Did we change?

[pauper]

Hello everyone,

I assume barely anybody would recognice me, but I posted a few times when KS was released and when I played it.

Back then, I saw many people posting about how KS changed them in different ways. Some people even started to change their own lifestyles. And this made me wonder, did we stay that way? Did KS really had such an influence on our lifes?

I didn't change that much at all actually, and the changes that occured might not be the result of playing KS. The only major change is that I started watching anime.

So I wonder, from the people that also where here at the beginning of this year, did you really change? And how much did you change?

[Xanatos]

I wasn't here at the beginning. All of my changes were largely internal/mental and consisted less of actually changing and more of realizing what needed to change. The rest just kind of came as a chain reaction to that. Basically, KS directly led me to uncovering and confronting a decade's worth of repressed issues which led to me identifying changes that needed to be made [and also facing the bleak realization that if I didn't make any changes, I would very likely self-terminate under the baggage of it all in a few years time] and starting the process (which, while frustratingly slow at times, has been a benefit).

So yeah, I changed. Not much (yet) because the changes I needed to make are long-term and not done with a snap of the fingers (and also I can't snap my fingers) but the change is there.

[Denouement]

This game gave me a lot of emptiness and dread because it was a story of close and interesting relationships, the former I don't have and the latter I'm not sure is possible with those I know. It actually angered me because, me being largely a recluse, being alone was fine and it didn't bother me, but after playing this game a sadness overwhelmed me. Transforming being alone into being lonely. At first my only way of getting away from it was actually playing it more, almost like feeling sleepy from oversleeping so you oversleep some more. This resulted in me completing the paths very quickly.

This feeling has largely subsided from me, and I am the way I was before, perfectly content, though now perhaps I wouldn't mind getting closer to others. In fact the first time in a while I may be hanging out with some friends this weekend (or next weekend, not sure). Whether Katawa Shoujo is responsible for this I do not know.

[Xanatos]

This game gave me a lot of emptiness and dread because it was a story of close and interesting relationships, the former I don't have and the latter I'm not sure is possible with those I know. It actually angered me because, me being largely a recluse, being alone was fine and it didn't bother me, but after playing this game a sadness overwhelmed me. Transforming being alone into being lonely. At first my only way of getting away from it was actually playing it more, almost like feeling sleepy from oversleeping so you oversleep some more. This resulted in me completing the paths very quickly.

This feeling has largely subsided from me, and I am the way I was before, perfectly content, though now perhaps I wouldn't mind getting closer to others. In fact the first time in a while I may be hanging out with some friends this weekend (or next weekend, not sure). Whether Katawa Shoujo is responsible for this I do not know.

^ Pretty much everything he said too.

[Fiandra]

This game gave me a lot of emptiness and dread because it was a story of close and interesting relationships, the former I don't have and the latter I'm not sure is possible with those I know. It actually angered me because, me being largely a recluse, being alone was fine and it didn't bother me, but after playing this game a sadness overwhelmed me. Transforming being alone into being lonely. At first my only way of getting away from it was actually playing it more, almost like feeling sleepy from oversleeping so you oversleep some more. This resulted in me completing the paths very quickly.

This feeling has largely subsided from me, and I am the way I was before, perfectly content, though now perhaps I wouldn't mind getting closer to others. In fact the first time in a while I may be hanging out with some friends this weekend (or next weekend, not sure). Whether Katawa Shoujo is responsible for this I do not know.

^. I couldn't have worded it better.

[Loonie]

I've read plenty of dramatic changes that people did go through and credit KS as being the main catalyst for their occurance (getting their first jobs, writing their first published works, ect.)

But as for me? In physical terms I wouldn't say it changed that much, other than persuade me to start and keep up a basic daily exercise routine. However, I can say that the mental influence has been profound. Not just in terms of making it clear to me, as to what I really want from life (because let's face it - those kinds of things don't mean much until you start achieving something to back them up and that much I haven't done yet if I am honest with myself), but moreso in terms of the attitude I held towards my family. I can say, without a doubt, that before KS I was growing more and more cold and distant from them...my brother said something inadvertently and I was almost ready to just ignore his upcoming birthday...

...instead, after playing through KS for the first time, I got him a nice gift, baked him some food and we had a great friday night. Recently my parents had their birthdays and again I came up with a better gift for them than I ever did in the past 8 years. And I'm pretty sure that if it weren't for KS I probably wouldn't have gotten them anything and the distance between us would continue to grow.

It may not seem like much, but believe me - not many works of fiction have the power to make another person genuinely grow warmer and kinder to those around him. So I think that ultimately yes, KS has changed me for the better. And given what I can attribute to its influence thus far, I suppose I can only hope it keeps changing me.

