Why Is Monster Hunter Wilds Tagged as a Dating Sim?

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Summary

  • Monster Hunter Wilds is not a dating sim, contrary to its Steam tag and user humor.
  • Steam tags are a folksonomy, user-generated, and can be upvoted for more visibility.
  • Gemma’s brief appearance sparked fan humor tagging Monster Hunter Wilds as a dating sim.

2025’s Monster Hunter Wilds is one of the most eagerly awaited games, even though the year boasts numerous other big releases. Following Monster Hunter Rise, it’s essentially a successor to the 2018 blockbuster that catapulted the franchise into popularity, Monster Hunter: World. Essentially, Monster Hunter Wilds is an action-RPG that evolves on the base created by Monster Hunter: World, offering a seamless open world and vivid ecosystems, as well as new features such as the Seikret mount and a Focus mode to enhance targeted attacks. Although it’s undeniably an action RPG and a Monster Hunter game in every sense, Monster Hunter Wilds has been labeled as a dating sim on Steam.

Simply put, Monster Hunter Wilds isn’t a dating simulation game, and none of the previous Monster Hunter titles have ever been classified as such. A dating sim, short for dating simulation, primarily centers around developing romantic relationships between the player character and potential love interests. This is quite different from what the Monster Hunter series has always been about. Given that the name of the game is Monster Hunter, not “Love Matchmaker,” it’s clear that this misrepresentation is unlikely to change. So, one might wonder why Monster Hunter Wilds is tagged as a dating sim on Steam?

Monster Hunter Wilds’ Dating Sim Story

Steam Tags Are a Folksonomy

Steam labels offer great assistance when searching for particular genres or gameplay styles, given the complexity and variety in today’s games. The reason this system remains useful is clear. Essentially, Steam tags function as a user-defined system for categorizing and organizing content online, often into distinct categories. This implies that users can access Steam at any time, browse to the tag section, and then add their own unique label to a game.

It’s important to clarify that Monster Hunter Wilds, just like all previous Monster Hunter games, are not dating simulations.

As far as tags comply with Steam’s community standards, they can potentially gather upvotes from other users if they find them relevant. Approved tags will persist, but may not necessarily appear more noticeable on the Steam store page unless they receive additional votes. Therefore, it’s recommended for Steam users to add tags that accurately reflect a video game or assist in locating specific games on the platform. In this context, “Monster Hunter Wilds” has been playfully labeled by users as a dating sim.

Why Users Tagged Monster Hunter Wilds as a Dating Sim

The romantic tale within Monster Hunter Wilds dates back to June 2024, following the unveiling of one of its gameplay trailers during a PlayStation State of Play event. This initial glimpse introduced us to Gemma, the blacksmith character from Monster Hunter Wilds. In just about 12 seconds, Gemma stole the show in this trailer, leaving fans enamored. Within a week’s time, Monster Hunter Wilds was labeled as a dating sim on Steam, as fans expressed their playful infatuation with Gemma on various social media platforms.

Users of Steam who haven’t grasped its tag system might find themselves taken aback when Monster Hunter World launches in February, as it bears no resemblance to a dating sim. While the joke about it being a dating sim is widely recognized by now, it does highlight the playful spirit of the Steam community and possibly hint at how many hours some players of Monster Hunter World may spend observing Gemma create their weapons and armor.

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2025-01-08 20:53