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StarTopic Do video game protagonist get enough time to develop convincing romance?

ethanswift

ethanswift

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All right fami, this question haunt me a long time, especially when I played a lot of JRPG in 2022.
I really can NOT tell when on earth did the protagonist start to fall in love and suddenly tell me he decided to do some sh*t for the love.
Take XC3 as an example.
When Mio exchanged flute with Noah like they exchanging engagement ring, I am shocked. When the hell you two love each other. Though the game said it's all destiny, I am still thinking all these happen too fast.
By the way, I'm gay. would it stop me from understanding the development of "boy-girl" relationship?
Do video game protagonist get enough time to develop convincing romance? If so, which game do it best in your opinion?
 
I mean video game RPGs can run for 50+ hours easily, which is about equivalent to 150 20 minute episodes, so... maybe?

It's more that romance in genre fiction tends to suck ass if we're honest with ourselves, and video game writing is usually bottom of the barrel even in that field.
 
I don't really play these types of games, so I'm not sure exactly how they do it, but I will say that attraction/feelings for somebody can be pretty instant, it doesn't need to be developed over a long period of time.
 
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I don't think that a video game where you make your own choices can correctly execute the nuances of a developing romantic relationship in a convincing way no matter how long a game takes.

A relationship is all about the intricate details, body language, talking, listening. As long as the player has some kinda choice, these can never be accurately mimicked, as a relationship is not a single sided string of choices.

The only way a relationship, be it romantic, friendly, platonic, antagonistic, whatever, is if it's fully written for you and you have no say in the development. I'd say there's quite some games that do it right (and none of them are (J/A)RPG's).
 
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ethanswift said:
By the way, I'm gay. would it stop me from understanding the development of "boy-girl" relationship?
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Absolutely not!

I feel like the romance in XC3 is done relatively well, though, it's not the best I've seen but it feels earned. Not love at first sight, you see the characters getting to know each other and shit. Although it could've been fleshed out in some sidequests I think. But I think there are multiple way of showing love, the one depicted in the game didn't spoke to you maybe?

ethanswift said:
Do video game protagonist get enough time to develop convincing romance? If so, which game do it best in your opinion?
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I think so, it's more of an issue with video game writers not writing romance very well. If you're talking about J-RPGs, I think the romance in Final Fantasy X and VIII works pretty well. In more recent games, I think the love story in Tales of Arise is excellent, a bit over-the-top in an anime way, but it's extremely effective because you see the characters doing these grand love gestures.

As for other genres, Catherine gets romance right I think, albeit with a bit of a sexist worldview, but considering the game is written in the POV of a straight male, it feels realistic. The love story in Yakuza 2 is one of my favorites in the history of gaming, it relies a bit on clichés, but the interactions between the characters are so on point that it ends up working. And, of course, the romance in The Witcher 3 is as well-written as the rest of the game.
 
As someone who romanced liara in mass effect, i really appreciated how their romance evolves throughout the trilogy. In the first game its sort of treated as a fling that slowly turns into something serious. In the second game both characters have gone through alot, but still have strong feelings for eachother. This is reflected in the way that they bicker in the main game and lair of the shadow broker. By mass effect 3 they’ve hit a point of stability and feel like a power couple that gets shit done. As a liara stan I'm very happy, but i wish the other romantic options had as much thought put into them as hers did throughout the trilogy.

Edit: also mario and peach, are they knockin boots yet? Has peach given up and finally succumbed to mario’s 30 plus years of simping, Or has she made the correct choice to ditch his ass for the space queen rosalina?
 
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It’s gonna depend on the game, but generally I haven’t found it to be super strong, no. I think that has more to do with video game writing generally being weak overall than anything else, though.
 
I think the big problem is just bad writing in most games and the idea that falling in love is the end goal of a relationship, a lot of jrpg or games in general use the happily ever after style where when 2 character fall in love it's done and they have achieved true happiness.
 
There have been real-life romances that spark (and burn out :( ) very rapidly. Stressful scenarios (like the ones presented in games) give characters an opportunity to bond quickly. They're not the sort of romantic relationship that develop over time, but they can still be a passionate connection and can be convincing if written well.

ethanswift said:
When Mio exchanged flute with Noah like they exchanging engagement ring, I am shocked. When the hell you two love each other. Though the game said it's all destiny, I am still thinking all these happen too fast.
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I didn't see that as some declaration of love. I think these two characters take a long time for them to them to admit their feelings for each other, considering their circumstances.
 
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Calling video game writing weak is letting people off the hook. The problem is more specific.

Romance is especially bad because of the hyper focus on wish fulfillment. The worst part is that the commitment to the power fantasy is so strong that the writers can't even include the classic rom-com trope of the second act falling out.
 
With regards to your example

I'm curious to know why you think this romance was too quick. The exchanging of the flutes in Xenoblade 3 isn't even explicitely a romance scene. Remmber at this point of the story, the character's don't even know what romance is. Since Mio only has a few months left to live, she is entrusting Noah with her flute which she inherited from her friend after she died. Noah in turn, entrusts Mio with his flute. Even if these two never ended up as a couple, the scene would still work as friends exchanging their most valued items. These scene is more about them acknowledging the trust they have in each other.
 
ethanswift said:
All right fami, this question haunt me a long time, especially when I played a lot of JRPG in 2022.
I really can NOT tell when on earth did the protagonist start to fall in love and suddenly tell me he decided to do some sh*t for the love.
Take XC3 as an example.
When Mio exchanged flute with Noah like they exchanging engagement ring, I am shocked. When the hell you two love each other. Though the game said it's all destiny, I am still thinking all these happen too fast.
By the way, I'm gay. would it stop me from understanding the development of "boy-girl" relationship?
Do video game protagonist get enough time to develop convincing romance? If so, which game do it best in your opinion?
Click to expand...
I think @eli broadly makes a good point, but I think the romance in the game you mention is also just poorly done
 
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JRPG have it easy sometimes being super long and lots of dialogue. But sometimes they can’t even do it.

But I gotta disagree with your example. I think you missed the point of that scene. They had a argument just before that scene that lead to that scenario.

Even then, I do wish some games go all the way with romance. I mean some actual affection shown and expressed. Most times it’s only implied and mostly poorly.
 
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I just realized I'm less likely to play a game if there isn't some sort of romantic subplot. I'm a sucker for sappy shit.

I like the romance in the OP's example a lot.

Also, speaking of JRPGs, I'm a big fan of Trails in the Sky and the main romance of that game. Typically, if done well, the longer hours spent with these characters during the duration of a game would be more satisfying to me than many other mediums.
 
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