Why is violence such a big part of videogame culture?
What is “violence” in the first place?
What would be the benefits of opting out of violence in games?
I play videogames since I was 4 years old. The first game I remember was probably Frogger! I, of course played quite a bit of Tetris. But not quite so far after, I already played Tomb Raider.
Don’t get me wrong, I love all these games. Not because they feature violence, but because they are great games and I have fond memories about them. My point is, I was exposed to violence in video games for practically all my life…. Probably you were too?
I’ve played thousands of games…. And I have seen my fair share of violence in them. I cannot remember how many times, games used violence, just because they can. But a game that uses violence, not as mere means to an end, but for an actual purpose, is instantly recognizable.
Bioshock 1 and SpecOps: the Line (see the video thumbnail) are two prominent examples.
Those games were much more interesting in their portrail of violence. Other game, seem to always show the same. I got bored quickly.
But after studying philosophy and becoming a Game Designer, I started to wonder…. Was there maybe a hidden potential for super interesting video games, that use violence in different ways? Could you even make RPGs without violence? Or shooters? I was hooked….
So, I took this opportunity to make use of this weird mix of career choices and write a philosophical essay about the use of violence in videogames…. I mean.. the “not-use” ? Or… the use of violence, but different?
It was more tricky, than imagined. But, I came up with an interesting research thesis:
By designing non-violent game mechanics, we will achieve new and innovative ways of diverse representation of player pleasures.
Writing this essay, did not just quench my thirst for knowledge, it also allowed me to create my very own approach to (re)design games in a non violent way!
Struggle out of violence
This is a top-down approach, where we will reverse engineer typical design goals dynamics of genres. I call them struggles. If we change those struggles and apply the filter of non-violent game mechanics, we can from there derive mechanics, that align with the new non-violent design goals. In the same way, we will be able to change obstacles, that are used to reinforce those mechanics.
For example, if we shift the struggle from survival to freedom, the mechanical focus from aiming at moving AI targets to strategically placing tools, the obstacles from demons to puzzle rooms, and the metaphor from being humanity’s last hope to a lonely girl trying to escape, we wouldn’t just create another Doom—we’d end up with Portal. And yet, the core loop of moving and shooting remains the same.
With the tools and definitions provided we can make out the design decisions that make players use violence to overcome obstacles. This way we can think of new ways and provide fresh experiences.
Outline of a possible non-violent game design concept
Offering players new kinds of experience is a great game design challenge worthy of being explored in the future.
To read the full paper, click this link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U6VGBF8aGE8Z8siqBtztPfH622PGjtlglormV7xBU08/edit?usp=sharing
or here on my page