====== Nakigē ======
{{ruby|泣|な}}きゲー(Crying Game) is a [[lb:genre]] of [[lb:Visual Novels]] with the purpose of making the player burst into tears while they're playing the game.\\
It is used most famously, and possibly most effectively, by [[lb:Key]] who, I believe, also coined the term ‘Nakige’((:fn:>I'd need to do more research to find out for sure.)).

===== Definition =====
The word ｢{{ruby|泣|な}}きゲー｣ is a portmanteau of {{ruby|泣|な}}き(crying/weeping) and ゲーム(game). Hence ‘Crying Game’.\\
Nakigē typically follow a specific formula, which had been perfected by Key's developers((:ref:wiki-key>[[wp>Key_%28company%29#Impact|Key - Impact]]))((:ref:vndb-key>[[https://vndb.org/g596|Tag: Nakigē | vndb]])). The formula used is((:fn:>I'm paraphrasing it based on the description given on VNDB and Wikipedia.)):
The first half of the game is comedic with a ‘heart-warming’ romantic middle followed by a tragic separation, and finally ending on an emotional reunion.((:ref:wiki-key))((:ref:vndb-key))\\
The stated purpose of this formula is to leave a bigger impact on the player after the game is finished, which is achieved by getting them emotionally invested((:ref:vndb-key)). This structure has proven to be quite effective, and has led [[lb:Key]] to enormous success.
==== Example Media ====
<WRAP centeralign>
[[lb:Angel Beats!|{{:lb:img:small:angel-beats.png|Angel Beats!}}]]
[[lb:Charlotte|{{:lb:img:small:charlotte.png|Charlotte}}]]
[[lb:litbus|{{:lb:img:small:little-busters.png|Little Busters!}}]]
</WRAP>
===== Trivia and Notes =====
  * I realized at some point that this is less of a //genre// and more of a //story structure//, but I guess it doesn't matter too much. The term //genre// is already quite vague.
  * Besides applying to [[lb:visual novels]], this structure can also be used to great effect in other mediums. However, as [[lb:Visual Novels]] end up being much longer than other mediums, it's probably most effective here than in other mediums.
{{tag>genre otaku visual_novels}}