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Not enough warning

A topic by Zoraburger created Sep 29, 2017 Views: 15,334 Replies: 14
Viewing posts 1 to 7
(+2)

I was looking for romance VN's on Itch.io and found this game. I saw the warnings, and followed the link to the warning page. Problem is, the warnings don't give you a good enough idea about what you're getting into. Yes, it DOES say "depression" and even "Suicide" but all that told me was the game dealt with heavy topics, it did NOT prepare me for the horror experience I was about to play. The game has a "Romance" tag and not a "Horror" tag. I get disturbed  by things like this very easily, and the vary dark and meta themes of this game triggered my anxiety in was I did not expect. If I had known what I was getting into, I never would have down loaded Doki Doki Literature club. This game NEEDS a "horror" tag. I don't want other people to get triggered by this game! I even made this account just so I could help with this major problem. Thank you for taking the time to hear me out.

(+3)

I noticed my original comment may have been a bit confusing. I was in the middle of having a minor anxiety attack when I wrote that, I feel I should clear a few things up. Like it said, it wasn't the suicide that triggered me; I even expected a character to commit suicide. I don't get triggered by hearing those things. I get triggered when something is threatening me directly, or is focused on me specifically, so the meta content of this game caused and anxiety attack. I had to delete DDLC, the zip folder for DDLC, and go into recycling bin and delete the both again, and then search everywhere on my computer for any file related to DDLC, and I was still having an anxiety attack. Point is, meta content can be a trigger on it's own and  I think if meta content was added to the warning page; and a Horror tag was placed on the game, it would help a lot.

(+4)

I had this problem too! It wasn’t the suicide or the depression that triggered me, but it was monika breaking the 4th wall and talking to me directly! That sort of stuff just freaks me out and scares the hell out of me

Developer(+9)

Thank you for the suggestion. I'll update the content warning page to clarify that DDLC is a horror game. Since the game is already listed as horror on Steam, I'll update the tags on itch.io to include it as well.

(+3)

Thank you so much! You have no idea how much better this makes me feel.

(+1)

Yeah, the suicide and depression thingies are normal in horror games, but I also didn't expect bad words in it, I thought it would be scary, and then that's it.

(+1)

Once you know how the game program does these things, it's not overly frightening once you get used to it. Ren'Py and coding are capable of a lot, such as reading your computer name to get your name and stuff like that, or realizing when you have a streaming program running. The game doesn't just magically know things, and when you tell yourself that, it becomes easier.

(+2)

How can anyone be this sensitive? You felt like being anxious over a video game was a "major problem"? This is what happens when kids don't experience normal social development. I hope you've made some changes in your brain in the three years since you posted this, such as growing out of that childlike level of stress tolerance. Get a grip.

(+4)

Being insensitive to what people go through is no way to help someone. Check yourself!

(+4)

um, how could you be so rude? this person was having a hard time with the game because of their mental illness, don't tell them to just 'Get a grip', how insensitive can you be? To me, you sound like a Karen, but I don't know what age you are so, but why don't YOU get a grip, and maybe you should experience a normal social development instead of being downright disrespectful to other people with real life problems

(+2)

Um, Anxiety is not something that just happens to kids without "normal social development." Everyone has Anxiety to some extent, just the people officially diagnosed (Or just clearly 'have it') experience it worse than some others. I would go into a whole essay about how Anxiety works, but I'm getting off topic. My point being, where OP downloaded the game didn't have the horror tag listed, and it's nothing to be "overly sensitive" about. The first act/run ends with finding a body, still on the rope from being hung. The second has constant scares and leads to you watching someone kill herself on screen and then listen to her talk demon text for the whole weekend. The game is a phycological horror. The whole goal of the game is to do exactly what it did to OP, (except not as bad as it affected them.) If you aren't that affected by the game, good on you. Pat on the back you've probably been though some sh*t in your life to be ok with that. (Not saying you're a bad person if you aren't that affected, but that's how I've seen it play out more than once.)

(+3)

That's retarded of you, to even say that.  You're saying nobody is supposed to be sensitive about watching someone hang from a noose, stab them selves to death, someones neck snap, and a girl that does it all to be with you, which you delete. They restore the game, and then delete it AGAIN

Not everybody would take it like "Oh that just happened omg so scary, ok next." . There's people who cant't handle that. And put yourself in their head, with their problems. You would not like it then if I said "How can anyone be this sensitive? You felt like being anxious over a video game was a "major problem"? This is what happens when kids don't experience normal social development. I hope you've made some changes in your brain in the three years since you posted this, such as growing out of that childlike level of stress tolerance. Get a grip." now would you? Maybe others are being sensitive, but you are being insensitive to what they feel towards this, and that's not ok.

how can someone be this ignorant? as if anxiety were as simple as that. you clearly don't know anything about psychology and you have a very superficial overview of how life works. it's not a choice, it can be clinical, genetic, it can come out of nowhere. you're lucky that you didn't go through stuff that made you develop social anxiety.

(+2)

that adds to the story though. people expecting a hot romance game but instead  experiencing a horrific reality those girls are enduring. Its showing us that they arent just for our amusment, instead they have their own problems. It makes us question about any other girls in dating sims. It's unfortunate you've felt that way while playing, but i think that the problem isnt the game but you. You should go to therapy if you have a panic attacks over  simething minor as this.

(+1)

As I said in another comment, the game is a phycological horror. The whole goal of the game is to cause shock, fear and discomfort using upsetting and unexpected imagery. If this is what the game does to you, it's done it's job. (Although a little too well.) While I agree with you that OP might need to go and seek help with their Anxiety, I can't agree that the game is 'something minor'.