With a plethora of gaming titles which puts a sword, gun or flaming machete in your hands, TPG wants to know about your favorite non-violent games. To get the ball rolling, here is what a few of the gentlemen at TPG had to say about the topic.
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This is a pretty hard question to answer because when I think about it, I guess all my “favorite” games involve punching people in the face…or shooting them in the face…or telling one group of people to shoot/punch/stab another group of people. My answer to the question depends on how specific you want to get with your definition of violence in games. Not to go off on one of those pseudo-intellectual rants or anything, but different people have different standards. If you were going to be super specific about what constitutes a violent game, I could swing by with strategy games like Civilization. If not, I’d gravitate towards those interactive fiction/storytelling type games. I’ve always enjoyed those, but it’s hard to pick a favorite since I tend to just play through them once and that’s it. Yeah, I know I could just play a game once and have an amazing experience and still be able to count that game as an all time favorite, but my crappy stupid brain just can’t think that way!
Anyway, I really enjoyed Gone Home this year, and I’m a big fan of Christine Love’s games like Analog: A Hate Story or Digital: A Love Story. I would hold those up as recent favorites, but I think anything that plays around with game mechanics as a way of telling a really interesting story is a worthwhile experience. I’m really looking forward to seeing more of these types of games in the future.
Armaan Khan – Content Provider
It’s hard for me to pick a single non-violent game as my favorite, simply because there are lots of options available. This year alone, I’ve had a fun time (and reviewed most) with Bollywood Wannabe, Love Hotel, Bionic Heart 2, Proteus, Papers Please, InFlux, Toki Tori 2+, Bit.Trip Runner 2, Reef Shot, Waking Mars and Monster Loves You. Some of those offer more longevity than others, but they are all worth your time and money if you’re looking for an alternative to shooting men in the face.
My go-to non-violent game, the one I keep coming back to when there’s nothing new to catch my fancy, is The Sims 3. I’m a huge, huge fan of social simulations, and The Sims 3 is the best there is, because it offers an unparalleled depth of roleplaying options. Granted, accessing much of that depth requires the purchase of an endless stream of over-priced expansion packs but, it’s worth the money for one of the most unique franchises around. I don’t use the word ‘unique’ lightly—there is literally no other game like it on PC. At least, there’s none like it any more. A few developers tried to replicate The Sims’s formula several years ago, but none of those really took off, and now it seems the world is content to let EA have exclusive control of the genre. That’s a shame, because as much as I love The Sims, it does have many flaws. I’d love to see an intrepid (indie) developer step up and improve on the genre.
David Queener – Content Provider
Defiance is always intriguing to the gamer, and nothing quite says it like pacifism in a first person shooter. Black Ops 2 is probably the most friendly release when it comes to non-violence in the multiplayer. You can opt to completely forego a gun, though I would replace one with a Riot Shield which will let you protect your teammates, and keep you alive longer. Smoke grenades conceal movement without hurting the enemy, EMP grenades destroy electronic equipment to prevent anyone from stumbling into a claymore, and BlackHat PDAs can take down UAV drones without the brazen lack of nuance seen in a missile. The Trophy System is a throwable device which will mount on surfaces and shoot projectiles out of the air, keeping everyone nearby safe. With two of these and your Riot Shield held firm, you can rest confident in the safety of your teammates, and the disarming of your opponent’s pesky munitions. When duty calls, you don’t have to answer with a loaded gun. You will probably still die a lot though. A lot.
The only thing better than destruction is construction. If I’m not head-shotting the grey matter out of my enemies, I want the ability to create something that reflects the amount of effort I put into it. That’s why for me, Cities XL (closely followed by Sim City 4) is my favourite non-violent PC game. While I do enjoy The Sims, after a while it stops being fun and becomes micromanaging a miniature version of yourself. It’s essentially babysitting. Cities XL is the opposite. Yes, you might still be micromanaging, but you’re micromanaging a city. You are mega-micromanaging. (I’m totally making that a thing.) I’d also like to give an honourable mention to Unmechanical, a gorgeous little puzzle game about a robot. You should definitely check it out.
When I was a kid, I always wondered what being in space would be like. I never thought about how to get there, though. I just figured you’d strap yourself onto a rocket and fly straight to the moon. Then I bought Kerbal Space Program. One of the hardest parts in the game is figuring out how to get off the ground. If you pack too much, it might be a bit too heavy. If you pack too light, does it carry enough to do its job? Of course, one way to fix that is to add more rocket engines and fuel tanks, but that usually adds on more weight. I love the how important spacecraft design is in Kerbal Space Program. The challenge of creating a working spaceship and getting it to the Mun is rewarding and satisfying. Now, if I could only get past the Mun…
Adam Ames – Owner/Editor-In-Chief
Marvin’s Mittens is a peaceful platformer accompanied by tight controls and beautiful visuals. Based on past experiences of the development team growing up in Canada, Marvin’s Mittens sees the player collecting magical snowflakes, helping elves and sketching wild animals. No killing. No pseudo-violence. Just looking at the snowy wilderness through the eyes of a little boy on a mission to find his lost mitten.
There is also the matter of sports games which have become almost extinct on the PC. However, if you are lucky enough to have the original CDs laying around, there is some fun to be had with titles like High Heat Baseball and Golden Bear Challenge. Just be careful not to punch your monitor after missing a 4 foot birdie putt on 18 or strike out looking with the bases loaded. We are talking non-violence, after all.
John Williamson – Content Provider
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars is a beautifully crafted 2D point-and-click adventure game. You play as George Stobbart, an American tourist who witnesses a sudden terrorist bomb attack. With his vacation plans in tatters, George finds himself increasingly motivated to discover the identity of those responsible. What sets this game apart from other alternatives, is the character variation and hilariously diverse voice acting. You can feel George’s irritation when dealing with the eccentric Officer Moue by his dry and sarcastic responses to key questions. The plot is a roller coaster ride, spanned across a number of awe-inspiring hand-drawn locations.
Even though Broken Sword begins with a violent attack, the core gameplay is based on excavating clues and interviewing possible suspects. There isn’t a focus on combat and George refrains from any sort of aggressive activity. His aim is to uncover the Templar’s secrets through ingenuity. To put this into perspective, I played the entirety of Broken Sword with my 70 year old non-gaming Grandma who adored every moment. We still reminisce about certain moments including the infamous and gnarly Goat which stay with us to this day. Inspirational releases like Broken Sword optimize how video games can bring people together from different social groups and age backgrounds.
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That is all from us. Now it is your turn. What are some of your beloved non-violent games?