Dream Daddy, The Dadification of Games, and Me

Dream Daddy, the Dad-on-Dad dating sim that became this summer’s gaming obsession simply through word of mouth, is a good game. Maybe even a great one. Yes, all the dads are super hot, the writing is good, it’s genuinely funny and heartfelt, but for me personally it meant a lot more. As someone who grew up with a single dad after my mom died when I was a toddler, it really made me feel close to him to be able to play as a dad with a similar backstory. But more than that, I appreciated how this game understands single fatherhood in a way that few other games have. And there are a LOT of games that attempt to wrangle this into their plots. Commonly called “The Dadification of Games”, this trend was most prevalent in the BioShock Infinite/The Last of Us era, but it’s far from a dying trend. The new God of War is even moving away from the more common father/daughter trope by giving Kratos a son.

(more…)

Dissecting The Dream Daddy Discourse

Dissecting The Dream Daddy Discourse

There’s a trend I’ve noticed with more mainstream coverage of visual novels, and I’m going to be honest—I don’t like it. I’m happy games like Dream Daddy and Tusks are getting coverage. Visual novels are a vastly underrated and misunderstood genre, usually only coming to the larger games press’ attention when something weird (dating pigeons) or something controversial (Ladykiller in a Bind’s pulled scene) happens. And when they are covered, as with the recent popularity of Dream Daddy, there’s a distinct trend to paint them as a surprising success.

(more…)

Dreamy Dads of DDADDS: Our Dadveal

We in the Games Section, like the rest of the internet, are obsessed with Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator, or DDADDS for short. Over the next few weeks you’ll see a variety of opinions and essays from us about this new cultural icon, but first: our Dads! (more…)

Get Your Game On: Doomfist, Dream Daddy, Sex Tapes, and D&D

Get Your Game On: Doomfist, Dream Daddy, Sex Tapes, and D&D

My latest gaming adventure takes me back into the world of dating sims, thanks to the belated release of Dream Daddy from Game Grumps. My first real foray into dating sims was with Shall We Date?, an experience that I am not soon to forget, especially now that Facebook has taken it upon itself to remind me that the series offers many app options. Didn’t I say I wanted to check out those ninjas?

(more…)