Category: Adult Analysis Anthology

This is fifth of fourteen essays contained within the third issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology, a collection of longform writing that seeks to expand the breadth of critical discourse around adult games and adult game culture. If you’d like to support the creation of more high-quality writing about adult games the full anthology is available for purchase on Itch! Anthology logo by Pillow!

Written By: BáiYù

There is a good chance that if you are reading this essay, you have interacted with erotic games in the past, and perhaps have even willingly sought them out before. It’s a novel idea to be sure! But stay with me on this one: imagine that, after a good 10 or so minutes of sifting through dozens and dozens of games with off-putting titles and uncensored box art which clearly goes against itch.io TOS, you find something that you’re willing to click on so you can learn more about what it has to offer. Your eyes scan the list of features — fetishes, rather — and determine that yes, you’re still willing to take it for a spin. You then either download a build or load up the browser demo, double check that your door is locked while loosening your pants, and click to begin playing, only to be hit with an early cutscene where the protagonist is very clearly protesting the concept of having sex.

Oh, you think to yourself, these fictitious sexual acts I wanted to indulge in are being framed as assault and rape. Again.

Continue reading “Please Let Me Say “Yes”: A Study Of Consent & Agency In Eroge” →

This is fourth of fourteen essays contained within the third issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology, a collection of longform writing that seeks to expand the breadth of critical discourse around adult games and adult game culture. If you’d like to support the creation of more high-quality writing about adult games the full anthology is available for purchase on Itch! Anthology logo by Pillow!

Written By: Eithi

Sex is a very difficult thing to balance in games. There’s an art to portraying sexual scenes in porn games in a way that doesn’t disrupt the pacing and also feels like it “fits” within the context of the narrative. While it’s easy to add a sex scene during an intimate moment between two characters and make that flow from the previous scene to the next one, one must be able to approach these moments with a particular level of finesse in order for the work to feel cohesive. In HRPGs (or hentai RPGs, “hentai” being the Japanese word for “pervert”), sex scenes have a unique relationship with the overall structure of the game, especially as it pertains to them as content.

Continue reading “Demons Roots And Sex Scenes As “Content”” →

This is third of fourteen essays contained within the third issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology, a collection of longform writing that seeks to expand the breadth of critical discourse around adult games and adult game culture. If you’d like to support the creation of more high-quality writing about adult games the full anthology is available for purchase on Itch! Anthology logo by Pillow!

Written By: MorganH

I started playing pornographic games shortly before I realized I was some kind of asexual, in that chaotic summer of 2020. There was an unmitigated global pandemic, the United States was rioting, I recently moved across the entire continent, from Connecticut to Los Angeles for grad school in the hopes that classes would be in-person by the fall (a laughable idea, in hindsight). And to occupy myself in my empty rented room during those empty weeks, I partitioned my time between two primary activities: playing porn games and moping.

I’ve always enjoyed erotica and pornography — I have a distinct memory of stumbling across those early chapters Alexis Flowers’ fantasy-porn masterpiece I Roved Out in Search of Truth and Love in 2015 and being stunned that smut could also be so skillful. Since then, I’d developed a taste for what I liked and what I didn’t, and discovery of those adult games opened up a new dimension, an entire medium to explore. My first forays, like so many others who discover adult games for themselves, were with some of the most recognizable, the games that had substantial online audiences that would recommend them, or the ones that appeared at the top of the itch.io store in the “Adult” or “Erotic” categories: Third Crisis, Treasure of Nadia, Harem Hotel, and Summertime Saga and its ilk, the endless procession of games seemingly built around a core memory of finding a VHS copy of Taboo II, in which the performance of Kay Parker is a load-bearing structure of pornographic videogames. But the taboo whose violation first enthralled me was itself the intrusion of porn games into my previously un-sexualized digital space.

Continue reading “Playing With Myself: Asexuality At Play In Course Of Temptation” →

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This is second of fourteen essays contained within the third issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology, a collection of longform writing that seeks to expand the breadth of critical discourse around adult games and adult game culture. If you’d like to support the creation of more high-quality writing about adult games the full anthology is available for purchase on Itch! Anthology logo by Pillow!

