Visual Novels, do you play or do you read them?

[kooolm]

A friend of mine is constantly nagging me when I say "I'm currently playing *VN-title-here*. He says something like "you don't play them, you read them". Not that I thoroughly agree, but I noticed saying "read" myself after a while when talking about VNs. What is your opinion on this subject?

[Decay]

My opinion: "Who cares?" I use the two interchangeably because it really doesn't matter. I couldn't possibly think of a less important issue.

[Milk Tea]

I almost exclusively used play before seeing nigh everyone here use read. 

[Deep Blue]

mmm depends, there are some vns that you actually play them like baldr sky, snatcher, YU-NO etc or rpg like sengoku rance, utawarerumono etc (can you even call a jrpg a vn?)

The truth is it doesn't matter as long as you are enjoying it.

[Nashetania]

My opinion: "Who cares?" I use the two interchangeably because it really doesn't matter. I couldn't possibly think of a less important issue.

This.

[Satsuki]

Just use whatever you want, doesn't matter. If someone "problem" with you about that, punch ignore them

[Eclipsed]

I love me some playing Yumina the Ethereal

But sometimes its better to just read Grisaia no Kajitsu.

Fk it, I'm playing Neko Para.

[Wonderfullyevil]

I use 'go through'.

 

Someone mentioned it before, and I thought it was a good idea.

[kingdomcome]

Funny that OP brought up this topic. Just yesterday when posting on this forum I "corrected" myself and used 'read' instead of 'play'.  I honestly don't care, use either.

[Mr Poltroon]

Personally prefer play, but typically use read when playing with semantics or when referring to watching anime, reading manga, and reading VN's.

[InvertMouse]

What about fap ?

 

But really I do tend to say read instead of play .

[Milk Tea]

I eat them for breakfast and I suggest you do the same.

 

B-but if I don't eat breakfast...lunch will taste better. 

[yvetox]

if you will not eat at all for days,you can eat your own leg (reference to the one piece and GnK simultaneously)

[TheGreatEops]

Well , since you would generally use "play" for games and given that a visual novel has all the necesarry elements to call it a game, I guess you could use play . It's not a book , since it has visuals and interactivity. It's not a movie since it has text and , again, there's always player interaction , even if limited. Maybe one could use a hybrid term such as readlay  .

[Satsuki]

Maybe one could use a hybrid term such as readlay  .

Bad idea, people may misread it

[Getsuya]

I used read for a long time so I could convince myself that reading VNs wasn't breaking my attempt to quit video games (aside from VNs) for good. Now I don't care. Though I think the proper term for what people do to nukige might be a bit different. Somewhere between 'watch' and... you know what, let's not go there.

[julyan]

Does it really matter? I use both~

[Yeah Way]

It depends if there are gameplay elements. Even something simple like 'Rewrite's' interactive map sections is definitely enough to constitute the use of "playing" (at least for those isolated sections). But take, say, Hoshimemo, with nothing like that at all, and there's really nothing to "play"; so it would be more accurate to say "reading". After all, you don't "play" a choose-your-own-adventure novel.

 

I personally don't think about which to use regularly. Like most of the rest here, I use the two interchangeably; but it's an interesting topic of discussion.

[Ene]

I usually use 'read' instead of 'play'. 

[sub-zer0]

Usually read, unless there's a major portion of game-play element in it, then I can use play 

[XReaper]

for me its mostly both, as they require the reader to make interative choices, leading to whatoever afterwards, so playing fits in. as for reading...should be obvious

[AaronIsCrunchy]

I use play if it has choices and read if it's a kinetic novel. Not anything I consciously think about, just happens that way.

[CytosineThallia]

I tend to use 'read' and 'play' interchangeably, though I use 'read' more often.

[madvanced]

I tend to read what I play, so in a way everything I play is consequently read. Take whichever conclusions you may see fit from this.

[Zodai]

Read if I'm referring to it primarily as a book, play if I'm referring to it moreso as a game.  It tends to vary but there are circumstances where either could be correct.