[kbk]

This game gave me a lot of emptiness and dread because it was a story of close and interesting relationships, the former I don't have and the latter I'm not sure is possible with those I know. It actually angered me because, me being largely a recluse, being alone was fine and it didn't bother me, but after playing this game a sadness overwhelmed me. Transforming being alone into being lonely. At first my only way of getting away from it was actually playing it more, almost like feeling sleepy from oversleeping so you oversleep some more. This resulted in me completing the paths very quickly.

This feeling has largely subsided from me, and I am the way I was before, perfectly content, though now perhaps I wouldn't mind getting closer to others. In fact the first time in a while I may be hanging out with some friends this weekend (or next weekend, not sure). Whether Katawa Shoujo is responsible for this I do not know.

Wow that pretty much sums it up for me.

[Brogurt]

Home didn't change. And war... war never changes. But you did. All men and women do, through the roads they walk.

[Oddball]

Home didn't change. And war... war never changes. But you did. All men and women do, through the roads they walk.

But how many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?

[Shadowyeclipse]

To be honest: Not much.

Katawa Shoujo affected me, but I'm easily affected by most things, being very emotional. It causes some people to assume I'm a flamer, but less on that.

So yes, thoughts about KS plagued me for a week or two, depressing me at first, and then filling me with a sort of happiness. I enjoyed the story, and I think that I might have opened my eyes just a crack, and though I still do, I often find myself staring a lot less at people whom I consider to be odd or weird at first glance, and I typically try not to judge people based by their cover.

So, that's really the only thing KS taught me. Well, not really taught, but more along the lines of "refined," because I had those ideals for quite a long time, I had realized I didn't practice what I preached afterwords.

But in the end, Katawa Shoujo affected me in minor ways. I love the VN, the story is engrossing and tear-worthy, but it hasn't changed my life. I didn't go start a company or go donate to a charity or set up a new exercise routine, I simply view Katawa Shoujo as my gateway, so to speak, into what will become a learning experience from all VN's I will play after this.

It didn't change me or anything, but it broadened my horizons to a lot more. It's just a story, and therefore, I haven't really let it change my life.

*Shrug*

I'm writing this at like, 3 AM, and still shaking from playing Fate/Stay night, not only that, I just recovered from some nasty bug that left me mentally drained, so this is probably going to be a block of worthless text that will not make any sense in the morning. But then again, without a filter, this is probably how I really feel.



Edit: Looking back on a few other posts, it probably changed me more than I realize. I didn't go out and make the friends I have now for Hanako, persay, but maybe subconsciously KS ingrained something into me. But as someone else said, I was very much a loner for my entire life, and it was fine like that. That's started to change.

[yummines]

I don't really think Katawa Shoujo changed me. Sure it made me a little depressed that my school life boring and without any romance whatsoever (much like when i finished Toradora!) but i don't think it changed my outlook on life in any way.

now i just claim Rin as waifu and that's pretty much it. i still don't find visual novels to be very fun (save Monmusu Quest) and i still am not very motivated to get a girlfriend.

[Mahorfeus]

It gave me yet another website to waste my corpulent quantity of free time on (and time that I should probably use on something else).

[Megumeru]

I still maintain a steady running routine. It also kept mind fresh through rereads, deconstruction, and analysis; it helps when most of your time as a university student involves reading into college papers and thesis. And by God those are such boring pain in the ass.

[Flutterz]

The biggest way that KS changed my life was probably in that it introduced me to VNs in general. I actually really enjoy reading, but only stuff that really interests me, so lately it was hard to find something to justify reading instead of playing computer games. Ever since that boring sleepless night this summer when I decided to look up "something like KS" I've been reading much, much more, often even instead of video games. Admittedly moving from computer games to visual novels is about as good as jumping out of the fire but into the frying pan, but you gotta start somewhere.

Also it opened a few new experiences to me. I went a day deaf and mute, which admittedly wasn't that difficult as I don't talk to people that often anyway, I learned a bit of Braille and even got myself a copy of Poe's works in Braille which I read every now and again(the only thing I can read at a reasonable pace is The Raven, and only because I pretty much know it by heart), I tried eating by holding my fork with my foot, and I tried out and got myself a pair of powerbocks, which I look forward to using again next summer.

[ook]

Since the initial "spark" from KS that got me to try exercise as a hobby 10 months ago, I've stuck with it, and I don't see any reason why I would stop. It got me hooked.

Mentally, it led to the realization that physical activity can be something you do for fun, not just something you're forced to do in gym class or because you should. And that an unhealthy diet is not necessarily tastier than a healthy diet (really! It's not! It's just an issue of convenience/ignorance). That led to me getting interested in cooking, which has been fun and a worthwhile endeavor.
And of course physically I've changed (I've lost 100+ lbs so far).

So yeah I'd say so. I'm a better person for having played KS. I'm glad it came along.