The Visual Novel Database

The Visual Novel Database

Homepage of the vndb in May 2023
Type of site	Database Internet forum Review aggregator
Available in	English
URL	vndb.org
Registration	Optional
Users	240,616 (as for December, 2023)[1]
Launched	September 2007
Current status	Active

The Visual Novel Database (rendered as vndb or VNDB) is an online database, wiki and Internet forum for visual novels. As of 2019, the VNDB had catalogued a total of 24,000 visual novels, and its forum had reached 14,300 users.^[2] According to Electronic Gaming Monthly, VNDB was responsible for helping bring visual novels to an international audience.^[3] The site's mascot is Lasty Farson from Angelic Serenade.

Features

Database

VNDB contains records on approximately 24,000 different visual novels and is updated by registered members of the site. The database records information on characters in these visual novels, as well as their developers, their publishers, and their translators, both professional and amateur. The site can be navigated via browsing categories, filtering by criteria such as language, and viewing random pages.

Forum

VNDB has a public forum where registered members can converse, with each specific visual novel having a discussion page, as well as a section of the site dedicated to general discussion.^[4]

Watch list

VNDB can be used as a personal watch list, allowing users to make a wishlist, whitelist, or blacklist, and to mark their progress in a game as finished, abandoned, in progress, etc.

Ratings and reviews

VNDB functions as a review aggregator. The database aggregates ratings given to games by users, and displays score statistics and averages.

Beginning on 31 August 2020, users are now able to write and submit reviews of visual novels, both "mini reviews" and full reviews.

Rating scale

Ratings on vndb

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Worst ever	Awful	Bad	Weak	So-so	Decent	Good	Very good	Excellent	Masterpiece

API

VNDB has a real-time public API for developers who want to interact with the database to, for example, retrieve information or automate tasks related to a personal watch list. The API uses the JSON format.^[5]

History

VNDB was created in September 2007 by yorhel (real name Yoran Heling).^[6] After completing Ever 17: The Out of Infinity, he noticed the absence of a community dedicated to visual novels, or a place to find more of them. yorhel created VNDB over the course of three weeks as a centralised place for people to find and discuss visual novels. One of the oldest games to be documented on the vndb was Lolita Yakyuuken, an eroge released in 1982 for the PC-88,^[7][8] which is also believed to be the first visual novel,^[9] however it was later deleted due to a lack of visual novel elements.^[10] Within a year, the vndb contained 1,000 visual novels.^[11]

References

1. "Browse users | VNDB".
2. Ciesla, Robert (2019). Game Development with Ren'Py: Introduction to Visual Novel Games Using Ren'Py, TyranoBuilder, and Twine. Apress. p. 326. ISBN 978-1484249192.
3. Newman, Ben (11 October 2019). ""Pour Your Heart Into It": How Indies Bring New Perspectives to Visual Novels". Electronic Gaming Monthly.
4. "Discussion board". vndb. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
5. "Public Database API". vndb. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
6. "Yorhel's Projects".
7. Davison, Pete (21 January 2021). "The History of Lewd: Lolita Yakyuuken". Rice Digital.
8. Therrien, Carl (2019). The Media Snatcher: PC/CORE/TURBO/ENGINE/GRAFX/16/CDROM2/SUPER/DUO/ARCADE/RX. MIT Press. p. 153. ISBN 978-0262042901.
9. "Eroge, Visual Novels, and Hentai: Your Guide to Adult Visual Novels". The Daily Dot. 2019-10-26. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
10. "Lolita: Yakyuuken". vndb.
11. "About us". vndb.