The bright future of Live JOIs. Vacation time (don't worry, this month's video is already done, so no delays!). We're in Tokyo!

Hello everyone!

Xan here. So, I thought I would make a small rant about the Live JOIs. Since the overwhelming success of the format, it has become pretty obvious that what started as a silly experiment has turned out to be a permanent addition to the HJOI genre in general. It makes me happy to see that we have managed to bring something new to the table and make it so that the time you spend enjoying HJOIs is even more fun, interactive and immersive. However, at the same time, I recognize that the Live JOIs are still in their very early stages.

Don't get me wrong, the fact that I think that the Live JOIs are still underdeveloped in comparison to their video counterpart is a very good thing. The reason for that is the potential. If people are already happy with such a bare-bones structure we have right now, I can only imagine how happy some of you will be if the format becomes even better. And we do plan to innovate, that's for sure.

Last month, we did a very special Live show. It was the Persona Gauntlet. For the first time since we started the Live JOIs a few months back, we went outside of the box. This one was the closest show to what you'd expect from one of our videos: multiple girls, gameplay mechanics, multiple ways to interact. During the show, the participants were even allowed to vote on the choices, the same kind that you can see in our Persona Gauntlet video. Their journey through the palace was based on those choices. Also each participant had their own stash of money they could spend during their run, the same way it worked on the video.

After the show ended that day, you could say that both me and Bunny had a little bit of an epiphany. That day, we pushed our show to be just as interactive as the video equivalent was, but... why stop there? With how the Live JOIs are done, them being recurring shows in particular, we can push the interactions beyond what the videos can do. And the reason for why it is possible is quite simple: in a video, the girl will never remember who you are. We might simulate some sort of permanence with simulating gameplay mechanics like we did in the Monster Girl Adventures, or we might even make an actual game, but the Live JOIs format will always have potential to surpass both videos and games in one area: the girl actually remembering who you are. Because, unlike in videos or in games, you're actually interacting with a real person after all. And that opens a world of possibilities that no other format can offer. The experience you can have can become much more personal than you can ever dream of while playing games or watching videos.

So, what would that mean in practice? Well, first of all, we've been stuck with using Numbers in all of our shows. With each show, the Numbers given to participants were randomized, making it so that even if we'd repeat the same Show, the waifu would not remember you. For example, if we'd repeat the Persona Gauntlet Live Show this month, all of it would just be ‘reset’. Even if you participated in the previous instance of it, the girls would still see you as a stranger. Now, while some people might prefer that, my bet is that a lot of you would want the girl to actually recognize you instead, to remember your previous interactions, who you are, your needs, how you treated her last time and what sort of relationship you two have. On top of that, using a name instead of a Number might also become a possibility.

That's not the only point though. With the possibilities offered by Discord, we could easily introduce permanent stats. Ever thought about how it would feel like to experience Monster Girl Adventures in a format of a Live Show, with you still being able to progress when it comes to gathering Power, Money and Items and being able to maintain all of those stats for another show next month? It's certainly possible to set up using Discord bots. And if it would be done, this could become the most interactive hentai game ever made, with NPC waifus being actual people. Well, only one person in this case, but I'm pretty sure all of you know at this point how good Bunny is at dynamically switching from one character to another during a show if you participated in the Persona Gauntlet Live last month. Although there's also nothing stopping us from inviting more voice actresses if this continues to rise in popularity.

See what I mean now? I feel like, with the rising popularity of the format, we are at the brink of inventing something amazing. Something that might even go way beyond just our HJOI community. I'm glad to have all of you with us on that journey. Without you, your support and your feedback, we would have never gotten this far. Together, we can build this idea into something much more amazing than what it already is. I hope you're just as excited for it as I am.

On a side note, this month we're taking our first vacation since we started the channel! Before you jump into conclusions, let me tell you that this does NOT mean that there will be no video this month or that it will be shorter. We rushed like crazy to make sure everything was done before we left. The video is 99% finished and is gonna be posted on time as soon as we come back. The only thing that changes this month is that we're hosting 3 Live JOIs instead of 4 and we will be less active on Discord (sorry if I'm not answering DMs in time!)

On that note, we're hanging out in Kabukicho in Tokyo! If any one of you is hanging out around those areas, you might even run into us at some point. We've been here since yesterday so maybe you even already did, haha.

Anyways, I hope all of you have a pleasant time!

Cheers,
Xan