Recommend a non-violent videogame
- Thread starter loodmoney
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Non... violent... videogame?
wha? you- you mean like... like... Saw? or uh, Silent Hill? Manhunt?
wha? you- you mean like... like... Saw? or uh, Silent Hill? Manhunt?
They might be a bit dated, but if you can get a copy of either Gex: Enter the Gecko or Gex: Deep Cover Gecko for the PS1 then you surely win at life.
Didn't the Myst games receive the World Guiness Record as the least violent game of all time? No blood, no enemies, no deaths, no ways to die...
SpaceChem, World of Goo, Zuma and Peggle? Any sports simulation or management game. Space Rangers 2 (2D Elite-lite space trading game with quirky text adventures - can be played non-violently - well OK, not easily. I admit I only included it because I think it's hugely under-rated and I am a real Elite fan)
SpaceChem is a real revelation for me (thank you Steam Summer sale!). For my kind of puzzle-obsessed analytical mind - it is, without doubt, one of the most compelling, open-ended puzzle games with real arm-pumping completion satisfaction. Not for everyone I suspect - but for the money, well worth a look.
I wouldn't worry too much about the proportion of games that use violent conflict as the primary mechanism to instill dramatic tension. It's common in tabletop RPGs too - another /interactive/ pastime. Games, as a medium, have some interesting limitations, not shared by books, TV or film. Life-death struggles are compelling and deeply embedded in the human condition - which is why it is attractive and effective. Also easier to portray interactively than, for example, someone's inner struggle between love and loyalty in gritty inner Glasgow.
Also, would the ratio you saw in films, TV and books be any different if you only looked at those specifically aimed/marketed at a male audience aged 10-30?
SpaceChem is a real revelation for me (thank you Steam Summer sale!). For my kind of puzzle-obsessed analytical mind - it is, without doubt, one of the most compelling, open-ended puzzle games with real arm-pumping completion satisfaction. Not for everyone I suspect - but for the money, well worth a look.
I wouldn't worry too much about the proportion of games that use violent conflict as the primary mechanism to instill dramatic tension. It's common in tabletop RPGs too - another /interactive/ pastime. Games, as a medium, have some interesting limitations, not shared by books, TV or film. Life-death struggles are compelling and deeply embedded in the human condition - which is why it is attractive and effective. Also easier to portray interactively than, for example, someone's inner struggle between love and loyalty in gritty inner Glasgow.
Also, would the ratio you saw in films, TV and books be any different if you only looked at those specifically aimed/marketed at a male audience aged 10-30?
Well, there are lots of sports games, puzzles, racing games and economic simulations out there. Far more that I care to name here, at least. But even chronically violent genres such as FPS or strategy games have low-to-no-violence examples:
- There's Portal, but it's actually more of a puzzle game.
- In the SWAT series, you'll get royally chewed out for killing criminals without being directly threatened by them (and lose missions if you do it too often).
- Some grand strategy games like Europa Universalis or Victoria allow wars, but you'll avoid them most of the time (they are bad for business).
- Same goes for RTS games like Anno 1602 and its successors (1602 AD if you're American).
- The Thief series dis-encourage the use of violence in achieving your objectives (and outright ban it in some missions). Except for the second half of the first game, where you're up against Undead and other monsters.
- There's Portal, but it's actually more of a puzzle game.
- In the SWAT series, you'll get royally chewed out for killing criminals without being directly threatened by them (and lose missions if you do it too often).
- Some grand strategy games like Europa Universalis or Victoria allow wars, but you'll avoid them most of the time (they are bad for business).
- Same goes for RTS games like Anno 1602 and its successors (1602 AD if you're American).
- The Thief series dis-encourage the use of violence in achieving your objectives (and outright ban it in some missions). Except for the second half of the first game, where you're up against Undead and other monsters.
