The Super Patriotic Dating Simulator

About

The Super Patriotic Dating Simulator is a satirical dating simulation video game. Using the digital novel format, the game follows a female Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) agent, infiltrating the Islamic State and engaging in romantic relationships with its high-ranking members. The game is a comedy, and according to its creator, not intended to be intended as endorsement of ISIS, but rather to mock the terrorist group.

History

On July 24th, 2018, a Kickstarter ^[1] to fund The Super Patriotic Dating Simulator launched by the game's creator Karlee Esmailli. The Kickstarter features a description of the game as "The Super Patriotic Dating Simulator is a visual novel. We have the “novel” part written! The first draft is finished. We'll continue refining, expanding, and playtesting that draft until release. We're crowdfunding on Kickstarter to fund all of the other components to the game -- art, music, and development."

In an Artist Statement on the Kickstarter, she wrote:

"I love dating SIMs and visual novels. I love my family in Iran, my Persian nose, and middle eastern culture. I love being an American. I'm grateful to live in this country. Despite my love for these different components of my identity, I've felt a deep anxiety towards each of them. These mixed relationships of love and anxiety are the foundational components of The Super Patriotic Dating Simulator.

"Dating SIMs, as a genre, have strong roots in the expression of sexuality. Female characters in many dating SIMs are built as sexual objects for heterosexual male players. I wanted to contribute a grounded, accurate, female perspective to this genre typically dominated by the male gaze. The protagonist's story arc in the game centers around the questions that I asked myself as a young woman. Elodie, the main character, wonders: Why am I not orgasming from just penetration? How do I orgasm? Am I gay or straight? Does my virginity matter? Why didn't anyone tell me about this?

[…]

"Ultimately, my growth and understanding of my sexuality have been informed by my connection to middle eastern culture, American culture, and the conflicts I've experienced living between these two perspectives. The Super Patriotic Dating Simulator is an expression of my personal experience -- my anger, my pleasure, my identity -- seen through the lens of comedy."

Reception

Within 24 hours of the Kickstarter launch, the game raised $4,000 of its $42,000 goal from more than 200 backers. Several media outlets covered the launch of the Kickstarter, including Polygon,^[2] The Daily Dot, ^[3] The Next Web^[4] and more.

Search Interest

External References