nukige

Eroge is a hugely popular genre of visual novel both from established producers and fan circles, and can be further divided into smaller categories such as nukige (抜きゲ) or ‘jack-off game’, referring to a game that is intended to provide easy access to sex scenes or other erotic material to facilitate masturbation.

As well as the effect of loosening content restrictions, the key point here is that Japanese videogame regulation is fractured by platform multiplicity. Small publishers producing games such as dating sims, visual novels, and ‘nukige’ (masturbation games) cohere to self-regulate, and more serious sexual content is confined to the PC market, dominated by adult consumers.

Unlike nukige, visual novels that focus primarily on sexual interactions between characters, the focus of eroge is on the story, including more romantic or emotional relationships.