I’ve never really played many dating simulator games. Back when Dream Daddy first came out, I gave it a go, and had a solid time overall. I went on some nice dates with a handsome coffee shop owner and he introduced me to the band PUP, who have a load of absolute angsty bangers.

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Glaad (formerly known as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) have brought their media awards back for the 31st year, and for the second year in a row they’re recognising video games “for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community and the issues that affect their lives”.

Last year, Jay Castello wrote about how these video game awards highlight difficulties in celebrating queer representation, and this year it’s slighty better, but it still feels a bit like it’s missing the point.

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On a rainy night, some people enjoy getting comfy, grabbing their beverage of choice, and curling up with a good book. Some others like doing the same exact thing, but with a game. I say, why not both? Visual novels are the perfect genre of game to curl up with. Here s our collection for the ten best visual novels.

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As a young queer woman, often I have to ask myself what media I want to consume in my video games. Sometimes it s simply picking the next best thing that includes LGBT+ representation, even if that representation is actually pretty damn awful. There are limits when it comes to certain genres, as well as the type of game, be it indie or giant global studio. LGBT+ representation is much harder to come across in FPS shooters, or even in action-adventure games.

Luckily, there s an increasingly popular kind of game that s giving me more options. LGBT+ visual novels, along with LGBT+ developers who put in a huge amount of work to deliver unique, respectful and interesting stories, are challenging my old mindset completely. Instead of settling for the next best thing of having a gay character who is there> but later killed off, or is sad and alone, these VNs allow queer sexuality and love to play a role of importance. The most mainstream example is Dream Daddy, which broke through partly because it was developed through Game Grumps, but every day even more VNs with queer themes are getting made, and more are getting time in the spotlight.

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I worry about Geralt. The Witcher series may be over for now, but this hasn’t stopped Geralt from taking odd jobs here and there, slaying beasts in Monster Hunter: World, or stabbing folks in Soul Calibur VI. Is Geralt getting adequate retirement benefits? Have witchers unionized yet? I hope he can get some rest, or at least find more contract work that doesn’t involve exterminating monsters all the time. Freelancing is tiring.

Here are seven games that need to be blessed by Geralt s presence.

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Not only does Humble currently have its second ‘Very Positive’ bundle going on right now, the site is now listing a separate sale, appropriately titled the ‘Very Positive Sale’. As with the bundle, the sale features a bunch of games all with ‘Very Positive’ or higher ratings on Steam right now, with discounts of up to 80%.

Before you ask, yes, that means you can get Dream Daddy for 9.89 / $13.49. Also featured are things like lovely retro Metroid-like Axiom Verge, perpetual Early Access feudal RPG Kenshi, the Homeworld Remastered Collection, Sniper Elite 4 and more.

We covered the strange adventure possible in Kenshi quite recently. In a year that gave us Divinity: Original Sin 2’s hungry elves and face-stealing undead, it’s astonishing to realise that Kenshi has weirder cannibalistic possibilities than Larian’s latest masterpiece.

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What’s that unsettling white noise coming from the other room? Oh no, it’s the 10th episode of the RPS podcast, the Electronic Wireless Show. This week, the gang are talking about horror in games (but not necessarily “horror games”). Adam and Brendan are terrified by the depths of Subnautica, which doesn’t frighten Pip in the slightest.

But we also like playing non-scary things. Brendan has been competing in the purgatorial fantasy sport of Pyre, and Adam has been catching fish and watching tranquil sunsets in Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles. Meanwhile, Pip has been dating dads in the gay suburban utopia of Dream Daddy. There’s also reader questions, in which we return to the subject of horror, and experience the shrill scream of a truly terrifying beast… (more…)

Look. I’m good at romance/dating sims. I’m good at seeing the things it wants me to do in order to get the rewards of the heart (or the, uh, lower regions). I think a lot of people are because the games tend to hinge around you gaming the NPCs to reap some kind of reward. You take the character who likes animals on a date to the zoo. You wear a leather jacket to meet the rebel. You switch up your seduction (or entire personality) to tick person after person off your list. I’m a mercenary lovebot dispensing chocolates, offering an absolutely insincere shoulder to cry on and switching up my manipulations to suit my own transactional end game of collecting all the experiences.

So how the hell did Dream Daddy manage to get under my skin? Why do I now have a canon playthrough? How is it giving me warm and fuzzy feelings???? DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING. (more…)