View source for Eroge

{{short description|Type of Japanese video game featuring erotica}}{{Distinguish|Bishōjo game{{!}}Galge}}

{{more footnotes needed|date=March 2013}}
[[File:Eroge.jpg|thumb|Eroge often feature [[anime]] and [[manga]] style graphics.|249x249px]]
An '''eroge''' ({{lang|ja|エロゲー}}, ''erogē'', {{IPA|ja|eɾoɡe(ː)|pron}}), also called an '''H-game''' ({{lang|ja|エッチゲーム}}), is a Japanese genre of [[erotic video game]]. The term encompasses a wide variety of Japanese games containing erotic content across multiple genres. The first ''eroge'' were created in the 1980s, and many well-known companies in the Japanese gaming industry originally produced and distributed them. Some ''eroge'' are primarily focused on erotic content, while others, such as [[Key (company)|Key]]'s ''[[Kanon (video game)|Kanon]]'', only contain occasional scenes in an otherwise non-erotic work. Games in the latter category are often re-released with sexual content removed for general audiences. Throughout its history, the genre has faced controversy for its use of explicit sexual content, and as a result has been banned from several console platforms.
{{Video games}}

== Etymology ==
''Eroge'' is a [[portmanteau]] of {{Nihongo|"erotic game"|エロチックゲーム|erochikku gēmu}}. Such games are also referred to as an {{Nihongo|"H-game"|Hゲーム}} and Japanese erotic games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sahdev |first=Ishaan |date=December 29, 2025 |title=State Of The Japanese Eroge Market |url=https://www.siliconera.com/state-of-the-japanese-eroge-market/ |access-date=November 5, 2025 |website=Siliconera |language=en-US|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601231747/https://www.siliconera.com/state-of-the-japanese-eroge-market/|archivedate=June 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/irl/visual-novel-eroge-hentai-games/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027140625/https://www.dailydot.com/irl/visual-novel-eroge-hentai-games/|archivedate=October 27, 2019|url-status=dead|work=[[The Daily Dot]]|title=Eroge, Visual Novels, and Hentai: Your Guide to Adult Visual Novels|accessdate=November 5, 2025|first=Ana|last=Valens|date=October 26, 2019|location=Austin, Texas}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-completely-incomplete-history-of-sex-in-video-games-876/|work=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|title=A Gloriously Stupid History of Sex in Video Games|last=Ellison|first=Cara|date=August 27, 2014|accessdate=November 5, 2025|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250213054452/https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-completely-incomplete-history-of-sex-in-video-games-876/|archivedate=February 13, 2025|authorlink=Cara Ellison|publisher=[[Vice Media]]}}</ref>

==History==

''Eroge'' is a Japanese [[erotic video game]].<ref name="Wood">{{cite book|last=Wood|first=Andrea|title=Over the rainbow : queer children's and young adult literature|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0-472-07146-3|pages=354–379|editor=Kenneth B. Kidd, Michelle Ann Abate|chapter=Choose Your Own Queer Erotic Adventure: Young Adults, Boys Love Computer Games, and the Sexual Politics of Visual Play|year=2011}}</ref> The earliest known commercial erotic computer game is PSK's ''Lolita Yakyūken'', released in [[1982 in video games|1982]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/lolita-yakyken|title=Lolita: Yakyūken (1982)}}</ref> That same year, [[Koei]] released the erotic title, {{nihongo|''Seduction of the Condominium Wife''|団地妻の誘惑|Danchi Zuma no Yūwaku}}, which was an early [[Role-playing video game|role-playing]] [[adventure game]] with color graphics,<ref>{{cite web|title=Danchizuma no Yuuwaku|publisher=Legendra|url=http://www.legendra.com/rpg/fiche-rpg_id-3276-rpg-danchizuma_no_yuuwaku.html#fichesr_33_3276|access-date=2011-03-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713195411/http://www.legendra.com/rpg/fiche-rpg_id-3276-rpg-danchizuma_no_yuuwaku.html#fichesr_33_3276|archive-date=2011-07-13|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Danchi-zuma no Yuuwaku|publisher=[[GameSpot]] |url=http://www.gamespot.com/fm7/rpg/danchizumanoyuuwaku/index.html|access-date=2011-03-16}}</ref> owing to the eight-color palette of the [[PC-8000 series|PC-8001]] computer. It became a hit, helping Koei become a major software company.<ref name=Pesimo>{{cite book |author=Pesimo, Rudyard Contretas |chapter='Asianizing' Animation in Asia: Digital Content Identity Construction Within the Animation Landscapes of Japan and Thailand |title=Reflections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity—The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows |year=2007 |publisher=The Nippon Foundation |pages=124–160 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904050744/http://www.apimal.org/blogcms/media/13/File/Pesimo.pdf |archive-date=2011-09-04 |chapter-url=http://www.apimal.org/blogcms/media/13/File/Pesimo.pdf}}</ref>

