Getting bored of all the killing

[Lumipon]

BOOM. Headshot. I splatter the brains of a policeman all over some unfortunate soul's window with a sniper rifle as Booker DeWitt. And I feel kind of sick. It's actually a new feeling for me. I was one of those twelve-year-olds who gleefully ran over hookers in GTA Vice City to loot their cash and laugh as they flew over the hood of my cheetah. Needless to say, my tastes have matured since then.

But I've never felt this kind of discomfort with game violence before. I'm currently playing through the Last of Us, and the close combat animations make me cringe. Smack a head against a concrete wall, stomp a guy's face until it's concave. And I find it grotesque, to be honest. And I'm really glad you can avoid combat if you're good enough at stealth.

But this is not what my post was going to be about. I want to talk about mechanics. As in: killing others as a game mechanic. It doesn't matter how is it third or first person, a shooter or an RPG, most mainstream titles (aside from sports and vehicle simulators), the main mechanic revolves around extinguishing life. Even, nay, especially those games who claim to be "story focused". Like the aforementioned Bioshock and the Uncharted series. It's just kind of sad when games like this reduce the player's agency to "The Guy who kills ALL the dudes!"

Now I know there are many titles who defy such a description: Heavy Rain or The Walking Dead (by Telltale), are in my opinion exceptional games for achieving maximum tension with a minimum of actual violence. And when violence is used, it's justified and evocative. Oh geez, I'm beginning to sound like some hipster hippie, am I?

So what I wanted to ask was: are there more people like me, who reveled in the blood and skulls when they were young but came to dislike it as they matured.

And, just how do you feel about violence in games? Do you feel like there could be a better set of mechanics to convey a story? Are there any non-violent games that hold a place in your heart?

 

[Anathrax]

To be honest, we need less "gritty" gore everywhere brains up your bum violence and more funny violence. Because let's face it, I'd rather kill an enemy using a farting pony unicorn rather than shoot them in the head with generic realistic pew pew object or rolfstomping someone into a wall.

Buuut, I'd rather have a stealth FPS where I can avoid everyone.(THIEF DOESN'T COUNT BECAUSE I CAN'T GET THE DAMNED THING TO WORK.) I'd rather have a game where I outsmart and manipulate the enemies using my funky booty wit.

 

[Soopy]

You have a point. But I think there is one problem, most games situate themselves around great conflict as a way of generating an immersive story. So violence is usually always going to be a part of it. The problem I have with violent games, particularly games like Battlefield and COD, is that it detracts from the reality of the situation. Very real scenario's that people live each day.

For instance, If I gut shot someone twice in Battlefield 3, they fall over dead... Well... It doesn't happen like that. Sure you incapacitate that person, but unfortunately they're usually not lucky enough to lose consciousness that fast. My point is, the violence we have in games is for lack of a better term "arcadey" and does a disservice to the reality of warefare and the victims of it.

Perhaps instead of glorifying the acts and playing down the consequences, a developer somewhere could make a game that very much depicts the reality of war. So it isn't so much violence, for the sake of violence.

 

[nevarran]

The gore is a cheep spectacle for teenagers and morons... ok, I'm exaggerating a little. I don't know, I've never cared about the violence. It's there, whatever.
That being said, I would love to see more games, where the violence is absent. Or at least optional, like a stealth game, where the best reward come when you beat the missions without being noticed, without shooting a single bullet.

Syberia is a prime example of an amazing game without any violence involved.

 

[The Madman]

I agree completely. Maybe when I was younger I loved shooting armies of featureless goons, but these days I'm getting pretty damned sick of it, that's why I take refuge in strategy games and rpg, sometimes adventure games as well when the mood strikes me. Shooters whether first person or third have just become so repetitive, and the mechanics have gone from knowingly outrageous like Serious Sam or Doom which made no pretense of being, well, serious, to games that desperately want to be taken seriously all while demanding we unthinkingly murder hundreds in the name of 'gameplay'.

Gameplay which itself has pretty much gone as far as it looks like it ever will. People complain about MMO's being repetitious, but shooters take it to a whole new level.

If I have to fight someone give me a game where it counts, where every conflict is meaningful and every encounter a genuine threat. Small personal battles where I'm not mowing down dozens for 200 bonus headshot points, but an intense and frightening affair that doesn't diminish life and death the way cheap shooter mechanics have.

 

[Tom_green_day]

Wasn't there a thread like this created exactly a week ago with exactly the same name?
OT: I don't mind it really. It makes for better gameplay than other stuff, and if I don't want to play a violent game... Well. I don't. There are plenty of games on both sides of the fence, and I am not compelled to play anything I don't want to play.

 

[DoPo]

MrBtongue did a great video about how violent mechanics are starting to encroach on otherwise good games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZM2jXyvGOc

Amen! I really like MrBtongue, he says what we all should be thinking. Here, I'll embed the video for easier viewing:


OT: So what I wanted to ask was: are there more people like me, who reveled in the blood and skulls when they were young but came to dislike it as they matured.

