What does Katawa Shoujo mean to you?

[Athankfulanon]

I'd like to thank 4 Leaf Studios for making this visual novel. I'm not sure how other people see this project as, but it means a lot to me. I'm sorta putting myself out here, even as just an anon, so forgive me if I sound shallow or naive. I can say with a fair amount of confidence that stuff like Katawa Shoujo keeps me going every day. I'm not sure that I'd be able to put up with as much as I do if I hadn't seen KS. Now, I don't have some crippling physical disability. I don't get bullied in school. I can afford to eat 3 meals a day. You could say that a lot of people have it worse than me, but as far as I'm concerned, I consider myself depressed. I feel distanced from everyone in my life. I have no close friends. Sure, i have people I hang out with, but they always seem like they have better friends to talk with or things to do than me. Even when I'm with my family, I feel alone. It's a pain to even talk with them. I'm utterly and completely alone. Until I'm back on my laptop, that is. When I see Katawa Shoujo, I see people overcoming their weaknesses. I see people finding happiness despite of their past tribulations. That itself is enough for me. I know that Katawa Shoujo isn't reality. I know that right now i can't be as happy as Hisao is in some of his endings. But what KS does give me is hope. It shows me that even though I'm in this pit right now, I can still find happiness. I don't know if I can even achieve something like one of Hisao's happy endings. but that doesn't matter. Because of things like Katawa Shoujo, I can tell myself that I need to keep on living until I find my happiness or my time runs out. What Katawa Shoujo is to me is a hope and a reason to keep on living.

Now, I don't expect everyone else to have the same feelings I do for KS, but what does KS mean to you? Is it just a game? Or something more?
Sorry if my post was a bit too personal for comfort. Thanks for putting up wit it!

[BadMrFrostii]

/brohug Athankfulanon

To me, it started as a book really more than a game. I love to read, and I also love games, so I heard about this, then I was very excited to try it out.
I found myself becoming emotionally attached, which at first I thought was something odd of me to do, and then I checked out the forums, and it seems I am not alone .
For me, KS is something to cheer me up, and something I look forward to.
Most days are fairly boring and I sit in class or in front of my TV with some sort of controller in hand.
I'm a quiet person, so I don't really get out much, and I always wait until the end of the day to play.
I don't know why I wait, but I do.
I think about it all day, and then I'm more than excited to play that night.
It's kinda like an escape from reality, and I really like it.
After I'm finished playing for the night/morning, I go to bed feeling happy, and excited to play the next night.
:Db

[Erthel]

You like KS, now learn from it. Learn to accept yourselves, and get over the pits and troubles. Don't be ashamed.

[Mysterious Stranger]

It's a work of art that has changed my life for the better.

[HarvestmanMan]

The best possible thing to come out of using Flash.

[Guest]

OP... You really took the words out of my mouth... THAT IS EXACTLY the same thing KS is to me, for THE EXACT SAME reasons you've provided... Stay strong

[FluffandCrunch]

Emi taught me to not give up on myself. I've been exercising more in the last month than I have in my entire life.
Lilly taught me to be kind and considerate to everyone I meet. I've noticed I've been more patient with people and I don't use course language as much.

As I play the game more and more, it acts as a reflection to our own selves. Each one of the girls an archetype in her own right, also represent things about ourselves we wish we had more firm control of. At the same time, each girl's flaws is a realization that none of us are perfect and we can only fix those flaws through our own decision to do so.
I haven't even played the entire game and I've seen a drastic change in the way I live my life. I'm a little troubled that all this was started by a simple game, my first VN in fact, but the changes are good and I think in the end they will make me a better person because of them.
The community, in addition, is an amazing facet to the game. Whether your here or on /KSG/for the Feels or to pour your heart out through the safety of anonymity (such as yourself, OP) or your trying to find that inspiration to draw or write (like myself), it just goes to show you that inspiration and change can be found everywhere.
"Art in the blood can take the strangest of forms"
Buck up, Thankfulanon. Life can be hard, but if you can find inspiration and hope in a silly little game, think of how much is waiting for you out there. All you have to do is accept and take it for yourself.

[rydiafan]

I now have a greater respect for VN's ... B4 this one i just thought what most ppl thought ... VN's are for freaks and Perverts ( i was the pervert part ) and i thought it would help me relieve myself ( if i need to explain You shouldn't be here lol ) ... so i tryed it one night ( the demo ) ... thinking i would play it for 10 to 20 mins tops ( just to say my only experence b4 KS ... was adult flash games, true love and 3 sisters story ) so i got into the mindset to expect cripple porn .... boy was i dead wrong its just such a game/VN that came outta left feild that i relly enjoyed ... it didn't change me as a person , it just changed my opinion on what theses types of games can be truly worth

[GaseousMask]

Everything...

[Shilver]

It's a great story, and has made me look back on some past memories and fully move past them. Plus it's introduced me to this forum. You guys are pretty chill

[Tim_Servi]

Feelings of acceptance with my self and others, and a small understanding of who I am and what I want out of life

For lack of better words I guess, I've never been good with words

[Al]

Just an overrated visual novel. The only reason that it's starting to become a phenomenon is because it's made by white people instead of japs.

[encrypted12345]

Just an overrated visual novel. The only reason that it's starting to become a phenomenon is because it's made by white people instead of japs.

It probably is overrated, but I still think it's pretty damn good. Just because something is overrated doesn't mean that it is bad.

Besides, OELVNs are usually mediocre anyways. It only makes sense that a very good one would get people's attention. We all have our things that we are biased towards because they introduced us to the medium after all.

Let these people have theirs.

As for me, this is honestly the first VN that I appreciate because of the subtleties it has. I'll admit that why I like this is different from why I like other VNs.

[Nobody in Particular]

Just an overrated visual novel. The only reason that it's starting to become a phenomenon is because it's made by white people instead of japs.

It probably is overrated, but I still think it's pretty damn good. Just because something is overrated doesn't mean that it is bad.

Besides, OELVNs are usually mediocre anyways. It only makes sense that a very good one would get people's attention. We all have our things that we are biased towards because they introduced us to the medium after all.

Let these people have theirs.

As for me, this is honestly the first VN that I appreciate because of the subtleties it has. I'll admit that why I like this is different from why I like other VNs.

I completely agree with this.

Now I haven't played any other visual novels (yet) but I think that Katawa Shoujo is great at what it does. Is it overrated? Probably, but there are so many games out there that are overrated that are immensely popular. Now that I have played KS I would certainly open to trying out more of the same genre of game which will surely be good for the VN industry as a whole, and I'm sure there are many people that will think the same.

Overrated =/= bad

[Whiteclownz]

I think its the best game i've played in a while it kinda touched me too.
I am usually the person who plays Hardcore WoW and listens to death metal and such but weird enough this game drew a big attention to me c: been a great experience for me.