In another opinion, [[Yuji Horii]] recalled in 1986 that he saw a demonstration of a [[Yakyūken]]-like game running on the [[FM-8]] in the end of [[1981 in video games|1981]], and he considered Yakyūken was the origin of adult games.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Horii|first=Yuji|author-link=Yuji Horii|year=1986|title=ゆう坊の虹色ディップスイッチ - ふぁんくしょん：5 アダルトソフトの巻(前編)|journal=Log in|language=ja|publisher=[[ASCII Corporation]]|volume=5|issue=8|pages=162–163|issn=0286-486X}}</ref> Some writers say that ''[[:ja:野球拳 (ハドソンのゲーム)|Yakyūken]]'' produced for [[Sharp MZ]] computers by [[Hudson Soft]] is the first Japanese adult game.<ref>{{Cite book|title=ぼくたちの美少女ゲーム クロニクル|last=Maeda|first=Hiroyuki|publisher=オークス|year=2015|isbn=9784799008096|pages=6|language=ja}}</ref><ref name="yakyu1981">{{Cite book|title=エロゲー文化研究概論 増補改訂版|last=Miyamoto|first=Naoki|publisher=総合科学出版|year=2017|isbn=9784881818596|pages=18–19|language=ja}}</ref>

Other now-famous Japanese companies such as [[Enix]], [[Square (video game company)|Square]] and [[Nihon Falcom]] also released erotic adult games for the PC-8801 computer in the early 1980s before they became mainstream.<ref name="Retro">[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers3.htm Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier], Hardcore Gaming 101, reprinted from ''[[Retro Gamer]]'', Issue 67, 2009</ref> Early ''eroge'' usually had simple stories, some even involving [[anal sex]], which often led to widespread condemnation from the Japanese media. In some of the early erotic games, the erotic content is meaningfully integrated into a thoughtful and mature storytelling, though others often used it as a flimsy excuse for pornography.<ref name=Retro/> Erotic games made the PC-8801 popular, but customers quickly became tired of paying 8800 yen ($85) for such simple games. Soon, new genres were invented: ASCII's ''Chaos Angels'', a [[Role-playing video game|role-playing]]-based ''eroge'', inspired ''[[Dragon Knight (video game series)|Dragon Knight]]'' by [[ELF Corporation|Elf]] and ''[[Rance (series)|Rance]]'' by [[AliceSoft]].{{cn|date=July 2024}}

In the early 1990s ''eroge'' games became much more common. Most ''eroge'' games, a fairly large library, found its way on the [[PC-9800 series|PC-9801]] platform. [[FM Towns]] also received many games, more so than the [[X68000]] or [[MS-DOS]], whilst the [[MSX]] platform (which had many ''eroge'' games in the 1980s) was nearing the end of its lifetime. ''Eroge'' was much less common on consoles&nbsp;– only [[NEC]]'s [[PC Engine]] series had officially licensed adult games, and from the mid-90s, [[Sega]]'s [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]]. Both [[Nintendo]] and [[Sony]] disallowed adult video games on their consoles. Games also started to appear on [[Windows]] as it grew in popularity. There were also some titles on the [[Arcade game|arcades]], such as the ''[[Gals Panic]]'' series.

In 1992, Elf released ''[[Dōkyūsei (video game)|Dōkyūsei]]''. In it, before any eroticism, the user has to first win the affection of one of a number of female characters, making the story into an [[interactive fiction|interactive romance novel]]. Thus, the [[dating simulation|love simulation]] genre was invented. Soon afterwards, the video game ''Otogirisou'' on the [[Super Famicom]] attracted the attention of many Japanese gamers. ''Otogirisou'' was a standard adventure game but had multiple endings. This concept was called a "sound novel".

In 1996, the new software developer and publisher [[Leaf (company)|Leaf]] expanded on this idea, calling it a [[visual novel]] and releasing their first successful game, ''[[Shizuku (video game)|Shizuku]]'', a horror story starring a rapist high school student, with very highly reviewed writing and music. Their next game, ''[[Kizuato]]'', was almost as dark. However, in 1997, they released ''[[To Heart]]'', a sweetly sentimental story of high school love that became one of the most famous and trendsetting ''eroge'' ever. ''To Heart''{{'s}} music was so popular it was added to [[karaoke]] machines throughout Japan—a first for ''eroge''.

In response to increasing pressure from Japanese [[Lobby group|lobby groups]], in mid-1996 [[Sega|Sega of Japan]] announced that they would no longer permit [[Sega Saturn]] games to include nudity.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Svensson |first=Christian |date=August 1996 |title=Sega Sees Naked Truth |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=20 |page=22}}</ref>

After a similar game by [[Nexton#Tactics|Tactics]], ''[[One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e]]'', became a hit in 1998, [[Visual Arts (company)|Visual Arts]] scouted main creative staff of ''One'' to form a new brand under them, which became [[Key (company)|Key]]. In 1999, Key released ''[[Kanon (visual novel)|Kanon]]''. It contains only about seven brief erotic scenes in a sentimental story the size of a long novel (an all-ages version was also released afterward), but the enthusiasm of the response was unprecedented, and ''Kanon'' sold over 300,000 copies. In 2002 a 13-episode anime series was produced, as well as another 24-episode anime series in 2006. According to Satoshi Todome's ''A History of Eroge'', ''Kanon'' is still the standard for modern ''eroge'' and is referred to as a "baptism" for young [[otaku]] in Japan. Although many ''eroge'' still market themselves primarily on sex, ''eroge'' that focus on story are now a major established part of Japanese otaku culture. Voice actors who have voiced for ''eroge'' have often been credited under a pseudonym.

