Editing Dating sim (section)

==Characteristics==
[[Image:Tokimekimemorial pccd 03.png|thumb|256px|Screenshot from the original [[PC Engine]] version of ''[[Tokimeki Memorial (video game)|Tokimeki Memorial]]'' illustrating the complex system of statistics standard of the genre]]

In a typical dating sim, the player controls a male avatar surrounded by female characters. The gameplay involves conversing with a selection of girls, attempting to increase their internal "love meter" through correct choices of dialogue. The game lasts for a fixed period of game time, such as one month or three years. When the game ends, the player either loses the game if he failed to properly win over any of the girls, or "finishes" one of the girls, often by having sex with her, marrying her (as in [[Magical Date]]), and/or achieving eternal love. This gives the games more [[replay value]], since the player can focus on a different girl each time, trying to get a different ending.

Dating sims often revolve almost entirely around relationship-building, usually featuring complex character interactions and branching [[dialogue tree]]s, and often presenting the player's possible responses word-for-word as the [[player character]] would say them. Dating sims such as ''Tokimeki Memorial'', and some role-playing games with similar relationship based mechanics to the genre such as ''[[Persona (series)|Persona]]'', often give choices that have a different number of associated "mood points" which influence a player character's relationship and future conversations with a [[non-player character]]. These games often feature a [[Persistent world|day-night cycle]] with a time scheduling system that provides context and relevance to character interactions, allowing players to choose when and if to interact with certain characters, which in turn influences their responses during later conversations.<ref name="Gamasutra">{{cite web|title=Defining Dialogue Systems|author=Brent Ellison|date=July 8, 2008|publisher=[[Gamasutra]]|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/defining-dialogue-systems|access-date=2011-03-30|archive-date=2012-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513020622/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3719/defining_dialogue_systems.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

While [[bishōjo game]]s make up the bulk of dating sims, other types of games exist. Games where the player character is female and potential objects of affection are male are known as GxB or [[otome game]]s. Homosexual relationships are also possible, as there are games with no specific gender lines ("all pairings"). There are also [[girls' love]] games, which focus on female/female relationships, and [[boys' love]] games, which focus on male/male pairings.

There are many variations on this theme: high-school romances are the most common, but a dating sim may also take place in a fantasy setting and involve such challenges as defending one's girl from monsters.

One game series that often includes dating, with the goal of marriage, is the [[farm life sim]] series ''[[Harvest Moon series|Harvest Moon]]''. The subplot of dating is more focused towards choosing one of several girls or guys (dependent on the player character's gender) and offering them presents or joining them on events in the game. The ''[[Star Ocean]]'' series of RPGs also feature dating sim elements in a similar manner.

Some Japanese dating sims may allow the player to have romantic or sexual relationships with characters in their teens.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} The degree of sexual content varies, but may often include intercourse. Sexually explicit dating sims may fall into the category of [[H Game]] or [[Eroge]]. Eroge only gets released to PC because large Japanese game companies do not want to release games with sexual content on their game consoles. Because of this, Eroge companies make a censored all-ages (15+) version of the PC version for various consoles. Censored versions often contain additional endings and added scenes to compensate for the absence of sexual scenes.{{Citation needed|date=December 2014}}

These games also often involve raising stats that reflect the player's skills and can be combined with other genres. Series such as ''[[Sakura Wars]]'' and ''[[Persona (series)|Persona]]'' combine [[role-playing game]] (RPG) gameplay with dating sim gameplay.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Lebowitz |first=Josiah |url=https://archive.org/details/interactivestory00lebo |title=Interactive Storytelling for Video Games: a Player-centered Approach to Creating Memorable Characters and Stories |date=2011 |publisher=Focal Press |others=Klug, Chris |isbn=9780240817187 |location=Burlington, MA |pages=[https://archive.org/details/interactivestory00lebo/page/n57 45] |oclc=706802880 |url-access=limited}}</ref>