discussion Your thoughts on MC having a male best friend?

[dionzx]

i like it tbh, it’s way more immersive if the game’s dialogues aren’t just with girls the MC wants to fuck.

 

[ariel1234]

Some VNs depict your character having a male "buddy" or sidekick. I'm not talking about a sharing situation, or M-M romance, or anything like that, just a friend who is a part of the plot. Just wondering how others feel about this, because for me, this usually makes it feel sort of awkward or uncomfortable, not to the point of making me want to stop playing, just kind of like I wish the relationship wasn't there.

My problem is that, since these stories are naturally geared toward you hoovering up every available (and sometimes unavailable) female character who so much as says "hi" to you, this leaves your buddy in kind of a bad spot. So the options for dealing with him include

• Making him a guy who just strikes out with women, possibly as comic relief or possibly just sad. He can be portrayed as a bit of a douchebag so that he is basically just getting what is coming to him (but then again why are you friends with this jerk), or he can simply be unlucky in love (in which case it feels bad to be rubbing his nose in your success). Neither way seems all that satisfying.
• Giving him a token girlfriend of his own, hopefully one that isn't one of your potential LIs, although this isn't always the case. This means either having her be rarely or never seen so that it feels obviously shoehorned in, or forcing the dev to spend time rendering and writing for a character that may not matter. Even worse is when you either by choice or fate end up stealing her, which can feel awful. The one that made me feel worst about this was Lost in You, where you end up with the one girl that your friend actually had serious feelings for, after being a playboy for a long time and not really caring about the girls he was with. She rejects him because she has feelings for you, even though you aren't necessarily actively pursuing her. This leads to him walking into traffic in a daze and winding up in the hospital. I can't help feeling sorry and even a little guilty, despite choosing to be respectful of him and his attempt at a relationship.
• Having him be gay or just not interested in a relationship with any girl for whatever reason. This one would probably be the best option because it avoids all the awkwardness and negative feelings, but I can't think of a story where it has been used offhand.

Where do you all stand on this? And if it is going to be included, how do you prefer it to be handled? Is there another way I haven't thought of? Feel free to share any thoughts you have.

I prefer that it has one, and that the friend has a romance with a character that the mc doesn't interfere

 

[Kekrekt]

i dont wanna see any male characters unless they are femboys/futas/traps in games that i play

 

[mbug]

Others have already mentioned it but Eternum has the best version of this imho.

 

[G35p3n5t]

I would like to see male best friends who contribute to the plot in a meaningful way, aren't there just to get shafted or as comedy relief, have actualy personality and an enjoyable one at that, and maybe you can actually help them with their romantic life or other pursuits. You know, like actual bros instead of window dessing NPCs.

 

[sommerlager]

As long as they are not in the way of things I don't mind having them in a game.

 

[CoolCatK]

I think there should be characters that the MC can't romance, characters that exist to flesh out the world like the best friend should.

My issue though is that I think it's a role that too often does nothing more than that. Especially when you're playing a corruption game where you're turning all your female friends into your harem, and for some reason your male best friend keeps showing up. In that event, I wish more games would give an option to feminize the male best friend and turn them into a cute/sexy femboy or just fully transform them into a female at some point.

Just too often does the male best friend in a corruption game turn into an obstacle that you just have to get through before getting to the characters you want to deal with again.

 

[pervin]

Not problem with a dick sidekick Now seriously I don't even see the point of debate, it shouldn't make anyone feel anything. However a male sidekick can be good or bad for the story, if the concept is bad a sidekick can drag the story or provide an unwanted and anoying comic relief. In other cases if the story is well written a sidekick can be really good even if he is not put there for a specific fetish. And for those with netorare fetishes it opens many doors.

 

[Deleted member 182138]

Everybody needs a wingman right?
Also it provides means to add early spicey scenes and still have a slow progression for the MC.

 

[Wolflorz]

Being a Being a DIK fan, I didn't think I would like it as much as I did when I started. Derek is not only a hilariously written character with some unexpected emotional depth in later episodes, but also a real stand up bro for the MC. If there are more games whether they be SFW or NSFW, I don't mind the MC having a male best friend, if they can be as engaging as Derek. We all need a Derek in our lives.

 

[lak]

as long as hes the comuputer/hacker/chair guy

 

[husko]

honestly I don't care it's just a game you told me in real life it's a debate

 

[Deleted member 183428]

I like it and I wish there were more games where the MC has multiple male friends, each with their own moms, sisters, girlfriends that can be fucked, shared etc. I don't see the MC as myself so I don't really get emotionally attached to these characters.

