Stories about erotic games

[KennyWright]

Hello,

I'm writing a blog post about erotic game stories (strip poker, truth or dare, etc) on my site (kennywriter.com), and was talking to a friend who suggested I collect some ideas here.

For me, the erotic game story is one of the staples of erotica. It's a fantastic, and relatively straight forward way of stripping inhibitions (as well as clothes) and building toward a sexy climax. There's room to develop characters if you'd like, to show marginal growth as the game pushes more reserved characters from their shells, and is basically a built in, almost formulaic plot.

As a writer, of course, these are a challenge to craft since there's a lot to keep track of. Not only the characters, but the mechanics of the game itself. And then there's pacing and balance, etc. But if done well, the reader shouldn't even know about all those concerns.

Agree? disagree? What do YOU all think of them? As a male writer and reader, I can only speak from a male perspective. Is the erotic game story really a core subgenre of erotica? Or does it have more appeal to a male audience? Any other thoughts about these stories? Have any you enjoy in particular?

Thanks for any thoughts!
KW

 

[NaokoSmith]

Hey, Kenny, good to see you here!

It's probably not quite what you mean, but I did use a game in my werewolf story (the one that got a load of one star reviews saying it's totally disgusting and depraved so the download figures have gone through the roof LOL). I used spin-the-bottle for a bit of fun and to get the nice girl character to reveal her secret naughty side.

 

[PennLady]

Ages ago, in the early days of the internet, there was a game called "Inter-sex-ions." It played like a board game, in that you rolled a (virtual) dice and went around a board. The squares on the board had different tasks, such as kissing, french kissing, etc. You could up the ante on that in a story.

 

[MatthewVett]

I like the idea of sexual games. There's a quote from this book Hardship Postings that describes one I'd love to try:

"It was Hong Kong, late eighties. A venerable lunch group met once a month for a bit of fine wining and dining, and getting up to mischief, in a swanky establishment. Part of this was to have a girl on duty beneath the table. She would move around and administer anonymous oral gratification at random. The game was that at any stage, if the gents suspected one of them was on the receiving end at that particular moment, they had to point at that person and say "J'accuse." The accused would then have to immediately stand, revealing a state of full dress, or, if unlucky, an undone fly and a standing member."

One much less risque that we used to play at summer camp was "Sharing with [Boss's Name]." You passed around a bowl and everyone put a question or multiple questions in. Then you'd pass it around, people would pick one out, answer it, and pick a second person who also had to answer. Then they'd pass the bowl to the next person. In practice, like, 90% of the questions ended up being sexual, and it was pretty fun and a good way to break down boundaries.

 

[KennyWright]

Ages ago, in the early days of the internet, there was a game called "Inter-sex-ions." It played like a board game, in that you rolled a (virtual) dice and went around a board. The squares on the board had different tasks, such as kissing, french kissing, etc. You could up the ante on that in a story.

I never played that, but read a hilarious review of it a while back. Apparently the dares ramped up exponentially. So it went from kissing, to groping, to rimjobs. lol

It's actually patterned after a monopoly board, and when I looked into it, I was going to write a story about a naughty game of monopoly. But figuring out the mechanics got a little daunting and I moved on.

 

[KennyWright]

One much less risque that we used to play at summer camp was "Sharing with [Boss's Name]." You passed around a bowl and everyone put a question or multiple questions in. Then you'd pass it around, people would pick one out, answer it, and pick a second person who also had to answer. Then they'd pass the bowl to the next person. In practice, like, 90% of the questions ended up being sexual, and it was pretty fun and a good way to break down boundaries.

I like this idea. It's a twist on "never have I ever." Definitely worth looking into. Thanks for sharing! As for the other, that's a hot concept. Was the book/story any good?

 

[KennyWright]

Hey, Kenny, good to see you here!

It's probably not quite what you mean, but I did use a game in my werewolf story (the one that got a load of one star reviews saying it's totally disgusting and depraved so the download figures have gone through the roof LOL). I used spin-the-bottle for a bit of fun and to get the nice girl character to reveal her secret naughty side.

Hey, Naoko!

 

[NaokoSmith]

Hey, Naoko!

Hey Kenny! Cupcakes in the Naked Party lounge if you'd like one. At the moment TE999 and the Dragon are drinking coffee and scotch in there.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I know of several seriously raunchy card game stories that women have written. But not that many, considering...

 

[NekoParks]

Years ago I read a story about a group of college students playing naked Twister-- actually, I think that's the name of the story. It's a GM story because the main character realizes he's attracted to his male friend.

 

[BONNIEBREA]

My writing is probably, strictly speaking, outside the context of what you're asking. But I thought I'd address the question anyway.