As the visual novel standard was adopted, the erotic parts in ''eroge'' began to become less and less apparent. Many ''eroge'' become more story-oriented than sex-oriented, making story the main focus for many modern ''eroge''. More and more people who used to reject such type of games began to become more open-minded, realizing that ''eroge'' are not just about sex anymore.<ref>[https://archive.today/20121205102947/http://www.shii.org/geekstories/eroge.html A History of Eroge]</ref> A lot of story-focused ''eroge'' tend to have only a few erotic scenes.

Another subgenre is called {{nihongo|"nukige"|抜きゲー|Nukigē}}, in which sexual gratification of the player is the main focus of the game.<ref>[http://vndb.org/g214 "Visual novel database"] on nukige, "Plot serves the sex-scenes, not the other way round."</ref>

==Gameplay==

There is no set definition for the gameplay of ''eroge'', except that they all include explicit erotic or [[sexual content]] depending on the game. Like other pornographic media in Japan, erotic scenes feature [[Censorship in Japan#Pornographic censorship|censorship of genitalia]], only becoming uncensored if the game is licensed and released outside Japan, unless produced illegally by ''[[dōjin]]'' (usually with a construction kit like [[NScripter]] or [[RPG Maker]]). Additionally, some games may receive an "all-ages" version, such as a port to consoles or handheld devices where pornographic content is not allowed, which either censor or remove the sex scenes entirely.

''Eroge'' is most often a [[visual novel]] or [[dating sim]]. However, there are also many other gameplay genres represented within ''eroge'', such as [[role-playing games]], [[Mahjong video game|mahjong games]], or [[puzzle games]]. Some ''eroge'', such as those made by [[Illusion Soft]], are just simulations of sex, with no "conventional" gameplay included.

==See also==
* [[Bishōjo game]]
* [[Hentai#Origin of erotic games|Hentai § Origin of erotic games]]
* [[List of eroge]]
* [[Sex and nudity in video games]]
* [[Visual novel]]

==References==
{{reflist|33em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last=Galbraith | first=Patrick W. | editor1-last=Lee | editor1-first=Micky | editor2-last=Chung | editor2-first=Peichi | title=Media Technologies for Work and Play in East Asia: Critical Perspectives on Japan and the Two Koreas | chapter='For Japan Only?' Crossing and Re-inscribing Boundaries in the Circulation of Adult Computer Games | chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/49329354 | publisher=Bristol University Press | publication-place=Bristol | year=2021 | isbn=978-1-5292-1336-2 | oclc=1242746383 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{Cite thesis|type=PhD|last=Galbraith|first=Patrick W.|date=2017|title=The Politics of Imagination: Virtual Regulation and the Ethics of Affect in Japan|publisher=Duke University|url=https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/handle/10161/14371|access-date=2020-01-09}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Galbraith|first=Patrick W.|date=2017|title=RapeLay and the return of the sex wars in Japan|url=https://www.academia.edu/31059829|journal=Porn Studies|volume=4|issue=1|pages=105–126|doi=10.1080/23268743.2016.1252159|issn=2326-8743|access-date=2020-06-21|archive-date=2021-07-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718005502/https://www.academia.edu/31059829|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book | last1=Pelletier-Gagnon | first1=Jérémie | last2=Picard | first2=Martin | editor1-last=Wysocki | editor1-first=Matthew | editor2-last=Lauteria | editor2-first=Evan W. | title=Rated M for mature: sex and sexuality in video games |chapter = Beyond Rapelay: Self-regulation in the Japanese Erotic Video Game Industry | publisher=Bloomsbury Academic | publication-place=New York | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-62892-574-6 | oclc=891610577 }}
* {{cite journal|author=Galbraith, Patrick W.|date=2011|title=Bishōjo Games: 'Techno-Intimacy' and the Virtually Human in Japan|journal=Game Studies|volume=11| issue=2|url=http://gamestudies.org/1102/articles/galbraith|access-date=2019-01-09}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://archive.today/20121205102947/http://www.shii.org/geekstories/eroge.html A History of ''Eroge''] (archived from [http://www.shii.org/geekstories/eroge.html the original])
* [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/the-bluffers-guide-to-hentai-games-article The Bluffer's Guide to Hentai Games (Eurogamer)]

{{VideoGameGenre}}
{{Pornography}}
{{Dating sims and visual novels}}

[[Category:Eroge| ]]
[[Category:Video game genres]]