Editing Visual novel (section)

{{short description|Type of interactive fiction video game}}
{{Distinguish|graphic novel|light novel|illustrated fiction}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{VG Adventure}}
A '''visual novel''' ('''VN''') is a form of digital [[interactive fiction]]. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of [[video game]]s, but are not always labeled as such themselves.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Lebowitz | first1 = Josiah | last2 = Klug | first2 = Chris | author-link2 = Chris Klug (game designer) | title = Interactive storytelling for video games: a player-centered approach to creating memorable characters and stories | chapter = Japanese Visual Novel Games | year = 2011 | publisher = [[Focal Press]] | location = Burlington, MA | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUrarEcvaO8C&pg=PA194 | pages = 192–4 | access-date = 10 November 2012 | isbn = 978-0-240-81717-0 | quote = Visual novels (or sound novels, as they’re sometimes called) are a popular game genre in Japan.}}</ref> They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustrations and a varying degree of [[interactivity]]. The format is more likely referred to as a '''visual''' '''novel game'''.

Visual novels originated in and are especially prevalent in [[Japan]],<ref>{{Cite journal |author=七邊信重 |date=2006 |title=文化創造の条件 -2つのゲーム「場」の文化生産論的考察から- |journal=早稲田大学大学院文学研究科紀要. 第1分冊, 哲学東洋哲学心理学社会学教育学 |publisher=早稲田大学大学院文学研究科 |volume=51 |pages=65–73 |hdl=2065/27549}}</ref> where they made up nearly 70% of the [[PC game]] titles released in 2006.<ref>{{cite web| date = 8 February 2006| url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/pressrelease.php?id=1510| title = AMN and Anime Advanced Announce Anime Game Demo Downloads| publisher = Hirameki International Group Inc.| access-date = 1 December 2006}}</ref> In Japanese, a distinction is often made between visual novels (NVL, from "novel"), which consist primarily of narration and have very few interactive elements, and [[adventure game]]s (AVG or ADV, from "adventure"), which incorporate problem-solving and other types of gameplay. This distinction is normally lost outside Japan, as both visual novels and ADV-style adventure games are commonly referred to as "visual novels" by international fans.

Visual novels are rarely produced exclusively for dedicated [[video game console]]s, but the more popular games have occasionally been [[Porting|ported]] from PC (or a hardware equivalent) to systems such as the [[Sega Saturn]], [[Dreamcast]], [[PlayStation Portable]], or [[Xbox 360]]. The more famous visual novels are also often adapted into [[light novel]]s, [[manga]], or [[anime]], and are sometimes succeeded or complemented by video games such as [[role-playing game]]s or [[action game]]s set in the same universe. The market for visual novels outside of East Asia is small, though a number of [[List of anime based on video games|anime based on visual novels]] are popular among anime fans in the Western world; examples include [[Clannad (visual novel)|''Clannad'']], ''[[Danganronpa]]'', ''[[Steins;Gate]]'', and ''[[Fate/stay night]]''.