes to refer to all boys' love games in general, regardless of sexual content. Since in Japanese "yaoi" refers more specifically to male/male sex with little story, it has more of a negative connotation and is not used often by the Japanese (I've mainly seen it used in regards to doujinshi).

Gay game (ゲイゲーム) - Term used by the Japanese to indicate boys' love that is targetted toward homosexual males instead of females. Usually games in this genre feature a different type of character design featuring more masculine (and sometimes overly muscular) men, rather than the more effeminate designs often seen in boys' love targetted toward girls.

Ren'ai Games Playability Terminology

Protagonist (主人公) - The main character of the game. In a single viewpoint game, this is the character that can be coupled with the rest of the supporting cast.

Character (キャラクター) - A character in the game, usually referring to one of the winnable characters in the game. In bishoujo games, the winnable female characters will be referred to as heroines (ヒロイン).

Sub-Character (サブキャラクター) - Sub-characters are typically minor characters that play roles in the game but are not winnable characters.

Route (ルート) - A story branch based on a specific character or from a specific set of events.

Event (イベント) - An event refers to a scene that is original based on what route you are playing; in other words, an event isn't part of the story segments that are repeated regardless of what route you are playing. Usually an event involves a scene between the protagonist of the game and one of the supporting characters, and usually a CG also accompanies the event, so often the term "event CG" is used to describe events where you get to view a CG.

CG / Still (CG / スチール) - Abbreviation for "computer graphic". In ren'ai game terminology, CGs are full-screen illustrations that are displayed throughout the game. Many ren'ai gamers consider unlocking 100% of the CGs within the game as one of the objectives of game completion. CGs may also be referred to as "stills", though this is more uncommon.

Capture (攻略) - Capture ("kouryaku" in Japanese) refers to getting a good ending with a specific character. If you are looking for a playguide that outlines how to win a character, you would look for a "capture" guide. Characters in the game are often called "capturable" if you can win them in the game, and "non-capturable" if you cannot win them in the game.

Ren'ai Game Information and System Terminology

Title (タイトル) - The title of the game.

Brand (ブランド) - The company that created the game.

Genre (ジャンル) - The genre of the game.

Price (定価) - The price of the game. This is usually listed as both a base price and the price with taxes added in.

Sales Date (発売日) - The date of when the game was released.

Media (メディア) - The media that the game is released on, such as CDROM or DVDROM.

JAN Code (JANコード) - This is an identifying number used within Japan. It is similar to an ISBN in America.

Stock Number (品番) - The specific stock number of the product.

Original Picture (原画) - The artist or artists of the game.

Scenerio (シナリオ) - The writer or writers for the game.

Music (音楽) - The group or individual that provided the music for the game.

Environment (環境) - A heading for the system specifications for the game.

OS / Operating system (OS / オペレイティングシステム) - The compatible operating systems for the game.

CPU / Processor (CPU / 演算機) - The processor required to run the game. Often the minimum amount for gameplay and a recommended amount for gameplay are both listed.

RAM / Memory (RAM / メモリ) - The amount of RAM required to run the game. Often the minimum amount for gameplay and a recommended amount for gameplay are both listed.

Video Card / Resolution (グラフィック表示 / 解像度) - The graphics specifications required to run the game. This includes the color specification, such as high color (ハイカラー) or full color(フルカラー) and game resolutions.

HDD - The required amount of hard drive space required to run the game. Often the minimum amount for gameplay and a recommended amount for gameplay are both listed.

Sound Card (サウンド / 音源) - The sound card specifications required to run the game.

Drive (ドライブ) - The required media drive for the game; the CDROM or DVDROM and its required and recommended read speed.

Other (その他) - Lists other requirements for the game, usually a version of DirectX or needed types of codecs.


Boys' Love Games Headquarters Complete Idiot's Guide to Japanese Gaming © March 2009
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