Victoria's Day Off

"Is she avoiding us?" Victoria asked me the next day.

"I don't think so," I answered. "Usually she has her alone time for most of the day."

"Oh. And you do, too?"

"Yeah, usually I'm just working."

"Am I keeping you from your job?"

"It's fine. I'll make up for it over the weekend if they call you in."

"I guess. Hey, what do you do, exactly? I know the title, graphic designer, but how do you get paid?"

"I create art for video games."

"Really? Like Call Of Duty? That's a game, right?"

"It is, yeah. But no, I'm working with independent developers."

"Oh! So what kind of games are they?"

Angie took this moment to come out of the office.

"Hey, Angie! Were you in there masturbating again?"

"My sister is hilarious. No, I was meditating."

"Oh, is that what they call it these days?" I decided to throw in some shade. Victoria giggled.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Hey, I want to hear about the game too."

"Okay," I said after she sat down on the couch. "They are visual novels. Stories where you can play as the main character and make choices to affect the story. There are multiple outcomes."

"Oh! That sounds fun!" Victoria said. "It sounds like something I could do."

"There are actually a lot of female players," I told them.

"Can I see?"

"Umm, I don't really have a demo. But I could make one. I'll do it today."

"Why are you so secretive?" Vicky asked.

“Because they are adult games,” Angie said. I gave her a “what are you doing to me?” look.

“Really?” Victoria asked.

“Well, two of them are, yes. They tend to make more money,” I explained.

“Really? Why’s that?”

“Well, the games are supported by people who realize that the game needs funding for the creators to be able to afford to work on them, so they subscribe monthly.”

“Are there a lot of games like that out there?” It was Angie’s turn to ask.

“Yeah, there are thousands, really.”

“Are they all successful?”

“No. In fact, it’s weird sometimes how things gain attention. Some games are pretty awful but still make a few hundred bucks a month, and some games are amazing but still only earn a few bucks. But the ones that make a lot tend to be either really pretty, have a great story, or be around a long time.”

“How about your games?” Victoria asked.

“Well, I’d like to think that the games I work on are great looking, but sometimes that’s more a matter of taste.”

“Are they popular?” Angie asked.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “Well, one is. That’s pretty much how I pay the bills. For the other two games, I probably make less than minimum wage and do it more for a passion project than anything.”

“The one that is popular, is it good?” Victoria asked.

“It’s good, yes. But the main reason it gets love is because of the fetishes it features.”

“Like ****?” Angie asked.

“What? Eww! That’s not a thing, is it?”

“Are you kidding?” Angie asked her sister. “It’s one of the main fetishes in porn for the past several years.”

“Gross! Like… sisters kissing?”

“Probably doing a lot more than that.”

I laughed. “Yeah, **** really is a popular one. But I happen to think that **** is really just a subset of a bigger kink.”

“That’s that?” Angie asked.

“Taboo.”

“Really?”

“I think that the reason **** gets so much attention is that people know that they aren’t supposed to do it. That’s what makes it hot. But you can make a story about other things, like your best friend telling you not to fuck his little sister, for example, and the story can be just as forbidden.”

“Fucking your mom is overrated?” Angie asked.

“Exactly.”

“Eww.”

“So you’re saying that if you made a game about hooking up with two sisters, it would be hot?” Angie asked.

“Isn’t that just ****?” Victoria asked.

“Only if the sisters hooked up with each other,” I pointed out. “But yeah, I could imagine that could make for a fun game.”

“Wow,” Victoria said. “I’m a bit weirded out to learn all this, but I’m glad I asked. Now I know more about what my boyfriend does.”

Angie gave me a “you’re welcome” look.