Gaurav Rathore
His write-ups blend creativity, personal experience, and tailored technical advice, meeting reader needs effectively.
Doki Doki Literature Club: Will you write the way into her heart?
This video game has lately piqued parents’ attention for being problematic and not-so-kid-friendly.
According to a blog covered by The Week, ‘The father of a 15-year-old boy who committed suicide has warned about the psychological impact of the online game Doki Doki Literature Club.’
Considering its popularity among kids, there is a high chance your kid might be playing this game secretly. So, before you go ahead and reprimand your child, first read this blog and get to know Doki Doki Literature Club in detail. So, let’s jump in!
Quick Answer:
Doki Doki Literature Club! is a free-to-install psychological horror visual novel game. It features various grotesque scenes and depressive content, which might be unsuitable for kids.
Doki Doki Literature Club! (DDLC) is a free-to-play visual novel compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows and is available on PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
It is a psychological horror and dating simulation game where the players play the character of a high school boy who tries to pursue different girls.
When you begin the game, everything goes smoothly. But after the first 90 minutes into the game, blurry images appear on the screen and the character starts killing themselves, either by stabbing or hanging, and the player can do nothing to prevent these deaths.
In the past, the game didn’t have a physical release, so there was no need for a PEGI rating. However, recently, the publishers released Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!, which falls in the PEGI category.
According to the VSC Rating Board, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is rated 18+ due to containing graphic violence, mature language, and promoting self-harm tendencies.
The game itself clearly states that ‘This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.’ Although it confirms whether the user is 13 years of age or older, the age verification process is nowhere in sight.
To set up the game, first, you need to download and install the game on your device. After that, create your account and agree that you are 13 years of age or older. Then, you can jump straight into the gameplay.
You are the male protagonist, who reluctantly joins the popular literature club after being forced to do so by her childhood friend, Sayori. You, as the ML, are given a chance to pursue Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki romantically by writing poems, along with club president Monica.
The game follows an unconventional plot and has various unlocked endings for each main character. The game seems like a dating simulator for kids, but in reality, it is a metafictional psychological horror game where the user has no control over the plot.
No, the Doki Doki Literature Club! is not safe for kids! There are many horror scenes, along with self-harm content, in the game, which might be disturbing for little kids.
Not only that, the games don’t even verify the player’s age; if your kids want to play this game, they can do so freely.
Comparing the grotesque and depressive content featured in the game, there are little to no narrative warnings except for the one in the beginning.
The BBC has also stated warnings over the suicide-themed video game that has suicide ‘as a main feature’. It disguises itself as the ‘Cutesy anime dating sim’ and forces the players to lower their guards, so the game can successfully terrorize the users.
Thus, based on my research, I recommend that kids under 18 abstain from playing DDLC.
As a concerned parent, I looked deeply into what harm this game offers, and here’s what I found!
As I’ve mentioned earlier, this game features various harmful content, like gore and graphic scenes, mature language (swearing), and explicit scenes that are unsuitable for kids.
The DDLC game doesn’t have any parental controls in place to protect the sanity of little children.
Although the original game is free to install and play, the kids can still make in-app purchases for £6.99/$6.99 to unlock characters and cutscenes without parental permission.
As it’s a typical psychological horror game, it has various disturbing content that might soil little kids’ developmental processes.
If your kid is currently using the app and you don’t want to come off as a helicopter parent, you might want to consider the tips listed below. So, let’s take a look!
DDLC has various horror elements revolving around the concepts, which may scare your kids. So, make sure to discuss the potential dangers of the game and the abundance of gory images.
As there are no parental controls, tell your kids how they can protect themselves when they come across some explicit content or hideous scenes.
Install a third-party parental control app on the platforms your kids use for gaming, like Steam, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.
Here, I’ve listed the alternatives to Doki Doki Literature Club with more security options that you can recommend to your child.
Night in the Woods revolves around a college dropout who returns home to continue her aimless life and reunite with her friends. This game discusses the complex nature of life.
Oxenfree is a 3rd person single-player game where the ML Alex brings his stepbrother to an overnight party on a decommissioned military island, and things take an unexpected turn.
The Journey takes you through an empty, deserted island where you find other online individuals and experience companionship along the way.
In Flower, you control the breeze to direct a flower petal around a landscape. It lets you enjoy the beautiful landscapes and the tranquil music.
Doki Doki Literature Club is twisted in many ways; thus, parents must exercise caution before allowing their kids to indulge in the game.
However, if you think your child is mature enough to deal with blood, violence, and certain sensitive topics (self-harm, depression, and domestic abuse), you can let them play with parental guidance.
Doki Doki Literature Club! is a free-to-play psychological horror game where the protagonist reluctantly joins the literature club and writes poems to profess their love to different girls.
Doki Doki Literature Club! is rated MA15+ and unsuitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
To keep your kids safe while playing DDLC, install parental control apps, discuss the potential dangers, and educate your child.
Doki Doki Literature Club! falls under the dating simulator genre and is primarily advertised as a dating sim.
The reason for DDLC’s popularity is the successful use of horror aspects and its unconventional nature within the visual novel genre.
