There are days where one simply needs to beat up monsters in order to deal with their inner turmoil and get paid to do it. And on other days, you simply want to hang out with your enby goth scythe.
Thankfully for me, Boyfriend Dungeon allows me to do both. Let me show you what I mean.
It has come to my attention that Rowan is non-binary. I apologize for the confusion and mistake in the video.
Having said that, one of the things this game has become known for was the controversy surrounding its content warning. Previously, the game opened with a warning that users “may” be subject to depictions of stalking, kidnapping, and emotional abuse. The language implied that it was possible to play while avoiding those subjects, but that is not the case as those are major themes and plot points. Since then, the content warning had been changed to reflect those criticisms.
The thing that sucks most about that is that while the criticism is valid, it overshadows all of the many positive game design choices made to maximize inclusiveness, ensuring as many people can truly enjoy the game as possible. LauraKBuzz already spoke at length about it on her Access-Ability show on YouTube, and rather than repeat her points I’ll encourage you to watch her video.
What I do want to talk about is how the game puts in the extra effort to include people that are otherwise criminally underserved in the dating sim genre. I am an aromatic and asexual man, which means I don’t experience romantic or sexual attraction the way most other people do, even among the LGBTQA+ spectrum. While I don’t balk at them, I won’t lie that there’s a part of me that gets uncomfortable taking part in even fictional romances. Despite being a dating sim, Boyfriend Dungeon affords me some peace of mind by allowing me to stay platonic with the various weapons in my arsenal.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have a friend who is both non-binary and polyamorous. Not only does the game allow them to use they/them pronouns, but there are several non-binary people who are datable options. Additionally, the game allows players to date multiple people at the same time, without passing judgment upon the player for doing so. Rather than forcing players to choose one character as their destined soulmate, Boyfriend Dungeon is perfectly content letting us date any number of them, 0 or more.
I’d like more dating sims and games that include dating sim elements, like Persona as a capital offender, to allow for this increased range of options available to the player. They’d be better experiences for it.
Addendum: During this episode’s recording, I mention that hate raids have become common on Twitch of late, and that the company isn’t doing enough to stop them. It is for this reason that no stream has occurred on #ADayOffTwitch (the date of publishing), in support of the movement against this surge of discrimination.
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