Dating sim

While resembling the visual novel genre in presentation, true dating sims utilize an additional statistical and time management layer in their gameplay.

The idea that love can only be earned through time and attention has prompted concern that it oversimplifies romance and depicts a "nice guy" view that may lead to unrealistic expectations from women.

[1] Dating sims, typically in the form of bishōjo games with a male protagonist and female supporting characters, are extremely popular in Japan, taking up a large fraction of the software market, but far less prominent elsewhere.

[4] Other games such as Sega's Girl's Garden (1985) and JAST's Tenshitachi no Gogo (1985) include elements of dating sims, though they have more adventure/arcade gameplay.

The first game which set the standard for the dating sim genre was Dōkyūsei (1992), which relied more on timed events than dialogue choices.

Konami director Akihiko Nagata said "the person who created the game wanted to have experiences like this back in his high school days".

The gameplay involves conversing with a selection of girls, attempting to increase their internal "love meter" through correct choices of dialogue.

There are many variations on this theme: high-school romances are the most common, but a dating sim may also take place in a fantasy setting and involve such challenges as defending one's girl from monsters.

The subplot of dating is more focused towards choosing one of several girls or guys (dependent on the player character's gender) and offering them presents or joining them on events in the game.