Behind the Scenes: Why a Porn Game!?

So one of the most popular questions I got early on (and still by many of the newer followers) is why isn't there more sex in this porn game?

So first things first on this one... It's not technically a porn game...

While Straight?! very much falls within the adult genre, the game isn't specifically designed as a porn game. While most people make these types of games to overtly make porn, express kinks, or make money; from the beginning, Straight!? was designed with two completely different things in mind.

1. A Raw Discussion about Sexuality

To adequately tell a coming of age story, you have to be able to touch on sexual identity and this discussion lies at the heart of Straight!?. About a year ago, Blayke said it the most succinctly when he said  "in real life, people are naked" and I think this captures the intentions behind the sexual content of the game. How do you adequately tell a story about sexual identity if the camera keeps cutting away during any sexual intimacy scenes? I wanted to be able to show those parts of the story because many aspects of sexuality are the foundations for anxieties that stand as obstacles to our own progression and the progression of the characters. Without actually seeing these in the game, I don't think you can fully empathize with the characters. 

Similarly, some people never struggled with these aspects. In this vein, Straight?! becomes an anxiety simulator and hopefully those who have never struggled with things like this can gain some perspective into those who do.  Zack's character embodies an interesting scenario that holds true for a lot of people: what happens when you're surrounded by a supportive and understanding group but you're the one holding yourself back? What's that journey realistically look like? And how do you accomplish that? Sometimes just having support isn't enough! 

I'll also say that I'm, personally, a fan of male nudity in media--but for surprising reasons that probably aren't what you think. I've noticed during most mainstream TV shows, that if the taboos of male nudity are shown, the show typically doesn't shy away from other taboo issues either. This, to me, means that any type of creative writing is on the table for the story. As a creator, I'm not a fan of censorship because it's an obstacle to the story. When it pertains to sexual content, I think the inclusion of adult content is beneficial to being able to relate to and empathize with these characters. For example, during the early parts of the game, nudity is hidden. I think this frustrates the reader--but that hopefully allows you to understand and experience Zack's frustration as well. 

2. Target Audience

While Straight!? is very much written for any 18+ reader, it originally did have a specific audience in mind when I conceptualized the idea for this game. I've personally struggled with sexuality for a long time and I really haven't made it a secret that many of Zack's inhibitions are based in-part on my own. In this regard, while the game is fictional, it is cathartic in a sense and this partially explains why the writing is so personal and takes so long at times for me to do. It also explains many of my comments related to the game "being for me" and never really intended for an audience. It's also the primary motivation for completing the game-- because it's a personal journey that I have to see through. 

Much like Zack, I'm in the psych field and I believe that sexuality and identity development lie at the heart of self acceptance and one's pursuit for meaning in life. However, many people struggle in silence in this regard. After watching adult forums on other games for awhile, I noticed that many of the things that people play these games for are based on things they hide from the rest of the world. From a therapy perspective, this means that many people suffer in silence on things that the counseling field or supportive people are unable to help with because we simply don't know they exist. Therefore, the idea was to create a game where the main character suffered in silence as a way to validate the struggles of the target audience. 

To take an additional step, the idea further suggested that it could be possible to actually reach people on a personal level who struggled with these types of conceptualizations using the actual gaming format.  My question was: is it possible to use the adult genre as a tool to help others who struggle with sexuality issues? This is why Zack spends so much time in the game arguing with himself. As he begins to work things out, this allows for a template for the reader on potential ways to overcome these obstacles the way that he does. Is this the only way? Nope. But it's a start.

So in short... that's why the content is the way it is in the game :)