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Why So Few Violent Games?

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Re: Why So Few Violent Games?

#11

Post by cwyers »

hcarvalhoalves wrote: post #4
jheriko wrote: post #3

i don't get the point - but entertaining read. i don't think we have violent games dominating for some random fluke of what was made first and what the creators wanted. its just supply and demand. although this is also why other, much more popular, casual games have completely eclipsed the 'core gamer' focused 'AAA' industry with their reach and money making power... now that computing has become ubiquitous demand is…

I'm sure the author is being sarcastic.

I'm sure it's sarcasm. I just have a hard time understanding what the point it's trying to make is.

Re: Why So Few Violent Games?

#12

Post by [deleted] »

EpicEng wrote: post #9
mark_l_watson wrote: post #5

When I worked at Angel Studios about 15 years ago (doing projects for Nintendo and Disney), one of the many things that I liked about the company was a conscious decision by the four owners of the company to not create violent content. They were a class act. Not too far off topic: my brother and my grandson absolutely love violent games. I don't understand the appeal. What I do like are driving games and strategy gam…

Angel Studios released Resident Evil 2 in 1999. Non-violent you say?

[deleted]

Re: Why So Few Violent Games?

#15

Post by cyounkins »

darkFunction wrote: post #8
mark_l_watson wrote: post #5

When I worked at Angel Studios about 15 years ago (doing projects for Nintendo and Disney), one of the many things that I liked about the company was a conscious decision by the four owners of the company to not create violent content. They were a class act. Not too far off topic: my brother and my grandson absolutely love violent games. I don't understand the appeal. What I do like are driving games and strategy gam…

The appeal is in infinite possibilities, sport and teamwork. Single player games don't appeal to me as an adult, the outcome is scripted and the characters are hollow for the most part. It's entirely passive and a film or book gets to the point quicker for me. Violent multiplayers though- Counter Strike or Battlefield- give rise to fluid, human, tense stories. Stories in the context of violence sure, but real and non…

Please describe the story of Counter Strike, because I've logged hundreds of hours on the game and have no idea what you're talking about.

Re: Why So Few Violent Games?

#16

Post by mark_l_watson »

darkFunction wrote: post #8
mark_l_watson wrote: post #5

When I worked at Angel Studios about 15 years ago (doing projects for Nintendo and Disney), one of the many things that I liked about the company was a conscious decision by the four owners of the company to not create violent content. They were a class act. Not too far off topic: my brother and my grandson absolutely love violent games. I don't understand the appeal. What I do like are driving games and strategy gam…

The appeal is in infinite possibilities, sport and teamwork. Single player games don't appeal to me as an adult, the outcome is scripted and the characters are hollow for the most part. It's entirely passive and a film or book gets to the point quicker for me. Violent multiplayers though- Counter Strike or Battlefield- give rise to fluid, human, tense stories. Stories in the context of violence sure, but real and non…

OK, thanks, that makes sense. That said, I worked on some prototypes of multi-player racing games and "dicing" with friends around a racetrack has a bit of the appeal you mentioned.

I do watch a few fairly violent movies a year, it is just the violent games that I don't enjoy.

Re: Why So Few Violent Games?

#17

Post by loup-vaillant »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #5

When I worked at Angel Studios about 15 years ago (doing projects for Nintendo and Disney), one of the many things that I liked about the company was a conscious decision by the four owners of the company to not create violent content. They were a class act. Not too far off topic: my brother and my grandson absolutely love violent games. I don't understand the appeal. What I do like are driving games and strategy gam…

Interestingly, even extremely graphically violent games on the surface can be felt as non-violent in a competitive setting. I recall this "playing to win" essay, talking about Street Fighter. (If characters punching each other to unconsciousness is not violent, I don't know what is.)

In fighting games, competitive players tend to concentrate on the structure behind punches and suffering. They see a game of anticipation, dexterity, and timing. They talk about hit boxes, priorities, frame advantage… Those players would probably enjoy an abstract version of those fighting games.

Hmm… we could even test that: could we make a game that have a similar structure to Mortal Kombat, only it doesn't even look like 2 characters punching each other to death?

Re: Why So Few Violent Games?

#18

Post by hcarvalhoalves »

EpicEng wrote: post #9
mark_l_watson wrote: post #5

When I worked at Angel Studios about 15 years ago (doing projects for Nintendo and Disney), one of the many things that I liked about the company was a conscious decision by the four owners of the company to not create violent content. They were a class act. Not too far off topic: my brother and my grandson absolutely love violent games. I don't understand the appeal. What I do like are driving games and strategy gam…

Angel Studios released Resident Evil 2 in 1999. Non-violent you say?

IMHO, I don't think violence is the main point of Resident Evil, it's more about the horror/suspense.

A bit different than mindless violence as in e.g., GTA, Call of Duty, Battlefield, etc.

Re: Why So Few Violent Games?

#19

Post by emsy »

The author is sarcastic, but actually quite right. We don't have many games that actually explore violence, give it a deeper meaning or use it as a rhetorical device (like GTA V did superficially with the torture scene). There are many games with a violent shell, but it's actually about scoring points. Killing an enemy in an FPS gives me the same kind of satisfaction as solving lines in Tetris. The last time I played a violent game for its violence was as a teenager.
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