“Doki Doki Literature Club,” often referred to as “DDLC”, was created by Dan Salvato for PC and is now available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. For this critical play, I played it on my computer. It is intended for mature audiences, at least 13+, who are not easily disturbed.
DDLC cleverly masquerades as a typical dating simulator before revealing its deeper, darker layers. This visual novel starts with the usual tropes of high school romance but soon subverts its genre to offer a profound critique of narrative control and character agency. By examining DDLC through a feminist lens, it becomes clear that while the game subverts traditional narratives to highlight the lack of female agency in video games, it occasionally falls into the same patterns it aims to criticize, thus missing opportunities to push its feminist critique further.
The game starts by offering the player three female characters to pursue romantically (and one more who you can’t pursue). Initially, they are treated as characters only existing through a male gaze, as potential objects of affection.
As the story progresses, the objectification is complicated by truly devastating backstory. This is best illustrated by the early sexualized characterization of one of the characters as being “petite.” Her “small figure” is mentioned multiple times throughout the visual novel. Later in the story, we get the following dialogue from Monica:
This all too casual, gut-wrenching backstory, immediately punctuated by a reaffirming of her sexualization, forces the player to question the original stance towards this character.
This instance of these characters shedding their initial objectification and becoming multi-dimensional characters also comes through the poems which you read from each of the members of the literature club, which have real substance and artistic value, subverting my expectations of a shallow cartoon for the player to project fantasies.
As the narrative unfolds, it shifts dramatically, turning its attention to the autonomy of these characters, particularly through Monika, who becomes self-aware and disrupts the game’s intended path. (Note that while I played the game for a few hours, I was not able to play through the full story and supplemented my gameplay by watching summaries online.) This disruption serves as a poignant reflection on feminist concerns regarding the objectification and marginalization of women in media. Drawing from Shira Chess’s notions in Play Like a Feminist, DDLC manipulates player agency and exposes the illusion of choice, where female characters are often maneuvered for the player’s satisfaction without real depth or autonomy.
While DDLC disrupts how visual novels traditionally diminish the complexity of female characters, it does not entirely escape the pitfalls of its genre. Early in the game, it relies heavily on the very stereotypes it later critiques, using the allure of the dating sim format to draw in players. This approach serves as both a clever narrative device and a potential reinforcement of the stereotypes it aims to criticize. Overall I think the use is justified because it uses the player’s buy-in to make its ultimate message more powerful, but if someone were to stop playing the game part-way through, they would take away an entirely wrong message. To enhance its feminist critique, DDLC could benefit from a more consistent integration of feminist perspectives throughout the game, rather than primarily at its climactic turns. This could involve deeper character development early on that does not rely on initial objectification to make its point. Additionally, handling sensitive topics like mental health with more consistent care and depth would prevent the game’s shock value from overshadowing its message.
I wonder how DDLC might maintain its critical edge while handling its themes in a way that avoids potential exploitation. Could it provide a more nuanced exploration of feminist themes without losing its impact on the player? These questions invite us to consider how even games that challenge norms can further refine their approach to ensure a deeper, more consistent feminist engagement.
