Oh boy, it's that topic I've been wanting to talk about forever but haven't ever had the guts to because I was...iuno, scared of offending people? Seeing as I'm not actively developing Shield High at the moment, may as well go ahead and just come out with my opinions on the matter. So, what's the general porn game industry like, in my opinion?
Shit. It's shit. Which, to be totally fair, I understand, despite the relatively large amount of porn games available, we're still in our relative infancy. A lot of the really core questions don't have answers, and we don't have any veterans to say what is and isn't good. I have a lot of theories on what's good, but I don't have the time to actually crank out enough stuff to test them for sure, so a lot of it is down to what I've liked and disliked in games I've played.
But the goal of this post isn't to make excuses. There are some, to be sure, but that's not the point. The point is to suggest why it's shit, and then put forward what people can do to fix it. So, why's it shit? Lack of experience is an obvious thing I just pointed out. Honestly, the lack of most professionalism. Indie development is a much more personal thing than traditional development, and we see a lot more of people's personal thoughts and general life happenings than we do in the larger games production. This puts an unfortunate dent in the perceived professionalism of a lot of people, though isn't the killing blow. I think the lack of clear deadlines and schedules is the big problem. A lot of porn game work is done "when it's done" which I don't think is good enough. It's why I would always push myself to release Shield High on the same day every month. What else can be done for this? I'm not actually sure. Maybe the total appearance of professionalism isn't necessary. Maybe being open about everything is fine. But the work ethic of professionalism is something that is absolutely necessary, and I don't feel like it's there in a lot of new developers.
So that's problem one, and it's on the developer side. Now for some problems on the audience side. Primarily, I don't think audiences hold developers to account enough. I don't think people demand enough, in terms of punctuality, in terms of quality, and in terms of...personal value, for lack of a better word. There may be other areas where people could hold a higher standard, but I'm not sure what they are. These three things are, in my opinion, the most important things. A bad, late game made by a developer who plans to contribute nothing more, is not better than no game at all. I think maybe if the personal value is present, then one of these factors can be improved on, but again, audiences shouldn't just let it slide. If things are a problem I do think they should be called out. Obviously, this is less true for games without any financial angle, but if someone is asking for your money, then I think they should be ready to take your most brutal feedback.
To quickly clarify what I mean by personal value, I mean a developer who shows a clear inclination to stick with it. Not just this game, but to make another, and maybe another after that. If we want to see good porn games, it's really important to highlight people who are trying to make a real living off this, and help them grow to be able to actually really get deep into the craft and find out how things work. I would honestly suggest asking any developer you plan to support what they want to do next. I don't believe for a second someone passionate about making porn games wouldn't have a few other ideas, even if just vague ones.
And finally, what can be done about it all? I'd say get involved with communities, and apply lots of discretion when giving someone money for their work. If the majority of the appeal in the game comes off of images you can either get for free, or can generate easily with a tool, I would encourage you not to support that game, and put the money somewhere else to a developer that is working towards something that might be of real value to the community. That's not to say shun every game that uses such images, I understand they can be good visual aids, but if someone relies on them to do the work of making it appealing, I don't think they're really doing anything at all. As for getting involved with communities, find forums about porn games, post about them, tell people what's shit, encourage people to do the same, try and get other people to really think about what they're throwing money at, suggest alternatives for their money if it's going to someone who's not worth it.
Also, on the flip side, don't be an entitled shit about things. If you aren't paying for a game, you're not really owed anything. While I do say tell developers about problems, your wallet is the most powerful way you can influence the industry and get more good quality games. I spent a minute thinking about how to end this thought, to best explain how they interact. I think the best way I can put it, is to say pointing out problems when you're not paying is fine, if they were fixed, there's a chance you might start. Asking for new features, or specific content however, is kind of reaching I think.
Anyway, those are just some thoughts. I realize the last paragraph gets a bit confused, it's a complex topic, and I hadn't really organized my ideas on that last section before I got to typing.
Pudding Earl
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