I'm playing these games to see as many raunchy and dirty scenarios as possible, so limiting the number of males beside the MC and what they can do is just limiting the potential of these games. I wanna see gangbangs, MS orgies and swapping, BS orgies and swapping etc. in these games, so other males are kinda needed in them.

I understand that a lot of people don't see it this way, but there is no need to argue, we will not change each others' opinions.

 

[User_24645]

Really unneeded

 

[r2d5]

Well, dunno if anyone mention it, but for me one of the best mbf was in "The Last Challenge", even if he is a little sidekicky but just too hilarious.

 

[Demiurge299]

Some VNs depict your character having a male "buddy" or sidekick. I'm not talking about a sharing situation, or M-M romance, or anything like that, just a friend who is a part of the plot. Just wondering how others feel about this, because for me, this usually makes it feel sort of awkward or uncomfortable, not to the point of making me want to stop playing, just kind of like I wish the relationship wasn't there.

My problem is that, since these stories are naturally geared toward you hoovering up every available (and sometimes unavailable) female character who so much as says "hi" to you, this leaves your buddy in kind of a bad spot. So the options for dealing with him include

• Making him a guy who just strikes out with women, possibly as comic relief or possibly just sad. He can be portrayed as a bit of a douchebag so that he is basically just getting what is coming to him (but then again why are you friends with this jerk), or he can simply be unlucky in love (in which case it feels bad to be rubbing his nose in your success). Neither way seems all that satisfying.
• Giving him a token girlfriend of his own, hopefully one that isn't one of your potential LIs, although this isn't always the case. This means either having her be rarely or never seen so that it feels obviously shoehorned in, or forcing the dev to spend time rendering and writing for a character that may not matter. Even worse is when you either by choice or fate end up stealing her, which can feel awful. The one that made me feel worst about this was Lost in You, where you end up with the one girl that your friend actually had serious feelings for, after being a playboy for a long time and not really caring about the girls he was with. She rejects him because she has feelings for you, even though you aren't necessarily actively pursuing her. This leads to him walking into traffic in a daze and winding up in the hospital. I can't help feeling sorry and even a little guilty, despite choosing to be respectful of him and his attempt at a relationship.
• Having him be gay or just not interested in a relationship with any girl for whatever reason. This one would probably be the best option because it avoids all the awkwardness and negative feelings, but I can't think of a story where it has been used offhand.

Where do you all stand on this? And if it is going to be included, how do you prefer it to be handled? Is there another way I haven't thought of? Feel free to share any thoughts you have.

I like them as comic relief, and don't generally mind them so long as they aren't encroaching on the MC's territory (anything with two legs and a vagina that isn't completely repulsive to look at). Most games I've seen them done best, they either don't seem all that interested in anyone the MC might pursue, or have lets just say, exotic tastes (one game I played, the MC's Indian best friend fell in love with a chronically obese ogre of a woman, and was an absolute slampig chaser, which worked both as comic relief, and kept him away from the love interests).

it can also be solved by having the friend in a committed relationship, and then just never visibly introducing his partner to the story beyond making it known they exist. This way he gets to be happy, and the player never has to get potentially jealous.

 

[Demiurge299]

I like them as comic relief, and don't generally mind them so long as they aren't encroaching on the MC's territory (anything with two legs and a vagina that isn't completely repulsive to look at). Most games I've seen them done best, they either don't seem all that interested in anyone the MC might pursue, or have lets just say, exotic tastes (one game I played, the MC's Indian best friend fell in love with a chronically obese ogre of a woman, and was an absolute slampig chaser, which worked both as comic relief, and kept him away from the love interests).

it can also be solved by having the friend in a committed relationship, and then just never visibly introducing his partner to the story beyond making it known they exist. This way he gets to be happy, and the player never has to get potentially jealous.

while the post here is about male best friends, I also had a thought, but a female wingwoman that eventually becomes a LI, is also pretty nice to see in games (bonus points if they fall into the tomboy category)

 

[DeltaMU_17-128]

Kinda cliché I suppose but even clichés can be done well. If they actually have a personality, goals and contribute something beyond either sidekick or prick we inevitably have contrived conflict with later than I welcome the edition. The characters we play in games are people in their own worlds and people have friends

 

[EZRider609]

The male best friend trope has never been my favorite, but I can understand why others might like the depth it adds to the game and its world. I'm not a fan of sharing/ntr in games, and this is a pretty common way for devs to fit those scenes in.
In Summertime Saga, for example, I like Eric and the story threads that he's involved in, but I don't like that because of him the player is closed off from solo routes of love interests.

 

[Midlandpv]

Open to it, but haven't seen it well implemented yet. Any suggestions?