I have a series of seven stories called Taking Chances. The continuing premise that draws the stories together is that of a female character making a wager/bet, and the result of that bet, win or lose, having a significant impact on the trajectory of her life and relationships.

All of the stories have in them at least one, and usually more than one, of these wagers. But the point of the stories is not the game or wager. That aspect of the stories simply seemed to me as a writer to be an interesting device to place characters into jeopardy, both personally and within the context of her relationships.

Some of the wagers are made impulsively, others with careful consideration. Some are made for sound reasons and some for unsound reasons.

Using female lead characters struck me as the way to go simply for being counter-intuitive. It is much easier for one to imagine a male character getting involved in that sort of situation. But part of the challenge in writing the stories is developing and shaping the female lead in such a way as to make her participation/risk-taking seem either organic to the character or a logical extension of who she is: an impulse that comes from an interior place she's never visited before.

But the stories are not 'about' the bet, and I see stories from time to time focused on some particular game/bet in which the game/bet and its immediate aftermath IS the story. I've always found those stories wanting - since I as the reader have no background to judge how realistic is the idea of these particular characters participating, and the stories seldom give a nod to the real world. In my stories the characters have to deal with the real world consequences, some of them very negative, of engaging in these activities. In some cases the characters discover something about themselves through the experience. That realism is what I enjoy about writing the stories, and what many readers have told me they most appreciate about the stories.

The first story in the series, Ellen's Bet, is available here at Literotica. The later six are available at smashwords.

 

[MSTarot]

Came up with this story one night. I can not say how much fun the game would be but I hope it may give you some ideas

http://www.literotica.com/s/confessions-16

Tarot

 

[KennyWright]

@BONNIEBREA
I'll check that series out, thanks for sharing.

Re: "But the stories are not 'about' the bet, and I see stories from time to time focused on some particular game/bet in which the game/bet and its immediate aftermath IS the story." I think that you can have a good story in just the confines of the bet or game that happens. It's a bit more challenging to squeeze character development in (particularly when you've got multiple characters to cover), but it's definitely doable. I say this because my latest, All In, took place over just the night in question, but I feel like we get to know the characters pretty well, as well as how they grow (addressing the quote below).

"In some cases the characters discover something about themselves through the experience. That realism is what I enjoy about writing the stories, and what many readers have told me they most appreciate about the stories." I'm totally on board with this, too, and it doesn't just go for "erotic game stories." Watching a character grow and learn something new about themselves is what good erotica is all about. Thanks for sharing!

@MSTarot
Will check that out! Thanks.

 

[MatthewVett]

I like this idea. It's a twist on "never have I ever." Definitely worth looking into. Thanks for sharing! As for the other, that's a hot concept. Was the book/story any good?

The book was pretty hilarious. It's just stories from expats in Asia. So lots of stories of misunderstandings and cultural differences, and a few sexy ideas. There was another anecdote, about how, at a party, the men were bet by the women that the five of them didn't have three feet of cock between them. The men took the dare, and the losers had to serve the winners naked the rest of the night, but the men were measured by a woman who wasn't their own. It was a short little snippet, but I liked the idea so much I turned it into a story:

http://www.literotica.com/s/three-feet-of-cock

It's a series, so I need to check out the next one. I'm sure there are even more interesting story ideas in there. Here's the first one, if you want to check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Hardship-Posting-Tales-Misadventures-Volume/dp/0957870906

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

One of my most popular stories, The Perfect Game was about a guy creating an erotic game and playtesting it. Got nearly a 1,000,000 views, was top ranked in the category for nearly a year back in 2006-2007 and I've had literally hundreds of requests for me to publish the game, or at least make copies of the materials that can be emailed of downloaded.

Strip Chess by Delta (I think) on a.s.s.t.r was one of the first online stories I read, and still ranks as one of the best. I think she's made it into a book now.

 

[KennyWright]

One of my most popular stories, The Perfect Game was about a guy creating an erotic game and playtesting it. Got nearly a 1,000,000 views, was top ranked in the category for nearly a year back in 2006-2007 and I've had literally hundreds of requests for me to publish the game, or at least make copies of the materials that can be emailed of downloaded.

Strip Chess by Delta (I think) on a.s.s.t.r was one of the first online stories I read, and still ranks as one of the best. I think she's made it into a book now.

I'm a big fan of The Perfect Game. I was hoping you'd pick it up and continue that series.

Like you, one of the first erotic stories that resonated with me had to do with some cards, I think, and some half-strangers playing at a party. It was written in second person, which would be almost a deal-breaker for me these days, but hey, back then, there wasn't as great a resource as the Internet like now.

