<s>
Bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
are	O
similar	O
to	O
Choose	O
Your	O
Own	O
Adventure	O
books	O
in	O
the	O
way	O
of	O
narrative	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
game	O
tells	O
a	O
story	O
but	O
the	O
player	O
may	O
make	O
choices	O
to	O
change	O
how	O
the	O
story	O
flows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
began	O
to	O
appear	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
the	O
beginning	O
days	O
of	O
personal	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
commercialized	O
in	O
Japan	O
appeared	O
in	O
1982	O
as	O
Night	B-Application
Life	I-Application
by	O
Koei	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
were	O
not	O
too	O
popular	O
,	O
being	O
limited	O
to	O
graphics	O
of	O
16	O
colors	O
or	O
less	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
notable	O
landmark	O
was	O
Jast	O
's	O
Tenshitachi	B-Application
no	I-Application
gogo	I-Application
(	O
1985	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
precursor	O
to	O
the	O
modern	O
dating	O
simulation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
have	O
recognizably	O
modern	O
anime-style	O
artwork	O
:	O
its	O
characters	O
had	O
very	O
large	O
eyes	O
and	O
a	O
tiny	O
nose	O
and	O
mouth	O
but	O
were	O
otherwise	O
basically	O
normally	O
proportioned	O
,	O
characteristics	O
which	O
today	O
are	O
found	O
in	O
virtually	O
all	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
industry	O
gradually	O
moved	O
away	O
from	O
proprietary	O
Japanese	O
hardware	O
to	O
the	O
burgeoning	O
DOS	B-Device
platform	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
later	O
in	O
the	O
decade	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
the	O
nineties	O
,	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
underwent	O
an	O
evolution	O
from	O
being	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
technologically	O
demanding	O
types	O
of	O
games	O
(	O
because	O
their	O
detailed	O
2D	O
graphics	O
required	O
a	O
large	O
amount	O
of	O
storage	O
space	O
by	O
the	O
standards	O
of	O
early	O
computers	O
)	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
least	O
(	O
they	O
rarely	O
use	O
3D	O
graphics	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
,	O
more	O
than	O
regular	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
employees	O
required	O
by	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
companies	O
today	O
are	O
not	O
programmers	O
,	O
but	O
artists	O
and	O
writers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
early	O
nineties	O
the	O
atmosphere	O
in	O
Japan	O
became	O
more	O
and	O
more	O
hostile	O
towards	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
1991	O
there	O
was	O
an	O
incident	O
where	O
a	O
middle-schooler	O
shoplifted	O
an	O
adult	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
Saori	B-Application
:	I-Application
the	I-Application
House	I-Application
of	I-Application
Beautiful	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
increased	O
police	O
scrutiny	O
for	O
makers	O
and	O
retailers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Faced	O
with	O
the	O
threat	O
of	O
being	O
forcibly	O
censored	O
out	O
of	O
existence	O
by	O
the	O
government	O
,	O
in	O
1992	O
the	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
industry	O
formed	O
the	O
Computer	O
Software	O
Rinri	O
Kikō	O
(	O
meaning	O
"	O
Ethics	O
Organization	O
for	O
Computer	O
Software	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
often	O
abbreviated	O
EOCS	O
or	O
Sofu-rin	O
)	O
,	O
setting	O
industry	O
guidelines	O
for	O
acceptable	O
content	O
and	O
packaging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
free	O
from	O
controversy	O
and	O
fueled	O
by	O
continuing	O
improvement	O
in	O
technology	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
the	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
industry	O
underwent	O
a	O
decade-long	O
boom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
major	O
title	O
of	O
the	O
1990s	O
was	O
Tokimeki	B-Application
Memorial	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
1994	O
by	O
Konami	O
which	O
was	O
on	O
the	O
verge	O
of	O
bankruptcy	O
,	O
the	O
platonic	O
dating	O
sim	O
becoming	O
the	O
first	O
major	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
since	O
Koei	O
's	O
release	O
of	O
Night	B-Application
Life	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
title	O
was	O
another	O
eroge	B-Application
title	O
targeted	O
at	O
males	O
for	O
its	O
sexual	O
content	O
,	O
the	O
players	O
began	O
to	O
identify	O
with	O
the	O
protagonist	O
and	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
overcoming	O
"	O
the	O
emotional	O
trials	O
and	O
tribulations	O
of	O
pure	O
love.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
late	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
port	O
removed	O
the	O
sexual	O
content	O
and	O
sold	O
better	O
than	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
leading	O
eventually	O
to	O
two	O
anime	O
adaptations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
turning	O
point	O
was	O
ELF	O
's	O
Dōkyūsei	B-Application
(	O
