An Exploration into Dating Simulators

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An Exploration into Dating Simulators

Dating simulators have always been an anomaly in the gaming world. In an industry that boasts first-person shooters and well-known franchises such as The Legend of Zelda and GTA, it’s hard to believe choice-led stories that result in you potentially dating your favourite character attract so many players. The genre began in Japan and has since become increasingly popular. This genre eventually gained worldwide attention, and dating simulators have gradually appeared on more and more consoles, and even phones and tablets such as the app Mystic Messenger.

Why has this genre grown so popular among gamers? One answer to this question is just how out of control the games have become. Tokimeki Memorial, one of the first dating simulators released in 1994, stuck to a high school setting with the goal of the player finding a girl to date. However, while more and more games were released with the same objective, gaming developers began having some fun with the genre. Soon dating simulators went from games where you can only date women to games that didn’t even require you to date actual humans, such as Monster Prom and Hatoful Boyfriend, a game where you attend a school for pigeons and eventually date one. Dating simulators eventually began exploring other genres to include as well, such as Team Salvato’s Doki Doki Literature Club¸ a psychological horror game disguised as a regular dating simulator.

With so many options for players, it’s no wonder the genre soon became immensely popular, and this was only aided further by the streaming platform YouTube. Gaming channels such as Markiplier and Jacksepticeye streamed playthroughs of many now popular dating simulators. Another channel called Game Grumps even had a role in developing a dating simulator of their own called Dream Daddy, a game where you play as a dad and date other dads. The genre grew with the help of YouTube, and the increasingly bizarre interpretations of the genre attracted both YouTubers and players. I decided to buy a dating simulator on my PS4 to see what it was like to play one. I had seen many YouTubers play them, but I had never actually tried one myself. I chose Hatoful Boyfriend, as the game was so bizarre. I was too curious to not play it, and was not disappointed. The main objective of the story is to choose from eight birds, including your childhood best friend, a shy bookworm, and a snobby aristocrat. You also have the option to have multiple save files, meaning you can easily complete the

Shiori Asks... Do you wanna’ be my ...date? <3 (✿◠‿◠

game by pursuing all the birds. On my first playthrough, I was laughing constantly at the stupidity. I appreciated the constant selfaware jokes and bird puns.

But something strange happened on my second playthrough; I became quite invested in the story. One of the strengths of the genre is the goal of pursuing a love interest allows you to learn more about them, meaning the story can be quite entertaining and complex. I found myself eager to learn more about the characters, and the storylines were quite interesting. At this point I often found myself forgetting that I was playing a game about dating pigeons, and when I did remember it made it even funnier. Who knew that a game that combined stupidity and a complex story would work so well?

It’s been established that these games are incredibly fun to play, but there is one question that remains; as the games are simulations, are they designed to help the player find love in real life? The answer to that question is difficult to say, but ultimately the core of any game is to provide entertainment to the player. I think that original dating simulators like Tokimeki Memorial that relied on a basic setting with female characters were designed to help the player in their love life to some degree, while remaining entertaining at the same time. However, the dating simulators of today like Hatoful Pigeon and Doki Doki Literature Club are designed to test the genre in weird and wonderful ways, whether it be to make the player cry with laughter over the absurdity of dating pigeons or to make the player terrified of the horror hidden in a seemingly tame dating simulator. I believe dating simulators are no longer meant to be taken seriously, and if I’m honest I think I prefer it that way.

Who knows what type of dating simulator will be made next? With all the bizarre ones made so far, I’m both scared and excited to see what the genre has instore for gamers!

words by: Molly Allen design by: Madeline Howell