Yandere Simulator is a game about a Japanese schoolgirl killing other Japanese schoolgirls. It’s a school sandbox setting, like Bully, but this game looks at a very particular brand of bullying.
The act of stalking, killing, and then hiding a body is so passe in gaming these days it wouldn’t even get funding without an additional hook. Mechanically, Yandere Simulator is no different to that, though it’s almost impossible these days to get a game rated in which you’re killing children. Think back on all your time in GTA — were there any kids on the street to run over? In this game, however, you are a schoolgirl as well. So, it’s a kid murdering kids. Which has News in a bit of a tizzy.
What really sets Yandere Simulator apart is the additional torture you can inflict in-between all of that — keep someone locked in a closet if you want to, and torture them, break them psychologically, and get them to do your bidding before committing suicide.
That’s not necessary, though. The main goal of the game is to get other girls to stop talking to your boyfriend, by any means necessary. That could just mean incentivising them to stay home, or getting them expelled. You play a jealous girl with serious problems, and while the path of least resistance probably doesn’t always involve murder, sometimes you might need to make an example.
Before you say “Oh, those Japanese,” this game is actually made by a Californian. Though it is sort of meant to be a look at a more extreme, caricatured version of Japanese schoolgirl bullying. It’s going for shock value, for sure – it is a horror game, after all – but there does seem to be more to this one than, say, Hatred.
According to the creator’s comments to Vice, the game might actually have points within about the known practice of schoolgirls spending time with older men for money.
While the developer says the game is only 5% complete and doesn’t have any objectives or win condition yet, a testing build is available on the downloads section of its site which you can play right now.
Comments
12 responses to “The Latest Moral Panic Game Is All About Japanese Schoolgirl-On-Schoolgirl Murder”
Sounds rad!
PS thanks for the straight shooting @junglist
Im surprised something like this has been development for so long. A year and a half and it’s only at “5%” completion apparently.
Yeah, at that rate the game will take another 28.5 years to finish!
By the time he finishes it, someone like Rocksteady and/or Bethesda will go, “That’s a brilliant idea for a game” and make it happen
Huh, i have not heard any outrage or moral panic about this in development game, in fact this article is the first ive heard about it which seems like something else that happened year…
OH yeah sounds just like Hatred, a game that no knew anything about until a few sites started talking about it which got people to have it pulled from steam, then after another outcry thrown back up on steam while sites continued to complain about it to which it then gets released and we find out that the horses are still not eating each other.
In other words create controversy out of nothing to get publicity
This game doesn’t need that kind of publicity. It’s been around for a while now and has been featured on some of the bigger youtubers channels.
There was an article about it on news.com.au, which isn’t exactly traditional games media, so I think its fair to say some conservative corners could be trying to drum something up.
The coolest thing is that Yandere Dev has a youtube channel (of that name) on the game and updates it every two weeks or so to show his progress. It’s cool seeing how independent development works
I’m a grown man, I can have a chicken sandwich if I want.
This does sound pretty horrible… But realistically, it could be one of those things that opens eyes about some of the negatives of Japanese schooling to western audiences. Gotta admit, I’m both disgusted and intrigued.
This really does seem like a “dev needs his 5 minutes of fame” post, or is it me?
Just you. Dev hasnt actively courted controversy at all
Fixed, If that news.com article was on kotaku, no one would blink an eye.
The news.com article is not bad. sure it calls the game disturbing but it also includes a quote from the developer saying that’s the point as it’s a horror game. It’s fairly balanced overall.