1992	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dōkyūsei	B-Application
,	O
whose	O
gameplay	O
focused	O
on	O
meeting	O
girls	O
and	O
seducing	O
them	O
,	O
established	O
the	O
standard	O
conventions	O
of	O
the	O
dating	O
simulation	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tokimeki	B-Application
Memorial	I-Application
,	O
the	O
first	O
dating	O
sim	O
,	O
featured	O
good	O
graphics	O
,	O
full	O
voice	O
acting	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
role-playing	O
game-like	O
gameplay	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
's	O
popular	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
series	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
also	O
first	O
saw	O
publication	O
in	O
1996	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
;	O
like	O
Tokimeki	B-Application
Memorial	I-Application
,	O
it	O
contained	O
no	O
erotic	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
unique	O
in	O
that	O
it	O
contained	O
not	O
only	O
adventure-game	O
elements	O
but	O
also	O
a	O
combat	O
system	O
borrowed	O
from	O
tactical	O
combat	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Tactics	B-Application
Ogre	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
late	O
nineties	O
,	O
there	O
has	O
been	O
a	O
trend	O
towards	O
better	O
storytelling	O
in	O
mainstream	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Particularly	O
notable	O
in	O
this	O
respect	O
are	O
Leaf	O
's	O
To	B-Application
Heart	I-Application
(	O
1997	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Key	O
's	O
Kanon	O
(	O
1999	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
were	O
first	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
PC	O
with	O
erotic	O
scenes	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
subsequently	O
removed	O
in	O
their	O
console	B-Device
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2001	O
Tokimeki	B-Application
Memorial	I-Application
3	I-Application
became	O
the	O
first	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
to	O
break	O
this	O
trend	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Today	O
the	O
industry	O
has	O
grown	O
,	O
with	O
most	O
publishers	O
making	O
releases	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
including	O
download-only	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
least	O
pornographic	O
and	O
most	O
successful	O
also	O
branching	O
off	O
into	O
the	O
console	B-Device
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
consoles	O
used	O
for	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
in	O
the	O
nineties	O
were	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
and	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
recently	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
has	O
been	O
the	O
console	B-Device
of	O
choice	O
with	O
a	O
growing	O
number	O
of	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
and	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
handhelds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
industry	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
is	O
closely	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
industry	O
of	O
anime	O
and	O
Japanese	O
manga	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
dōjinshi	O
groups	O
produce	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
many	O
with	O
the	O
objective	O
to	O
later	O
form	O
a	O
real	O
company	O
or	O
to	O
be	O
contracted	O
by	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
great	O
companies	O
in	O
the	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
short	O
programming	O
time	O
and	O
the	O
relatively	O
small	O
amount	O
of	O
content	O
required	O
in	O
a	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
barriers	O
to	O
enter	O
this	O
industry	O
is	O
somewhat	O
low	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
the	O
reason	O
why	O
every	O
year	O
dozens	O
of	O
new	O
companies	O
emerge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
representation	O
of	O
female	O
characters	O
in	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
a	O
great	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
market	O
is	O
male	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
well-known	O
and	O
commercial	O
of	O
these	O
titles	O
is	O
Konami	O
's	O
experiment	O
Tokimeki	B-Application
Memorial	I-Application
Girl	I-Application
's	I-Application
Side	I-Application
(	O
2002	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
targeted	O
specifically	O
at	O
female	O
players	O
are	O
not	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
but	O
categorized	O
under	O
the	O
broader	O
genre	O
of	O
adventure	O
or	O
simulation	O
by	O
publishers	O
,	O
and	O
commonly	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
otome	B-Application
games	I-Application
or	O
Boys	O
 '	O
Love	O
games	O
by	O
fans	O
and	O
reviewers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
elements	O
can	O
be	O
present	O
in	O
practically	O
any	O
type	O
of	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
gameplay	O
in	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
varies	O
within	O
the	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
basic	O