 

[litfan10]

I remember a real cool story from about ten years ago by Wonderstorm - "Pong"

I've dabbled with strip poker and strip darts and strip poker/spin the bottle

I really like the playful tone games bring into the mix, and as you pointed out Kenny, it does set up a nice excuse for the clothes to come off and everybody to get all hot and bothered.

I would love to hear about more stories with a game context to them. I definitely am going to check out "The Perfect Game."

 

[TxRad]

I remember a real cool story from about ten years ago by Wonderstorm - "Pong"

I've dabbled with strip poker and strip darts and strip poker/spin the bottle

I really like the playful tone games bring into the mix, and as you pointed out Kenny, it does set up a nice excuse for the clothes to come off and everybody to get all hot and bothered.

I would love to hear about more stories with a game context to them. I definitely am going to check out "The Perfect Game."

Thanks for reminding me.

Strip Darts

 

[litfan10]

Thanks for reminding me.

Strip Darts

Cool! Another story to read!

Thanks Tx!

 

[soflabbwlvr]

One of my favorite stories on Lit. is a kinky twist on one of the oldest board games in the world. Chess Game, by urbanslut, starts slow but builds to a sizzling conclusion.

The Christmas Retreat, by Flynn77, centers around a truth-or-dare kind of game, with a major emphasis on the dares.

If you're interested in games that require a some athleticism, you could take a look at two of mine, Desperate Measures: The Baller, and Trophy Wife (link in sig.).

 

[BONNIEBREA]

@BONNIEBREA
I'll check that series out, thanks for sharing.

Re: "But the stories are not 'about' the bet, and I see stories from time to time focused on some particular game/bet in which the game/bet and its immediate aftermath IS the story." I think that you can have a good story in just the confines of the bet or game that happens. It's a bit more challenging to squeeze character development in (particularly when you've got multiple characters to cover), but it's definitely doable. I say this because my latest, All In, took place over just the night in question, but I feel like we get to know the characters pretty well, as well as how they grow (addressing the quote below).

"In some cases the characters discover something about themselves through the experience. That realism is what I enjoy about writing the stories, and what many readers have told me they most appreciate about the stories." I'm totally on board with this, too, and it doesn't just go for "erotic game stories." Watching a character grow and learn something new about themselves is what good erotica is all about. Thanks for sharing!

@MSTarot
Will check that out! Thanks.

I should have mentioned that the stories at smashwords are under another writing name: BEThalia (and you'll need to deactivate the adult filter).

I think you're right about it being possible to write an entirely enjoyable story that focuses solely on a single event (game/bet), but for me as both a writer and reader something that limited is seldom enough. And I don't know that it's especially necessary for telling a story of that limited scope.

It's like the first story in the series that I have here at Lit., Ellen's Bet: the story covers a single night - the bet and the aftermath. But I use the story to begin to develop who Ellen is, the relationship she puts in jeopardy by her foolish and impulsive action, and her place in the larger context of the story that plays out over the next six stories. [BTW - the stories are a longish short story in length (#2), novellas (1, 3, 4, 5), a short novel (#6) and a long novel (140k words, #7)]. The second story is the same way - a single event and its aftermath (it's the expansion of a story one of the other characters in Ellen's Bet tells in brief fashion in #1). I tend to like the first two stories less, as the others get into more developed and interesting territory in terms of plot and character.

And I also think the character developing is important. But I find rooting the stories in the real world is important also. I get impatient with erotica stories in which all sorts of things happen, but you end up saying to yourself (as a reader) 'Gee, wouldn't that lead to this person...(whatever: contracting an STD, getting arrested, being arrested for a crime, etc.)' That's not to say there isn't a place for writing that's entirely in the erotic fantasy genre. But as a reader I feel more comfortable with an erotic fantasy story that deals with fantasy characters (vampires, elves) to make the divorce from the real world complete. When a writer starts dealing with real people then as a reader I expect the story to place them in the real world.

Anyway, nice chatting with you. If you go to have a look at the stories I hope you find them enjoyable.

BB/BEThalia

 

[jehoram]

Hello,

I'm writing a blog post about erotic game stories (strip poker, truth or dare, etc) on my site (kennywriter.com), and was talking to a friend who suggested I collect some ideas here.

<snip>

What do YOU all think of them? As a male writer and reader, I can only speak from a male perspective. Is the erotic game story really a core subgenre of erotica? Or does it have more appeal to a male audience? Any other thoughts about these stories? Have any you enjoy in particular?