Yeah, I suppose I am starting to burn out on violence. Well, not as much as you, OP, but I really like seeing more "unconventional" conflict resolutions.

And, just how do you feel about violence in games?

More specifically, doesn't really bother me as much it's just getting boring. Oh, look, I killed a guy. Great. Next, please. Games have to try and impress me more than that.

Do you feel like there could be a better set of mechanics to convey a story?

See, something I've been thinking about - have alternative dispatch methods. You could intimidate the enemies into giving up, for example - why not? And it's not even that hard to implement - if you have a morale meter that functions like HP and chip it way with different actions you could employ a similar system to "killing" only instead your opponents are not dead or anything. But it depends on what the story is, of course - not every game would work with this. At any rate, there are different win/lose conditions that can be used and bashing people's heads in with a bat does not need to be one of them as often as it is now.

Are there any non-violent games that hold a place in your heart?

OK, not exactly "non-violent" but SWAT 4 - I very recently played it and it sure is great. It was after I started considering the intimidation mechanic and I was glad to see they actually had something sort of similar in place. Namely, you aren't there to kill people - the game thrusts you into a conflict situation and you're supposed to solve it with minimum casualties, even though (or probably because) you're a member of SWAT.

OK, if you haven't played SWAT games, here is how it works - you have a team of partners - you and 4 more people, and each scenario is a different situation, so they are mostly independent - one time you have a hostage situation, another time terrorists have rigged a building with explosives, then you may have to lead an assault against a drug lab, etc. You're sent there to bring order, not shoot up everybody. Indeed, shooting them reduces your score, unless very specific criteria are met (basically, if the enemies are planning to shoot you, though you have very little window to decide whether they plan on using the gun or not). You can customise your gear a lot but the lethal weapons/ammo better not see much exposure. You do have non-lethal alternatives, such as taser, pepper spray, flashbangs, etc which can incapacitate your enemies if they refuse to surrender. When they do surrender, you are supposed to cuff them or they may run away. Then there are also the civilians who you're also supposed to cuff for their own protection - them getting shot, regardless of whom, is also bad for your score. Firefights themselves are swift and brutal - one or two bullets can end a man or at least injure their limbs so they are hindered. This works against you, too - you and your team are just as vulnerable - marching in is a recipe for slaughter. You as a lone wolf aren't quite as effective, either. The game is about balancing tactics and using just enough violence (for even non-lethat options aren't peaceful) to win. Sometimes split second decisions of whether to shoot or not are important. And this is why I like the game, too.

 

[The_Scrivener]

The issue is that violence and action are largely intertwined. It is really difficult to have a game that makes you feel like there are stakes and that the plot is moving without it. The sum of those two qualities, for better or worse, is violence. And that's okay.

I'm thrilled that games exist outside of that realm however. A lot of my favorite games are fairly non-violent or at least, non-gory. Puzzle games can get by without violence, stealth-types, cartoon-y platformers and such--but I understand gaming's dependence on face punching and bullets. Sometimes it is just in the nature of a genre. But the gruesome violence-for-the-sake-of-violence intensity is really tired I agree.

BY THE FORMAT:

how do you feel about violence in games?

See above.

Do you feel like there could be a better set of mechanics to convey a story?

Yes. JRPGs have, for years, been very good about not letting violence detract from the heart of what's actually going on. They've sucked recently though so *shrug*.

Are there any non-violent games that hold a place in your heart?

Final Fantasy 7 is my favorite game and it is extremely tasteful. Journey and Portal are the two I most think of in terms of current gen non-violent excellence.

 

[skywolfblue]

And, just how do you feel about violence in games?

I'm ok with it, but it can get a little repetitive and unnecessary at times. I did find the Skyhook executions in Bioshock Infinite very out of character for someone who's on a redemption path and would rather avoid killing people if necessary, yet here he is doing really over the top gruesome executions.

It's also dull when combat becomes "Whack the mole er... terrorist" 5 million times over. There needs to be added depth, simply shooting people isn't enough.

Do you feel like there could be a better set of mechanics to convey a story?

Killing as a source of conflict is extremely effective. Whats missing is depth, you should be able to scare/persuade/manipulate people into surrendering and be able to spare them, each fight should play out differently, rather then exaggerate the gore, exaggerate the build up, the planning and preparation for a fight.

So few games offer the chance for enemies to surrender it's kinda sad.

But it is possible to make great and challenging games that don't have violence. (Portal)

Are there any non-violent games that hold a place in your heart?

Portal Portal Portal Portal!!

 

[wintercoat]

I don't mind violence all that much. Violent, non-violent. All the same to me. As long as it's entertaining, that's all that really matters to me.

As to non-violent games that hold a special place in my heart: Thomas Was Alone. I have never had so many feels for a group of rectangles before. The narrator does an amazing job at characterizing each of the characters.