characteristics	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
resemble	O
those	O
of	O
Choose	O
Your	O
Own	O
Adventure	O
books	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
basic	O
appearance	O
of	O
a	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
consists	O
of	O
an	O
image	O
in	O
the	O
upper	O
portion	O
,	O
a	O
text	O
box	O
in	O
the	O
lower	O
portion	O
and	O
a	O
static	O
background	O
that	O
occasionally	O
changes	O
extending	O
to	O
the	O
edge	O
behind	O
both	O
of	O
the	O
other	O
two	O
areas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
does	O
not	O
see	O
their	O
avatar	B-Application
and	O
instead	O
see	O
the	O
game	O
from	O
a	O
first	O
person	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
some	O
games	O
use	O
various	O
techniques	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
screen	O
shaking	O
,	O
flashing	O
or	O
going	O
black	O
,	O
to	O
give	O
further	O
immersion	B-Application
by	O
demonstrating	O
various	O
conditions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
games	O
 '	O
range	O
of	O
sound	O
effects	O
are	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
represent	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
eardrums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Gals	O
Panic	O
is	O
a	O
variant	O
of	O
the	O
classic	O
game	O
Qix	B-Device
where	O
the	O
objective	O
is	O
to	O
uncover	O
75%	O
or	O
more	O
of	O
a	O
picture	O
of	O
a	O
girl	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Money	B-Application
Idol	I-Application
Exchanger	I-Application
is	O
a	O
puzzle	O
game	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	O
Magical	B-Application
Drop	I-Application
series	O
(	O
which	O
is	O
also	O
categorized	O
as	O
a	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
images	O
of	O
girls	O
are	O
used	O
as	O
prizes	O
for	O
skilled	O
play	O
,	O
as	O
is	O
the	O
case	O
in	O
strip	O
Mahjong	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
remain	O
2D	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
reason	O
is	O
that	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
are	O
centered	O
mainly	O
on	O
characters	O
instead	O
of	O
landscapes	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
this	O
intention	O
,	O
2D	O
bitmaps	O
continue	O
to	O
look	O
better	O
than	O
3D	O
models	O
(	O
which	O
tend	O
to	O
be	O
blocky	O
when	O
seen	O
up	O
close	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tokimeki	B-Application
Memorial	I-Application
3	I-Application
(	O
2001	O
)	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
to	O
have	O
all	O
its	O
characters	O
modeled	O
in	O
3D	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
sales	O
were	O
smaller	O
than	O
hoped	O
,	O
perhaps	O
discouraging	O
other	O
developers	O
from	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
changing	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
from	O
2D	O
to	O
3D	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
nowadays	O
are	O
essentially	O
a	O
slideshow	O
of	O
2D	O
pictures	O
plus	O
voice	O
and	O
text	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
there	O
are	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
entirely	O
focused	O
on	O
hardcore	O
pornography	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
titles	O
,	O
including	O
all	O
those	O
available	O
for	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
,	O
do	O
not	O
contain	O
pornographic	O
material	O
,	O
and	O
many	O
others	O
only	O
contain	O
a	O
small	O
amount	O
in	O
relation	O
to	O
the	O
story	O
as	O
a	O
whole	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pornographic	O
content	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
is	O
regulated	O
by	O
the	O
Ethics	O
Organization	O
of	O
Computer	O
Software	O
(	O
EOCS	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
organization	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
classifying	O
the	O
content	O
of	O
video	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Japanese	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pornography	O
is	O
prohibited	O
in	O
all	O
console	B-Device
titles	O
,	O
and	O
computer	O
games	O
are	O
assigned	O
a	O
special	O
classification	O
alerting	O
the	O
public	O
to	O
its	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pornographic	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
are	O
often	O
catalogued	O
as	O
"	O
hentai	B-Application
games	I-Application
"	O
in	O
the	O
West	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
usually	O
called	O
ero-games	B-Application
,	O
or	O
frequently	O
eroge	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
representation	O
of	O
girls	O
in	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
varies	O
,	O
but	O
two	O
generalizations	O
can	O
be	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
Pia	B-Application
Carrot	I-Application
is	O
located	O
in	O
a	O
restaurant	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
girls	O
wear	O
elaborate	O
waitress	O
uniforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
fact	O
,	O
"	O
little	O
sisters	O
"	O
are	O
a	O
recurring	O
fixture	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
