Violence in Video Games

[Tyrant Within]

(First things first: Hi, I am new around here. Please be nice )

So lately I asked myself: Do we need all this violence in video games? Why are there only a handful of non-violent games that are not sports games (or The Sims)? As much as I like(d) games like Mass Effect; I find them less and less enjoyable. Cant they make games in which I dont have to kill/shoot/bludgeon/saw/beat/batter my way through enemy hordes?!

What do you think?

(Oh and yes, I just love XBLA )

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

Violence sells, its quite simple, though you are right there are alot of very good non violent games, the most money is made from ones with big guns and violenece. Its just the way things are really.

 

[Jedamethis]

People like Blood....

 

[goatzilla8463]

Welcome to The Escapist.

OT: I dunno. I love violent games and I can't really see video games without violence.

 

[C14N]

Try some indie games. They tend to not be violent but also original and fun. Also, the Wii has some good fairly non-violent action games like Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros (maybe Zelda at a stretch).

Simple fact is, people want violence in games because it makes their balls feel big, at least until you realize little 8 year old Billy next door is also allowed to play Left 4 Dead.

 

[Curtmiester]

Do we need violence anywhere?
Answer: Yessss!
And besides all those violent 8 year olds, what difference does it make?

 

[Woodsey]

Well the idea of a game is generally to do something you couldn't normally do... and most people's fantasies involve being a one man army or whatever.

Don't buy games with violence in if you don't like it. If you don't find them enjoyable anyway, then you're not missing out if you just buy less games.

 

[Proteus214]

Human beings are carnivores. All carnivores have a natural instinct to kill things. Video games are a great outlet for those kinds of things.

 

[Tyrant Within]

Im not really talking about "gore games" like Left4Dead. I mean even Metroid has so much violence in it. And even though no body ever said Assassins Creed is an evil game, I would like to say that I stopped playing it because I had to kill a guy every five minutes. Dont you think it takes away our ability to decide what is right and what is wrong? I mean step by step and only a little but still...

 

[David_G]

Well, violence is important in some games, I mean could you imagine playing GTA without violence. I enjoy violence as long as it's important to the plot, or adds to the gameplay.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

[hr]Welcome to the Escapist![hr]

Anyway, violence is something that is very commercially viable. We certainly don't need all this violence in games, while it's fun, it makes the thrills somewhat cheap at times. However it may always be a dominant part of the industry. You'll always get games without violence, but they won't be big budget blockbusters.

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

I actually get annoyed with games that lack a proper bodycount. Just a difference in tastes, honestly. Try something like Peggle, apparently there is a whole genre tailored to faffing about. Hell, Facebook has a Farmtown game where you basically network and grow crops, over and over and over...

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Video games are an escapist form of media, and killing isn't acceptable unless your a world leader and your merely telling people to do it. Pun intended

 

[Baron Von Evil Satan]

Human beings are carnivores. All carnivores have a natural instinct to kill things. Video games are a great outlet for those kinds of things.

I agree. It's kind of like curse words. As Lewis Black said: We use them as an outlet to express rage, frustration, anger, and to keep ourselves from beating in someone's head with a police baton.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

My God they'd be so boring. I don't just go for violence, but it's always a part of the excellent games.

And The Sims does have violence in, and even more exciting ways to torture and abuse your Sims.

 

[C14N]

Im not really talking about "gore games" like Left4Dead. I mean even Metroid has so much violence in it. And even though no body ever said Assassins Creed is an evil game, I would like to say that I stopped playing it because I had to kill a guy every five minutes. Dont you think it takes away our ability to decide what is right and what is wrong? I mean step by step and only a little but still...

Well some games give you choice whether to kill or not. Although atmittedly, almost all of these will have you killing plenty of people anyway.

But even look at the movie industry. What wins/gets nominated for best movie every year? It's always something relatively violent. Slumdog Millionaire, No Country For Old Men, The Departed etc. even though every year Pixar chuck out a perfectly good movie that will get similar acclaim from critics.

Most people just like violence and having stuff that kids can't (why the heck is alcohol so popular, even with people who never get drunk?).