Tag: Op Ed

Holding Game Developers Accountable for Half-Hearted Representation: Thoughts on Ertal Games’s Apology & Reflexion

Published on by Blerdy18 Comments

As a content creator I’m often approached by developers and publishers who want me to cover their game or product on my various social media platforms. They’ll send me a game with the understanding that I’ll play it and cover it as Blerdy Otome. Most of the time, these are publishers or developers that are familiar with me and my content, so they are approaching me because they feel that I am a good fit to promote their game or product.

Occasionally, I’ll get a publisher that has clearly not done their homework who will send me a game that is very much outside of my wheelhouse. Just last month I had a publisher reach out to me about promoting their porn game, and while I do play a lot of 18+ visual novels, something like PornStar Harem is just not something I’d cover on this site (or anywhere else for that matter). I’ll try just about anything once, but even I have my limits, because at the end of the day, Blerdy Otome is a space for uplifting creators and media that spotlight diversity and for me to talk about my interests.

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Publishers Please Do Better By Western Otome Gamers

Published on by Blerdy4 Comments

In the year of our lord 2022, at a time when otome gamers have been blessed with more otome localizations than we can feasibly play, otome fans are still having to prove that there is a demand for otome games in the West. What’s worse is this new wave of frustration was brought about by Koei Tecmo, which many in the otome community know for their Ruby Party line of games, most notably the Angelique series. In a recent interview with the development team behind Touken Ranbu Warriors, the team remarked that the publisher would consider bringing Ruby Party otome games to the west “if there is a demand”. The issue further came to a head when Koei tweeted that “demand” would be determined by how well Touken Ranbu Warriors does in sales.

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Otome Debates: Localization

Published on by Blerdy19 Comments

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, as promised, here’s the first official Otome Debates post! Going into 2018 I wanted to branch out a bit from just otome game reviews, by adding some editorial styled otome games related content. The idea is to produce informative content about otome games that both fans and non-fans of the genre can enjoy. So what should you expect from this and other Otome Debates posts?

This is a brand spankin’ new bi-weekly (Tuesdays) post series where I talk about a few of the “controversial” topics floating around the online otome community. I’ll be covering a wide range of topics within the scope of otome games and their connected media. You don’t necessarily have to be familiar with otome games or the online otome games community to enjoy these posts, since they will mostly offer a general overview of the topic with points from both sides.

–Otome Debates: Introduction 

This week’s topic is one that has caused a lot of buzz in the online otome community. It’s a topic that has been at the center of some of the most heated Twitter battles… a topic that has divided the community for years… I wish I was joking, it seems like every time an English language version of an otome game is released in the West, the online otome games community implodes. Friend turn on friends, members of the #OtomeArmada immediately scramble to opposing sides and the rampant passive aggressive tweets begin to fly… But, what is “localization” and is it really worth all the fuss?

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Otome Debates: Introduction

Published on by Blerdy19 Comments

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, welcome to the introductory post of the new Otome Debates series! *throws confetti* Technically, this series won’t start until next Tuesday, but before I spring it on you guys I wanted to go over what to expect from the series when it kicks off next week.

What The Series is About…

This is a brand spankin’ new bi-weekly (Tuesdays) post series where I talk about a few of the “controversial” topics floating around the online otome community. I’ll be covering a wide range of topics within the scope of otome games and their connected media. You don’t necessarily have to be familiar with otome games or the online otome games community to enjoy these posts, since they will mostly offer a general overview of the topic with points from both sides.

The Format…

The basic format will be as follows:

  • Introduction: Brief overview of the topic and an introduction to the various viewpoints people in the otome community have about said topic.
  • Viewpoint Breakdown: This will make up the bulk of the post (roughly 2-4 paragraphs) and focus on fleshing out the opposing viewpoints of the topic. I’ll highlight the main points of each opposing viewpoint, while offering examples to support or refute each argument. I will try to remain as impartial as possible in this section in order to give readers a better understanding of the subject matter without my ickle feelings getting in the way.
  • My Personal Opinion: Like it says, I’ll offer up my opinion on the topic and where I stand on the issues presented in the Viewpoint (name to be changed) section. I’ll try to keep this short, but if I feel strongly about the topic, it might be longer…
  • Conclusion/Wrap Up: A summary of the points presented in the post followed by a poll, so that you guys can weigh in on which side of the debate you stand on (anonymously). You can also share your opinions in the comments section and/or ask for clarification on a point brought up in the post.

Like I said, I won’t be unrolling this bad boy until next week Tuesday, so be on the lookout for that. As a show of good faith, I’ll reveal the topic for the inaugural post… *drumroll* Otome Game Localizations! Yeah, people have strong feelings about localization, so I figured it’d be the perfect way to kick off the new year!!

What do you think of the new post series? Think it’s a good idea? Do you have a topic suggestion? Wanna chat? Drop a line in the comments section (I promise, I don’t bite…much). As always THANK YOU FOR READING!! 

To Be the MC or Not To Be the MC: How Do You Otome?

Published on by Blerdy54 Comments

Introduction

Before reading this post, it’s important to answer one simple question: What exactly is an otome game?  Generally speaking, otome games (shortened to otoge) are “story based video games that are targeted towards a female audience” (wiki). Typically, the plots of these games focus on fostering a romantic relationship between a female protagonist and one of several male (and in some cases female) love interests. While romance is the main draw for players, otoges have been known to cover a diverse range of subjects and topics. In the past, otoges were only marketed towards Japanese women, but in recent years their popularity has extended to the Western market.  This new, growth has led to a rise in English-language otome games and an increase in the number of localized Japanese otoges. However, the market for otoges in the West is considerably smaller than that of the Japanese market.

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So this past week I saw that Vogue had written an article about otome games…At first I was excited, this is just what we need, I thought, more exposure means more games…and what better way to get that exposure, than to have an article in an internationally syndicated medium, like Vogue. So like many of you, I retweeted and reblogged the article, but then I read it again and I noticed something I didn’t realize the first time. First, they assume all otoge players are women and two they generalize players…On the first count, Vogue is primarily targeted at women…so I guess I can let that slide, but the second point isn’t so easily dismissed. The article made it seem like women/girls who play otome games do so in order to escape the reality of not having a real boyfriend….

steve harvey what's wrong with you

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