majority	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
involve	O
anime	O
girls	O
and	O
not	O
pictures	O
of	O
real-life	O
girls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
characters	O
in	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
are	O
minors	O
,	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
drawn	O
characters	O
allows	O
the	O
studios	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
with	O
adult	O
content	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
penalty	O
of	O
Japanese	O
child	O
pornography	O
laws	O
,	O
which	O
prohibit	O
the	O
depiction	O
of	O
real	O
minors	O
under	O
18	O
years	O
of	O
age	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
male	O
character	O
in	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
is	O
often	O
rendered	O
as	O
someone	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
identify	O
with	O
,	O
thus	O
experiencing	O
the	O
story	O
as	O
he	O
would	O
live	O
an	O
episode	O
of	O
his	O
own	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
focus	O
on	O
female	O
characters	O
and	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
interaction	O
with	O
them	O
,	O
male	O
characters	O
often	O
receive	O
less	O
time	O
on-screen	O
and	O
the	O
character	O
that	O
represents	O
the	O
player	O
rarely	O
appears	O
;	O
when	O
this	O
happens	O
,	O
his	O
face	O
is	O
usually	O
hidden	O
outside	O
the	O
screen	O
or	O
otherwise	O
,	O
and	O
he	O
might	O
not	O
even	O
be	O
voiced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
estimated	O
as	O
late	O
as	O
2005	O
that	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
sales	O
totaled	O
a	O
quarter	O
of	O
all	O
software	O
produced	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
for	O
personal	O
computers	O
are	O
usually	O
sold	O
in	O
special	O
stores	O
or	O
sections	O
reserved	O
for	O
clients	O
more	O
than	O
18	O
years	O
old	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
console	B-Device
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
which	O
are	O
generally	O
less	O
explicit	O
,	O
are	O
sold	O
next	O
to	O
other	O
video	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
present	O
time	O
,	O
dozens	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
are	O
released	O
every	O
month	O
,	O
and	O
practically	O
all	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
stores	O
in	O
Japan	O
maintain	O
a	O
sizable	O
stock	O
of	O
these	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
are	O
produced	O
in	O
Japan	O
for	O
console	B-Device
market	O
,	O
that	O
is	O
largely	O
not	O
the	O
case	O
in	O
the	O
West	O
,	O
where	O
enthusiasm	O
for	O
the	O
subgenre	O
is	O
lukewarm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
the	O
genre	O
has	O
been	O
associated	O
exclusively	O
with	O
poorly	O
written	O
eroge	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popular	O
discussion	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
is	O
widely	O
plagued	O
by	O
disagreement	O
and	O
disapproval	O
of	O
pornography	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
attempts	O
to	O
massively	O
trade	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
in	O
the	O
West	O
have	O
caused	O
a	O
certain	O
degree	O
of	O
public	O
controversy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
example	O
of	O
this	O
is	O
the	O
attempt	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
PC	O
game	O
Princess	B-Application
Maker	I-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Princess	B-Application
Maker	I-Application
attracted	O
negative	O
attention	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
fact	O
it	O
was	O
widely	O
promoted	O
as	O
a	O
mainstream	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
unlike	O
other	O
translated	O
games	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
kept	O
in	O
adult-only	O
channels	O
as	O
pornography	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megatokyo	O
idealizes	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
while	O
simultaneously	O
expressing	O
another	O
criticism	O
commonly	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
West	O
against	O
them	O
:	O
that	O
players	O
resort	O
to	O
them	O
as	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
escapism	O
because	O
they	O
are	O
socially	O
inept	O
(	O
This	O
type	O
of	O
criticism	O
is	O
also	O
found	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
though	O
in	O
a	O
quite	O
different	O
form	O
:	O
see	O
otaku	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
translations	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
in	O
English	O
remain	O
a	O
relatively	O
niche	O
market	O
confined	O
mostly	O
to	O
the	O
adult	O
genre	O
,	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
gameplay	O
do	O
exist	O
in	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Story	O
of	O
Seasons	O
,	O
Persona	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Rune	O
Factory	O
series	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
games	O
like	O
them	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
social	O
interaction	O
and	O
the	O
romancing	O
of	O
attractive	O
anime	O
girls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Western	O
