Gray's Cozy Nook

Yep, you read that right. I’m asking you to break the rules of visual novel etiquette when it comes to casual gaming. My reasoning is this, we use a lot of game guides and direction from blogs and or other websites to help us figure out a game.

I’m one of those people who do need a game guide every now and then when I keep getting the same ending over and over, but it can also be because I’m someone who hates bowing down to a dominant character. I’m also one of those people who can easily miss a certain item that’s crucial to solving a mystery in a game, and then end up having to restart the game all over again to get said item.

“I’m asking you to break the rules of visual novel etiquette when it comes to casual gaming.“

In today’s blog, I want to talk about going back in time to when we didn’t have the internet handy, and you either had to pay for game guides at your local game store to get all the cheats inside the game or figure things out on your own. I’m gonna talk about old fashioned gaming habits that I’ve been implementing to stop my self-dependent habits on the internet guides and disconnect from the internet while gaming. Let’s break the modern rules a little, and warp it back to the 1990s (well not really, but you get what I mean. I think).

“I’m gonna talk about old fashioned gaming habits that I’ve been implementing to stop my self-dependent habits on the internet guides and disconnecting from the internet while gaming.“

“A lot of times in games you have to pick a certain action or statement to get the best reaction out of a character.“

A lot of times in games you have to pick a certain action or statement to get the best reaction out of a character. While it’s always a good thing to have game guides ready to punch in those options with ease, I feel it takes away the fun of answering honestly. Whenever I get a new game and go on the rampaging course of romancing a random character, I now answer them with how I honestly feel.

Whether it’s the “excuse me, I believe you’re an asshole” or “I’m sorry, you need to leave” and sometimes, “I apologize, apparently I didn’t hit you hard enough to get my point across about you’re perverted nature.” It’s always more interesting to see the other reactions the character gives versus the usual blush, or how they feel they are a total king/queen of everyone because you’ve praised them.

“We can always restart the route, and answer the opposite of what you said before, and find out that you marry a tree instead of the LI.“

IMO play the route on the first round with just your honest answers, and if you don’t get the super happy ending on the first round and end up with the bad ending. It’s not the end of the world. We can always restart the route, and answer the opposite of what you said before, and find out that you marry a tree instead of the LI.

In most visual novels guides out there, and also many sites, they give information on how to play a game with structure. I have nothing against these blogs, and they’re helpful when you keep getting the same ending over and over with a character. A lot of times when we pick a game guide, it gives us an outline of who we should romance first. WHILE I’M GLAD FOR THE STRUCTURE INCERTAIN GAMES, I feel it’s best to romance whoever the f**k you want, in whatever order you wish–as the story will always piece itself together.

“I feel it’s best to romance whoever the f**k you want, in whatever order you wish…“

It might be confusing sometimes if you happen to romance the character who happens to have the most information about a mystery to the plot, before the secret romance-able character is unlocked. Then you’ll have to work around the other characters to figure out the missing pieces information. However, I feel that’s what makes the game fun, and more interesting when you have a secrets to uncover while you game.

“Yes, I mean your cell phone, computer, or tablet.“

Gray Speaks

Lastly, but not least, just game like we are back in the ages when there wasn’t the internet available to keep hooking yourself up to. It’s pretty hard these days to disconnect from the world of the internet when you constantly have it at your fingertips. Yes, I mean your cell phone, computer, or tablet.

“It’s pretty hard these days to disconnect from the world of the internet when you constantly have it at your fingertips.“

A lot of games can be played offline, especially visual novels, thanks to some of the new features of being able to download the game data onto your preferred platform. It’s easy to forget to play your game, when you’re constantly hardwired into the main system. that you forget to just enjoy the game without influence from other people or distractions.

We live in a world that strives to make us stay connected regardless of what we do, and it can get taxing, because we are constantly hooked into the matrix. This rule was left for last because it’s the hardest out of all my rules to break, for me, it took 21 days to create the habit of having my phone, tablet, and computer on airplane mode to play my games and read.

“21 days to create the habit of having my phone, tablet, and computer on airplane mode“

It’s difficult, especially when you are addicted or the internet is necessary to play your game, but there are other things that can keep you wired into the matrix that you can’t just step away from. However, just like meditation, I feel gaming should be given the same breakaways, just gaming and disconnecting from all the hullabaloo.

Let’s recap a bit about the rules I follow when playing visual novels.

1. Drop the Guide, Answer the Way You Want To

2. Romance Whoever You Want, Without Order

3. Disconnect From the Matrix.

What it comes down to is remembering to have fun when you game, enjoy the time and experience with it. Since we have a lot of things that can disturb our alone time with our gaming. Are their rules you’ve broken that I haven’t mentioned? Let me know in the comments below!

As always, thanks for stopping by in my corner of the blogosphere, and see you on the gaming side~!