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Otome game
An otome game (Japanese: 乙女ゲーム, Hepburn: otome gēmu; lit. "maiden game") is a story-based romance video game targeted towards women, in which the player plays as the female protagonist or experiences the story from the perspective of a fully characterized female protagonist while making choices for her. Generally one of the goals, besides the main story goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female main player character and one of the secondary lead characters, who are usually[disputed – discuss] male.
The term "otome game" was not created upon the release of the first Angelique game in 1994. At the time of its launch, game developers had not yet coined the term, and early official promotional materials instead referred to Angelique as a "Neo Romance game". The term "otome game" did not emerge until late 2001 to around 2002, originating from the interactive ecosystem between print media and their readership. In the interactive sections—such as reader surveys, letters, and dōjinshi submissions—of gaming and anime magazines like Dengeki G's Magazine and B's-LOG, female players grew accustomed to using the word "otome" (maiden) to self-identify their demographic. To foster a closer relationship with their audience and strengthen commercial ties, publishers and game developers adopted this term, which initially described the "players behind the screen," and repurposed it as a definitive label for the genre itself.
The first otome game is generally acknowledged to be Angelique, released in 1994 by Koei in Japan for the Super Famicom, and created by Ruby Party, an all-woman development team division of Koei. The game was originally designed for pre-teen and younger teenage girls, but became unexpectedly popular with older teenagers and women in their 20s. In 2021, the series continues with Angelique Luminarise, in which the protagonist is a 25-year-old office worker. Angelique is credited with "set[ting] up the specifics and conventions of women's games: a focus on romance, easy controls and utilizing other multimedia." In 1997 the second otome game, Albaria no Otome was released by Gimmick House and Magical Craft for PC-FX and later for PlayStation. The game has a very similar dynamic to its predecessor Angelique, with the protagonist Ashanty, a young woman who will have to choose between being the new sacred protector of a kingdom, or falling in love and living happily with one of her knights who will help her during the game. In 2002, Konami released its very successful Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side, which brought many new fans to the still-new genre. In 2006, Famitsu's listings for the Top 20 selling love games included seven otome games.[citation needed] Early games borrowed heavily from the iconography and story conventions of "retro shoujo manga", "the archetypical girly heroines, the emphasis on pure, sexless, tranquil romance and on a peaceful, stable setting", but as the category expanded, other narrative and gameplay elements were introduced, including action, adventure, combat and plots in which "the heroine can 'save the world' and 'get the guy' at the same time".
The first Japanese otome game to be officially translated and sold in English was the visual novel Yo-Jin-Bo in 2006 for the PC.
In 2024, the otome game Love and Deepspace, published by Infold Games, was noted for its use of more realistic 3D graphics.
Some publications that regularly cover otome games include B's LOG and Dengeki Girl's Style.
The genre has many style elements in common with shōjo manga and josei manga, and plotwise they are often similar to harem manga.
Otome games that are released on console and handheld platforms contain no pornographic content, as companies such as Sony and Nintendo do not allow it. There are games released on a PC platform which are rated 18+ for their sexual content. Some games were originally released for the PC with pornographic content, and were later toned down and re-released for game consoles.
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Otome game AI simulator
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Otome game
An otome game (Japanese: 乙女ゲーム, Hepburn: otome gēmu; lit. "maiden game") is a story-based romance video game targeted towards women, in which the player plays as the female protagonist or experiences the story from the perspective of a fully characterized female protagonist while making choices for her. Generally one of the goals, besides the main story goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female main player character and one of the secondary lead characters, who are usually[disputed – discuss] male.
The term "otome game" was not created upon the release of the first Angelique game in 1994. At the time of its launch, game developers had not yet coined the term, and early official promotional materials instead referred to Angelique as a "Neo Romance game". The term "otome game" did not emerge until late 2001 to around 2002, originating from the interactive ecosystem between print media and their readership. In the interactive sections—such as reader surveys, letters, and dōjinshi submissions—of gaming and anime magazines like Dengeki G's Magazine and B's-LOG, female players grew accustomed to using the word "otome" (maiden) to self-identify their demographic. To foster a closer relationship with their audience and strengthen commercial ties, publishers and game developers adopted this term, which initially described the "players behind the screen," and repurposed it as a definitive label for the genre itself.
The first otome game is generally acknowledged to be Angelique, released in 1994 by Koei in Japan for the Super Famicom, and created by Ruby Party, an all-woman development team division of Koei. The game was originally designed for pre-teen and younger teenage girls, but became unexpectedly popular with older teenagers and women in their 20s. In 2021, the series continues with Angelique Luminarise, in which the protagonist is a 25-year-old office worker. Angelique is credited with "set[ting] up the specifics and conventions of women's games: a focus on romance, easy controls and utilizing other multimedia." In 1997 the second otome game, Albaria no Otome was released by Gimmick House and Magical Craft for PC-FX and later for PlayStation. The game has a very similar dynamic to its predecessor Angelique, with the protagonist Ashanty, a young woman who will have to choose between being the new sacred protector of a kingdom, or falling in love and living happily with one of her knights who will help her during the game. In 2002, Konami released its very successful Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side, which brought many new fans to the still-new genre. In 2006, Famitsu's listings for the Top 20 selling love games included seven otome games.[citation needed] Early games borrowed heavily from the iconography and story conventions of "retro shoujo manga", "the archetypical girly heroines, the emphasis on pure, sexless, tranquil romance and on a peaceful, stable setting", but as the category expanded, other narrative and gameplay elements were introduced, including action, adventure, combat and plots in which "the heroine can 'save the world' and 'get the guy' at the same time".
The first Japanese otome game to be officially translated and sold in English was the visual novel Yo-Jin-Bo in 2006 for the PC.
In 2024, the otome game Love and Deepspace, published by Infold Games, was noted for its use of more realistic 3D graphics.
Some publications that regularly cover otome games include B's LOG and Dengeki Girl's Style.
The genre has many style elements in common with shōjo manga and josei manga, and plotwise they are often similar to harem manga.
Otome games that are released on console and handheld platforms contain no pornographic content, as companies such as Sony and Nintendo do not allow it. There are games released on a PC platform which are rated 18+ for their sexual content. Some games were originally released for the PC with pornographic content, and were later toned down and re-released for game consoles.