Romance?

[iCon The mEnace]

Has anyone heard that there will be romance options in this game?

[Dragon Master]

Escrito originalmente por Just Chill:

Escrito originalmente por Dragon Master:

I think you are seriously misunderstanding what I'm saying.

Hm, ok.
My apologies for the misunderstanding.

Cool.

To be clear: I have no problem if there is romance in the game and likewise have no problem if there is not. It would not surprise me if, as part of companion quests we can take them out on dates and try to court them in some fashion and start a romantic relationship.

Kissing, perfectly fine. It was in the books and in the same year that Harry had his first kiss with Cho as a 5th year.

My points are that the game is rated T or Pegi 16, depending on your region, and underage laws are not things that Avalanche will want to mess with. I'm just saying it would be a good idea to set expectations for romance, if it is in the game, to be tame.

I'm not making any argument about whether it is good or bad, just the probability of there being romance and the likelihood of how far that romance progresses in a game you know parents will be buying for kids is going to be statistically low for anything to happen beyond kissing.

Nothing more, nothing less.

[Just Chill]

Escrito originalmente por Dragon Master:

anything to happen beyond kissing.

Well... For me that's a Captain Obvious statement.
Normally I am Captain Obvious.

Anyways, thanks for ironing your point out.

[Dragon Master]

Escrito originalmente por Just Chill:

Escrito originalmente por Dragon Master:

anything to happen beyond kissing.

Well... For me that's a Captain Obvious statement.
Normally I am Captain Obvious.

Anyways, thanks for ironing your point out.

Yeah, I was a little confused at the responses I as getting. I got people going "You know High Schoolers do more than kiss, right" and "kissing won't hurt you if it's in the game".

I wasn't sure why I got such a mix of responses that seemed to think I was making a moral judgement one way or another.

[twincast]

Escrito originalmente por Dragon Master:

Escrito originalmente por Bloodwyrm Wildheart:

Because teen romance totally doesn't exist. Ever been to high school? :LaughingOwlcat:

So what?

It's still underage and illegal in most countries. A video game CANNOT portray anything serious (romance-wise) when showcasing underage students. It's against the law.

Whether or not you have no problem playing a 15 year old having a romance, that romance can only be portrayed so far before it becomes illegal.

It is better to not push the boundaries when the law can get involved. I wouldn't expect anything beyond kissing if there is romance in the game.

No, in most countries - including the US - it is not the least bit illegal in spite of a couple of decades by now of fundies and radfems screeching a false definition of "pedo" from their Anglo-American rooftops - and hypocritically so, to boot - to varying success. It would raise the rating by wildly varying degrees, though. The reason why games with actual sexual content (implicit softcore or explicit hardcore) started a few years ago adding disclaimers of some variation of "all characters are 18+", which depending on the game elicit either a "well, duh" or a "yeah, sure" (and why Patreon has been allowing less and less of all sorts of sex stuff) has nothing to do with laws, but with those same pressure groups using Mastercard time and again to bully websites/platforms into submission (or straight out of business). That said, it would be illegal in a number of (quasi-)theocracies as well as China (but then again, in those cases this goes for everything sexual regardless of character ages as well as anything same-sex that isn't hidden behind several layers of subtext, which this game would obviously include, and only China potentially matters sales-wise). And governments of some democratic countries with less profound protection of free speech - including some European ones - have indeed been gaslit into "closing loopholes" (read: "broadening the already overly broad hammer") further than the US to "protect the children", notably (and arguably naturally) including, I do believe, the UK. So, to maximize profits (and, as the brand is "family-friendly" and the company mainstream, to avoid a PR hassle), yes, there's not only zero chance of actual sex scenes, no matter how tame, but at least for this game even to the allusion of engaging in such, despite all other popular media still doing so all the time just fine throughout the whole West and then some. A sequel set in the next school year should actually be legally fine in the UK either way unless things recently got worse, but most probably still won't do it for the above reasons. (On that note, I could actually point to at least one recent mid-tier game by a AAA publisher with a short Mass Effect-esque sex scene that involves a 17-year-old player character and a partner with IIRC no age given, but feeling a couple years older. And that one's been sold around the globe on Steam and notoriously censorious PS5 with zero issues.) As for kissing, even all-out make-out sessions wouldn't be a problem in relevant countries for anyone but the fringiest of pearl-clutchers, but while I could actually see a chance of such in a sequel, I wouldn't expect anything but a chaste kiss or two that are barely more than familial pecks. Simply to avoid people throwing fits as much as they can.

[twincast]

Oh, and, yes, I had read all your later comments before I wrote the above. They are totally reasonable. But I needed to point out that it really isn't a legal matter. Got a bit long, though.

[Starwight/ttv]

Escrito originalmente por Lamiosa:

Escrito originalmente por Dragon Master:

No. They confirmed friendships but have said nothing about romance.

Makes sense to me, especially because we're playing as 15 year olds.

15 years old are already interested and active. But since this is a game also adults play, I can understand they would not do it because of pedophilia reasons.

Yeah it's a fine line they got to tread.

I am imagining they will maybe have some implications of it, but that's probably about where it will end.

Also bear in mind a lot of people who were fans of the OG Harry Potter are adults now.

[vaanomega]

Escrito originalmente por Witcher:

romance with a npc in a video game? i don't even understand why people desire such things.

why people would want to see romantic movies or books ?

[vaanomega]

Escrito originalmente por Witcher:

because they are horny maybe? idk i dont watch movies.
you could always just watch porn though.

Some people love Romantic stories because they want to feel emotions through media

If your definition of romance is "porn", you should read a dictionary

[Starwight/ttv]

Escrito originalmente por vaanomega:

Escrito originalmente por Witcher:

because they are horny maybe? idk i dont watch movies.
you could always just watch porn though.

Some people love Romantic stories because they want to feel emotions through media

If your definition of romance is "porn", you should read a dictionary

No, if his idea of romance is porn, he should grow the ♥♥♥♥ up.

[𝙹𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛]

Escrito originalmente por Witcher:

because they are horny maybe? idk i dont watch movies.
you could always just watch porn though.

Video game romance need not entail explicitly sexual content. Part of the reason is to integrate the player character into the game world, so they are actually a part of it rather than a straight self insert.

[PocketYoda]

From Experience Romance usually ruins many games anyway so i'm glad there isn't much, I'm not a fan after how obsessed they are with romance in Baldurs Gate 3.. It takes over their whole game.

Its made me hate romance in all games Mass Effect was another taken over..

[*Luka*]

Why not romance so long is voluntarily, Hogwarts Mystery have romance aswell

[Time Traveler]

Escrito originalmente por *Luka*:

Why not romance so long is voluntarily, Hogwarts Mystery have romance aswell

That's how I feel towards most RPGs/story driven games as long as they do not neglect the rest of the story and game. I may not use an extra feature but that does not mean somebody else will not.

[cl656]

A-lot of the Harry Potter fan base are adults who grew up with the books and movies. I seriously doubt they are going to have romance in the game, considering that would make a lot of adult players uncomfortable with the idea of simply having the option to romance children in a video game whether it's just kissing, dating, or not.

[Fallen]

Escrito originalmente por Pocket Yoda:

You realise 15 year olds have romance at school these days.. Parents unaware :cqlol:


Until she gets pregnant whahaha

not like this is much of an issue in the wizarding world, pretty sure there is an ease of use spell with a swish and a flick, that ends with deletus in its cast lol