ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the so-called “kindness coin” design, in which the player gains “affection” from an NPC by performing “kind” acts, compliments, or flirtation until “affection” is high enough to trigger a sexual relationship. The chapter acknowledges that this approach has some strengths – easy to design and program, and also reassuring for players who want an easier, more idealized romantic or sexual experience – but that it also “flattens” characterization and reinforces some negative real-world beliefs about sex. The chapter first suggests a similarly dependable model of “chemistry coins,” where instead of gaining affection by being “nice,” the player instead takes actions (by menu or through other gameplay systems) that the NPC finds personally attractive. This allows better reflection of the character’s turn-ons, as well as allowing crossover with other game systems like cosmetics. Lastly, the chapter suggests a more “random” model called “the chemistry casino,” which aims at capturing more nuance of random attraction (or, at least, the illusion of it!). Readers will wrap up with questions about kindness coin design in existing games and about how to use chemistry coins or chemistry casino in their games.