Written By: Amenyx

Madeby Infinity Alpha and published by SGArts, NU:Carnival is a Josei BL visual novel,. The plot revolves around the protagonist, Eiden, a (respectful) horndog of a sex toy maker leading a very corporate life before gettng isekai-ed into the world of Klein. Here, he meets his ‘clan members’: people tasked with maintaining one of the 6 altars across Klein through ‘regulating essence’ (getting their freak on). As the story progresses, we explore each of the 12 clan members, their pasts and their presents, what drives them and Eiden’s own connection with the land of Klein in this kinky-yet-wholesome game.

Continue reading “Carnal Tactics: A Nu: Carnival Review” →

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This is first of fourteen essays contained within the third issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology, a collection of longform writing that seeks to expand the breadth of critical discourse around adult games and adult game culture. If you’d like to support the creation of more high-quality writing about adult games the full anthology is available for purchase on Itch! Anthology logo by Pillow!

Written By: Zoquete

After the release of Deathblossom, my most recent NSFW game project, I paid close attention to the discussion surrounding the game’s presentation and themes. One exchange stood out to me in particular:

“Gameplay wise and game design wise the game is amazing. I felt it is a waste to make it into a hentai game because the hentai part is most di[s]appointing part”

“Honestly hard agree. The writing is easily the best part of this game, no contest, and the visual design i love just as much, but the porn is mediocre, and if it didn’t have porn it likely would be able to be mainstream, and get omega popular. So sad honestly, thinking how many people could’ve seen this game, and seen its story.”

“People are getting so prudish lately that I feel lonely in thinking that it’s fun to have some ero content in ‘normal’ games.”

They’re entitled to their opinion about the quality of my smut, but there’s something more interesting to unpack here. Why was it “a waste to make it into a hentai game”? Does adult content really prevent a game from being good or finding an audience? Is it merely a question of fitting erotica into an otherwise ‘normal’ game? These questions point to a broader underlying principle about the way we think of adult games that’s worth taking the time to dissect.

Continue reading “Yes, It Was Worth It: An Argument For Quality Porn Games” →

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PICTURED: Sasha finds herself on the wrong side of the law! Art by Pacha!

Right up at the top: you can now support BP Games on Patreon! More on that below!

Happy June, everyone! We’ve had a little bit of hot weather here so far, but otherwise summer is starting out a little bit cool. It’s also art market season here; I picked up some lovely pieces from the newly-minted Rain City Comic Con and Art Conbini! I love art! Let’s get into the update!

Continue reading “June 2025 Update: AAA3 Now Available!” →

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PICTURED: Logo for the third issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology, designed by Pillowkisser.

That’s right, fans of long-form high-quality writing about adult games and adult game culture! The time has finally come! I’m really excited to bring this issue to you, it’s a real doozy – we’ve got some fantastic new contributors, like game devs Zoquete and Lindsay Ishihiro, as well as some wonderful returning contributors like Leo G. and MorganH! We’ve got TWELVE essays planned, on a terrific array of subjects ranging from a Meet ‘N’ Fuck retrospective, a series of interview with Bondage Club players, a look at the tension between “serious, artistic” depictions of sexuality in games versus explicitly pornographic depictions thereof, and many more!

I’ve got the full text of the campaign below the cut, but if you’d like to jump straight there to contribute or share, here’s the link!

Continue reading “AAA3 Fundraiser LIVE!” →

Pitch submissions for the third issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology have been closed as of Saturday, February 15th! Thank you to everyone who pitched! I’ll be getting in contact with writers whose pitches are selected over the next week, and we’ll announce next steps for the 3rd issue once the table of contents has been finalized! Original post follows below:

Now that all of the web versions of both previous essays have been republished on this blog, the time has finally come for the big announcement: the Adult Analysis Anthology is planning its third issue! This means that pitches are now being accepted for essays to be included in said third issue. If you would like to jump right to pitching, you can do so via this form. If you would like to learn more about the anthology and the pitch process, read on!

