In retrospect, this was quite obvious.

[softedisworl]

I've been playing Arcade Spirits recently as my second visual novel (my first was the good but nevertheless very straight guy orientated Starlight Shores, it took me a few minutes to realize Alec was not a romance option), and while it's been very nice, I've realized that my glacial pace and somewhat sporadic pick-up schedule in terms of playing it is probably because I already spend a lot of my time reading... books. Visual Novels are still definitely in the game category (I'm not taking Dear Esther but-is-it-really faffing about here), I experience them as games, I do not think of Arcade Spirits when I groan at my endless to-read list, I think of it when I groan at my endless to-play list, but nevertheless they are mostly reading! And making decisions, sometimes, in most visual novels (the ones without, so-described as kinetic, are arguably crossing into book territory - but they're still games).

Somehow this is different with Twine? I devour Twine a lot easily. Maybe it's because the Twine games I've played have all been short, and Arcade Spirits is a much bigger experience than Starlight Shores. Or maybe there is just something about Twine that groks me better.

And Parser 'fic... I struggle with that, but that's a whole different story.