/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>14418214
>What do you guys think about the VNs for sale on steam?
I'm surprised that things have progressed as much as they have. When the first VNs were getting on steam, both TL'd ones from Japan and Western made ones (remember when Hattoful Boyfriend and Go-Go Nippon were the flavor of the month youtuber b8?) I really expected it to just be a phase, a niche within a niche, and die out shortly after.

Well obviously it didn't. I would say I'm surprised is all. The elitist in me is pretty smug, after all, anyone who buys a VN on steam to read it is a pleb simply for the fact they haven't read it yet. You haven't read Clannad yet and you wanna talk about how otakool you are? Please.

I also think that anyone who treats their steam purchases as donations to "support the developer" needs to get off their high horse and learn what it means to actually feed mouths. I could write a lot about what I think about this new advent of donation culture but that's for another time. Suffice to say, I don't think people should be feeling good about themselves because of what they choose to buy.

And finally I think anyone who gets into VNs through steam is probably just a poser or someone going through an "anime phase", an entry level wannabe otaku who wanted to try playing something they saw in an entry level anime like Oreimo they probably saw on Crunchyroll.

The commercialization of otaku media in the west has inexplicably made it more popular despite increasing the cost. I just chalk it up to normalfags using consumer culture as a means of expressing their individuality by pursuing niche goods and interests. It's not really any different than buying clothes from Hot Topic as a tween.

Besides being surprised, I'm a little saddened that it's mass market consumerism that's what determines a true fan, otaku, weaboo, or whatever you'd like to call it now.

Just my pretentious two-cents.