players	O
can	O
use	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
to	O
help	O
orient	O
themselves	O
to	O
the	O
Japanese	O
culture	O
through	O
aspects	O
of	O
telepresence	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
because	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
rely	O
heavily	O
on	O
iconic	O
nature	O
,	O
their	O
level	O
of	O
perceptual	O
immersion	B-Application
is	O
diminished	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
mediums	O
like	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
they	O
rely	O
on	O
psychological	O
immersion	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
games	O
are	O
constructed	O
around	O
popular	O
culture	O
and	O
other	O
social	O
phenomena	O
of	O
Japan	O
which	O
then	O
combined	O
with	O
immersion	B-Application
and	O
telepresence	B-Application
allows	O
a	O
Western	O
player	O
to	O
get	O
a	O
better	O
idea	O
of	O
what	O
it	O
is	O
like	O
living	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
using	O
a	O
first	O
person	O
avatar	B-Application
with	O
Japanese	O
identity	O
,	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
offer	O
an	O
unprecedented	O
means	O
of	O
cultural	O
immersion	B-Application
that	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Jones	O
,	O
travel	O
and	O
live	O
interpersonal	O
communication	O
cannot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
terms	O
roughly	O
equivalent	O
to	O
"	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
"	O
in	O
use	O
,	O
both	O
in	O
Japanese	O
and	O
English	O
,	O
and	O
there	O
is	O
considerable	O
disagreement	O
and	O
confusion	O
about	O
their	O
proper	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Girl	B-Application
game	I-Application
"	O
and	O
"	O
gal	B-Application
game	I-Application
"	O
are	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
describe	O
these	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
sometimes	O
called	O
"	O
reverse	O
harem	O
"	O
or	O
GxB	B-Application
games	O
because	O
the	O
genders	O
of	O
the	O
protagonist	O
and	O
the	O
romanceable	O
characters	O
are	O
the	O
opposite	O
of	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Otome	B-Application
games	I-Application
will	O
occasionally	O
contain	O
lesbian	O
romance	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
eroge	B-Application
are	O
almost	O
always	O
sold	O
for	O
the	O
PC	O
,	O
because	O
console	B-Device
manufacturers	O
such	O
as	O
Sony	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
generally	O
refuse	O
to	O
license	O
pornographic	O
games	O
for	O
their	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
classic	O
example	O
is	O
Princess	B-Application
Maker	I-Application
,	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
task	O
is	O
to	O
raise	O
a	O
girl	O
into	O
a	O
queen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
is	O
the	O
N64	B-Operating_System
game	O
Wonder	B-Application
Project	I-Application
J2	I-Application
with	O
an	O
orphaned	O
robot	O
girl	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
hardcore	O
eroge	B-Application
also	O
start	O
from	O
this	O
premise	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
case	O
the	O
character	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
raised	O
"	O
is	O
usually	O
some	O
kind	O
of	O
sexual	O
slave	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
popular	O
series	O
of	O
this	O
genre	O
is	O
The	B-Application
Idolmaster	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
describe	O
hardcore	O
pornographic	O
games	O
,	O
eroge	B-Application
is	O
preferred	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strictly	O
speaking	O
,	O
this	O
term	O
designates	O
simulation	O
games	O
focused	O
on	O
dating	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
famous	O
being	O
Tokimeki	B-Application
Memorial	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
visual	O
novels	O
include	O
To	B-Application
Heart	I-Application
,	O
Kana	B-Application
:	I-Application
Little	I-Application
Sister	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Clannad	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
such	O
games	O
are	O
generally	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
,	O
whereas	O
only	O
such	O
type	O
of	O
games	O
with	O
little	O
to	O
no	O
interaction	O
are	O
called	O
(	O
predominantly	O
for	O
adult	B-Application
games	I-Application
)	O
or	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
many	O
Japanese	O
games	O
which	O
are	O
not	O
strictly	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
contain	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
mainstream	O
Japanese	O
role-playing	O
or	O
fighting	O
games	O
feature	O
attractive	O
anime	O
girls	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VII	I-Application
Tifa	O
Lockhart	O
or	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
girls	O
in	O
the	O
Dead	B-Application
or	I-Application
Alive	I-Application
video	O
game	O
series	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
are	O
usually	O
not	O
considered	O
bishōjo	B-Application
games	I-Application
unless	O
this	O
is	O
a	O
central	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