Thanks for any thoughts!
KW

I've written a whole series of erotic game stories, called the "Ladies Club." In that series, the games are all organized by the women, and the men are along for the ride. For me, that's an important component, since the women are being challenged by each other and not the men.

As a male, I wrote them for my own entertainment, and AFAIK the comments are all by men. So I have no insight into whether the concept turns women on, too. As for character development, I've focused on four main characters, but there are other regular ones as well, and I may develop those as well.

I love the concept of people exploring their sexuality through games, but most of the truth-or-dare stories don't do it for me.

The series can be found at:

http://search.literotica.com/search...sort=relevancy&sort_order=desc&author=Jehoram

 

[BONNIEBREA]

I love the concept of people exploring their sexuality through games, but most of the truth-or-dare stories don't do it for me.

Yeah. I just had to comment on that. My stories aside, I have had occasion over the years to participate in wagers in which the payoff involved nudity, sex, or both. I've won some and lost some. (And none of the stories I've written are autobiographical in any way - they're entirely fiction.) But, like you, I find the dare thing mostly incomprehensible (and find stories about it uninteresting).

I can understand (at least a little better) the truth or dare concept: every player has to tell a truth or complete a dare in their turn. Although with truth the idea is honesty, everyone is on the honor system, really. If a straight male player chooses truth and is asked if he's ever sucked a cock or taken a stiff one up the ass, he might honor his obligation to the premise of the game and answer yes or no honestly. But if he's had that experience and would just rather that people not know about it then he can just lie, and who is going to know otherwise? The premise of the game places on a player who chooses dare the obligation to complete the dare. But a player can simply avoid the situation by never choosing dare.

But outside that truth or dare game idea, the concept of someone saying to another, "Well, I dare you to....." and having that person go about whatever they've been dared to do just makes no sense at all to me. I mean, why?

That's the center of the game or bet concept: each person in the bet has obligated themselves, based on the outcome of whatever is at issue, to do something specific (and unspecified payoffs - like "You'll have to do whatever I say." - don't make sense to me either. Anyone with anything other than rocks in their heads will understand the need to make the loser's payoff specific). Each person can either win or lose, and that tension - between the desire to win and the fear of losing - is what really makes the situation interesting.

Don't get me started on wagering money. I can't imagine anything easier for the loser of a bet than having to go in their wallet and cough up a few bucks. Completely for weenies.

 

[TGirlNerd]

My girlfriend and I once played an extremely fun and impromptu game of "Strip Dreidel"

For those of you who don't know, "dreidel" is a traditional Jewish game associated with the holiday of Chanukah, it involves spinning a 4-sided top and depending on which side it lands on, there are different consequences.

(description of the game)

Since it's usually a family game, the consequences usually involve betting pennies, pieces of chocolate or walnuts. Well, she and I had the house to ourselves and she had never heard of dreidel before, so after I showed her how to play a few rounds using pieces of chocolate as betting tokens, we upped the ante and changed the rules thusly:

Take turns rolling the driedel:
nun (side 1) = Nothing happens

gimmel (side 2) = You instruct the other player to start stroking or petting your body in some small way -- they have to keep this up until they are given a new instruction that makes it impossible to continue.

hey (side 3) = You get to ask the person any question about their sexual past -- they are required to answer.

shin (side 4) = The other player gets to instruct YOU to touch them as if they had rolled a gimmel.

The game ended when we got too horny to keep playing and just started fucking instead


I couldn't picture agreeing to play something like this with someone I wasn't already sexually active with, but it did provide for an enormously entertaining time as we both tried to embarrass each other with questions and get each other too worked up to spin the dreidel right

I think that a game serving as a premise for two people beginning a sexual relationship usually seems contrived -- but if it's two people who already have a relationship, a game can be a great excuse for a fun and sexy time!

 

[KennyWright]

Some really great comments here (and my to-read list is quickly filling up, which is an added bonus).

Bonniebrea, I think that motivation is important in writing a realistic story, and motivation is one of the things that can easily be dismissed when writing this kind of structured, device driven story. It's so easy just to let the rules of the game dictate the flow of the story, and that, as you say, just leaves the reader scratching their heads in the end. But it's not a challenge that's impossible to overcome, and it can be kind of fun to write how these characters react to sometimes outlandish situations.

Litfan, another story I'd recommend is one by Greygoose, called, "We're all friends here, right?" (http://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=379299&page=submissions) It's been years since I've read it, but like the Txtalltales one, it resonated with me. And I'd be remiss to put a plug for my latest book, All In (http://www.kennywriter.com/books/all-in-strip-poker-done-right/), although it's not free.

I'll post a link to the blog entry when I can carve out some time to actually write it. Thanks for the fuel though, guys!