Continue reading “Adult Analysis Anthology Issue 3 Submissions Now Open!” →

This is ninth of ten essays contained within the second issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology, an experimental collection of longform writing that seeks to expand the breadth of critical discourse around adult games and adult game culture. I will be re-publishing the web versions of all essays from the first two issues of the anthology to this blog over the course of the next few months, but if you’d like to support the creation of more high-quality writing about adult games the full anthology is available for purchase on Itch! Anthology logo by Pillow!

Written By: Laney Norman

Growing up with unfettered access to the internet in the early 2000’s gave me an early introduction to the wide world of adult media, especially games. They’re engaging, creative, and sometimes taboo with how they depict sex and intimacy. The best part is that they’re interactive, giving the stories an extra level of immersion. Porn games aren’t often seen as therapeutic, but in my adult life they ended up being a strategy to repair my personal relationship with sexuality.

Following an experience of sexual trauma, I wasn’t really focused on my own physical and mental safety when I pursued intimate relationships. This is a common coping response in those who have experienced sexual assault or other types of sexual trauma. According to the 2019 study “Navigating Sex and Sexuality after Sexual Assault”, victims of sexual assault often experience changes in sexuality in response to their assault. “Changes in sexuality included loss of interest in sex, increase or change in sexual partners, engaging in sex work, and increased sexual behavior.” (O’Callaghan) There’s no one way of coping with sexual trauma, so there are many ways this can present in survivors.

I would go on “Tinder binges” where I’d be on my phone for hours, swiping and chatting with almost anyone who spoke to me, looking for any sense of connection. Every time I’d get a notification, I’d feel a little thrill of potential and throw caution to the wind to pursue these kernels of intimacy. Dating apps are becoming more and more game-ified. In “The Brain and Swiping for Love”, Samantha Beck describes gamification of dating apps as “the idea of applying game elements to non-gaming situations—like dating. This unhealthy environment of unlimited swipes convinces users that there are always new people to meet and potential matches to be made, even if that is not necessarily the truth.” (Beck, p 111)

Disregarding my safety completely, I would go out, putting myself in risky and dangerous situations in an attempt to feel some sort of connection. Most of these encounters left me with more baggage to unpack rather than anything that felt like a fulfilling way to be intimate. I was hurting in many ways and how I was engaging with any form of intimacy or sexuality was harming me rather than helping me.

Continue reading ““I’m Game If You Are” – Reclaiming Consent Through Porn Games” →

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This is eighth of ten essays contained within the second issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology, an experimental collection of longform writing that seeks to expand the breadth of critical discourse around adult games and adult game culture. I will be re-publishing the web versions of all essays from the first two issues of the anthology to this blog over the course of the next few months, but if you’d like to support the creation of more high-quality writing about adult games the full anthology is available for purchase on Itch! Anthology logo by Pillow!

Written By: Leo G.

It’s 2004 and you’re horny. So you type into Internet Explorer the naughty words “porn game boobs” and click the first result. It’s a Macromedia Flash game! And it’s using the crustiest jpegs of anime girls you’ve ever seen.

It’s 2007 and you’re horny. So you type into your Wii Opera browser the naughty words “porn game boobs” and click the first result. It’s an Adobe Flash game! And it’s using the most obviously traced vector art of anime girls you’ve ever seen.

It’s 2024 and you’re horny. So you type into your VPN enabled Firefox browser the naughty words “porn game boobs” and click the first result. It’s an HTML5 Unity game! And it’s using the most beautiful art of anime girls you’ve ever seen.

The game says it’s got 50 girls to romance, each with 9 unique sex scenes. That’s 450 drawings of women getting railed, not counting any possible portrait or talk sprites. And all this for only $9.99? Before, those adult flash games were free, but if there’s this much content maybe it’s worth shelling out a couple of bucks. However, maybe I’m an experienced shopper, but where one might see a great deal, I see nothing but red flags.

Then it hits: something’s wrong. Maybe it’s how the same girl never has the same exact design details. Or maybe it’s the way her musculature will be off that’s questionable. And whoever the artist is seems to only know a handful of poses despite their masterful grasp on painterly renders. No, your intuition is actually working, that feeling is your gut instinct taking a trip through the uncanny valley. A human didn’t make this, a machine did.

Continue reading “The Quality And Quantity Quandary Of Adult Games” →

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