u/Stermaria

The other day I finished playing Acting Lessons. I went through all the paths, saw all the content. And I have mixed feeling about this AVN. So cherished and respected in this community, and I can see why – the story is well written, all three LIs are attractive and the animations are not bad. But I also found it a bit… bland? Like, is this it? The story with the ex could have been explored in greater depth after the MC’s visit at her place. The tension between Megan and Melissa when they realize they like the same guy could have been bigger, instead of the porn logic ”it’s all good, no conflict haha”. But ok, if that is the case, why no throuple path? That could have been interesting. I’m also disappointed that there wasn’t any anal sex with two of the three main LI’s (but I’m very pleased with the one who did provide an anal scene in the end, it was a hot scene). On the positive side, I really liked the depiction of the friendship between the MC and Liam. That’s one thing I find missing in a lot of AVNs: deep, realistic friendships. Anyways, as you can see, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this game. But I do think that it’s slightly overrated (probably because of DrPinkCake’s later work). What do you think?

Cheating is not rare in AVNs. But in most cases, it seems kind of unproblematic for the MC, who eventually comes off as a selfish, unempathic asshole. It would be nice with a more realistic, tormented, guilt-ridden MC, who still can’t fight his urges and desires, even though he loves his girlfriend/wife. So the cheating continues, but the guilt and anguish doesn’t go away, instead it becomes deeper and more dramatic. Any recommendations for this type of AVN?

This is an underrated area in the AVN world. Music is one thing, but good sound effects – moans, slapping and squirt sounds in sex scenes, but also ambience sounds like rain, street noise and birds chirping in the countryside – can really enhance the experience. And I’m always disappointed when the sex scenes are visually well made, with good angles and fluid animation, but don’t have any sex sounds. Which AVN do you think have the best sound effects?

I really hate in***st AVN’s where the MC is a young man and the LI’s are sisters, mother, etc. And AVN’s where the MC is a middle-aged man and the LI is a daughter, stepdaughter or niece, well, thought that I hated those as well… but it all changed after playing the fantastic Secrets and Promises by Badbod (his previous AVN, Boxed In, is less convincing). After that, I have become interested in this little genre. Real life i***st is of course repugnant (and the first time I played an AVN with this I was really freaked out), but I have come to realize that in this AVN context, this taboo thing can actually be kinda hot.

I played I Love Daddy and it was kinda cringe and not so good (also very dated renders). The obvious AVN to try next would be Dating My Daughter, but I feel hesitant towards that, because in every review or comment about it, people complain about the bad writing and other frustrating elements. Ideally, I would like to try a AVN where the LI is the 18-year old daughter of the MC, but you can be a normal dad with her and instead go after her friends. Does anyone know of an AVN like this that is actually good and worth checking out? Single Again? Picture Perfect? Mi Unica Hija? That one seems interesting, but it’s abandoned and it also seems very dark, perhaps too dark… has anyone tried it?

(I posted a similar post yesterday which was removed by the mods because I mentioned a blacklisted title. I’m very sorry for that, I didn’t know that it was blacklisted. Also, I don’t know where to find information about which titles that are blacklisted.)

I really hate inc*st AVN’s where the MC is a young man and the LI’s are sisters, mother, etc. And AVN’s where the MC is a middle-aged man and the LI is a daughter, stepdaughter or niece, well, thought that I hated those as well… but it all changed after playing the fantastic Secrets and Promises by Badbod (his previous AVN, Boxed In, is less convincing). After that, I have become interested in this little genre. Real life inc*st is of course repugnant, but in a porn/AVN context… I don’t know, it can be kinda hot actually. I played Radiant and I liked it (too bad it is far from completed). I played I Love Daddy and it was kinda cringe and not so good (also very dated renders). The obvious AVN to try next would be Dating My Daughter, but I feel hesitant towards that, because in every review or comment about it, people complain about the bad writing and other frustrating elements. Ideally, I would like to try a AVN where the LI is the 18-year old daughter of the MC, but you can be a normal dad with her and instead go after her friends. Preferably anally as well. Does anyone know of an AVN like this that is actually good and worth checking out? Thanks in advance for your recommendations. (Single Again seems alright but it has no anal sex.)
Mi Unica Hija seems interesting, but it’s abandoned and it also seems very dark, perhaps too dark for my taste… has anyone tried it?

I’m curious about what you guys think about visual novels that are not AVNs – games that look like AVNs but have zero pornographic content. Because the VN community and the AVN community seem so completely separated from each other, yet they have so much in common. The works of both genres function the same way, are immersive in the same way and are underground/independent in the same way. Also, both usually depict romantic relationships – both focus on the psychological development of characters with interpersonal relations providing the drama and the narrative engine. It’s just that AVNs have that extra gear, the eroticism and the explicit sex scenes, the stuff that we all love (even those of us who think that good writing is more important than well-made lewds). So I just want to ask you this: have you ever played a ”regular” VN? Did you like it? Is there a VN that you would like to recommend?

Okay, maybe I don’t have a real addiction in the medical sense of the word, but damn, I like AVN’s so much and I can’t stay away from them. Every night I want to play an AVN (I never watch porn any longer). All my other interests in the area of entertainment and culture have been dwarfed since AVN’s entered my life. All the things that I love doing when I have some spare time – reading books, watching tv shows and movies, playing video games – they are now all so secondary to playing an AVN. There are just so many AVN’s that are so good and interesting and long – it’s almost overwhelming. But I love it. My wife knows that I play AVN’s, and we have even played some carefully selected AVN’s together (it made her really horny – so I can recommend doing that, to all of you who have a partner). I have also talked about my AVN obsession with my closest friends, and they are amused and not judgmental, but none of them have been bitten by the AVN bug like I have. What is it like for you guys? Are AVN’s a casual interest for you, or have you turned into an AVN crackhead like me?

And it makes me realize something: if an AVN has a story that is good enough on a literary and psychologically realistic level, it doesn’t matter if the graphics and sound are not perfect (ALWL has decent renders but almost no animations, and neither music nor sfx), you get involved and immersed anyway. I know, everybody says this: ”the story is what matters”, etc etc. But I have always felt that story alone can’t make an AVN great. Turns out I’ve been wrong. This game proves it.

A Life Worth Living is a fantastic story about swinging and about the complexities of love and lust. It’s also a completed game, which is a feat in itself. I haven’t finished it yet, though. Still haven’t gotten to the anal content, looking forward to that.

It’s nice to see an AVN that challenges monogamy without going for the predictable cuckold/hotwife scenario. It’s a game for everyone who has fantasized about swinging in a healthy and loving relationship.

I think that when you play any AVN, you should ask yourself this question: if this was a traditional novel with text and nothing else, would I want to read it? For a lot of AVN’s, even some really nice ones, the answer is no. For A Life Worth Living, the answer is yes.

Has anyone else here played it? Do you like it?

One of the major themes in AVN’s is corruption. A person’s psychological process of transforming into a lower, lewder and darker version of himself or herself. I find this very fascinating, and it is a great vehicle for storytelling. Many great novels and movies have explored this theme, but I find it more interesting when done in an AVN – because when you play as a MC who either gets corrupted or corrupts someone else, there is less space for sentimentality or moralistic messages. The story goes straight to the core. Having said that, I just have to say that I’m a bit tired of corruption-themed AVN’s where the corruption is connected to blackmail. I mean, the devs are making it easy for themselves when they decide that a girl gets blackmailed, and fooled and abused, and that’s the only reason that she gets corrupted. I think it’s more interesting when a character gets corrupted in other ways, for other reasons. But I still want to see the change from innocence/virginity to sexual depravity. What do you guys think?

I’m curious – how has your interest in AVN’s affected your interest in porn? As for myself, I can say that since discovering AVN’s, which happened a little more than a year ago, I have almost completely lost my interest in porn. It’s not that I suddenly hate porn, it’s just that I don’t feel any need for it. And believe me, I have been a big and dedicated consumer of porn throughout the years. But I find AVN’s, with all their shortcomings and (mostly) weak animations, so much more erotic and exciting than traditional porn. It’s an artform that is more immersive and fun, more creative and personal, and less depressing and morally questionable. How do you guys feel about this issue?

I’m looking for an AVN built on this premise: the MC is a guy and his LI, a girlfriend or wife who he loves and has a long stable relationship with, wants to explore sex with women. Not as a threesome (at least not initially) but more like a lesbian/bisexual fantasy which she wants to explore. And the MC is understanding and supportive – he would probably not like it if it were other men that the love of his life wanted to have sex with, but with other women he feels differently. He actually thinks it’s a bit hot, and perhaps dreams of evolving the concept into a threesome with his wife/girlfriend and one more woman. Does anyone know an AVN like this?

Every time a see an AVN with aicg I hate it. But I can’t really put my finger on why. I have played Moonripple Lake, Mila AI, My New Girlfriend and other similar ones, and while they all are sort of well-made, they have this aesthetic that just gives me the creeps. It’s weird, because sameness in how an AVN looks is never a problem for me with AVN’s made with HS2 or Daz models. Aicg looks good and ugly at the same time – I can’t wrap my head around it. The animations are awful, of course, but it’s not only that, it’s about how the renders look. I’m not against AI in general, on the contrary, I find it very refreshing and exciting in terms of artistic creation. And there is one big exception: Boundaries of Morality. That AVN is just great, looks great, feels great. But it does not have that ”cartoonish” aicg aesthetic that all the other aicg titles seem so obsessed with. How do you feel about AI graphics in AVN’s?

Every time a see an AVN with aicg I hate it. But I can’t really put my finger on why. I have played Moonripple Lake, Mila AI, My New Girlfriend and other similar ones, and why they all are sort of well-made, they have this aesthetic that just gives me the creeps. It’s weird, because sameness in how an AVN looks is never a problem for me with AVN’s made with HS2 or Daz models. Aicg looks good and ugly at the same time – I can’t wrap my head around it. The animations are awful, of course, but it’s not only that, it’s about how the renders look. I’m not against AI in general, on the contrary, I find it very refreshing and exciting in terms of artistic creation. And there is one big exception: Boundaries of Morality. That AVN is just great, looks great, feels great. But it does not have that ”cartoonish” aicg aesthetic that all the other aicg titles seem so obsessed with. How do you feel about AI graphics in AVN’s?