BioWare: Games Without Violence Possible

BioWare's Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka think it's only a matter of time before games that are completely without violence aren't only possible, but will have an audience.

Whether it's Super Mario Galaxy or Gears of War, most of the games we play nowadays involve violence as some central part of their gameplay. Violence is an easy way for a game to create a sense of conflict and drama around the acts of problem solving that lie at the heart of their structures - getting from point A to point B seems a bit more exciting if you have to kill some aliens along the way - but is it really essential to a game's success? BioWare, purveyors of some of the talkiest games out there, don't think so.

"We talk a certain amount internally about whether you need to have combat as part of the experience," Greg Zeschuk of BioWare said. "Certainly the core gaming experience, folks that are used to playing games over the last ten years, they want to have those battle moments, and the fighting. But there are different audiences that would maybe just enjoy the story. I think it's actually possible."

The problem isn't so much that you can't make games that don't have violence of some form - of course you can - it's just that right now there isn't a viable audience for them. Once that audience exists, games without violence might be able to flourish. "I think once we've got the breadth of audience available to us, there could be really good opportunities created by different people coming to games that are story-driven," Zeschuk said.

Zeschuk's partner in crime, Ray Muzyka, agrees. He thinks the games industry has just reached a "mid-point of maturation" where it can start to welcome various kinds of experiences in games as it starts to welcome a wider and wider mainstream audience.

"I think the videogame industry is at that point now where you're going to start to see this blossoming of all kinds of really cool, multiple dimensions of different kinds of settings and genres and kinds of characterization as the gaming industry moves from early adopters to early mainstream, to the mainstream who are now embracing games as their main form of entertainment," Muzyka said.

[Via GI.biz]

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Well someone missed the old days of adventure games that had great stories without violence.

The main problem is that violence is the easiest way to create what most gamers like, conflict. It is that conflict that draws attention because said player gets to play a role of importance to solve the conflict.

Deus Ex already did it, and as mentioned before graphic adventures did it even earlier than that.

How about all the casual games like Peggle? Or games like the Sims? None of those are centered around violence, and they make insane amounts of money. Sounds like Bioware just hasn't got the memo yet.

A video game without violence is known as Casual Gaming these days. The non-violent adventure title is a relic of the past.

Tenmar:
Well someone missed the old days of adventure games that had great stories without violence.

The main problem is that violence is the easiest way to create what most gamers like, conflict. It is that conflict that draws attention because said player gets to play a role of importance to solve the conflict.

AceDiamond:
Deus Ex already did it, and as mentioned before graphic adventures did it even earlier than that.

I don't think BioWare aren't aware that non-violent games exist and have existed, they're saying that they can really take off as a way of doing things now that more people are into games, some of whom don't want to kill shit in every game they play.

Also, when was there a non-violent solution to a problem in Deus Ex? If you're talking about the killphrases, I guess that wasn't physical violence, but it was still violence.

*Cough* Ace attorney *Cough*

Tenmar:
The main problem is that violence is the easiest way to create what most gamers like, conflict.

I really agree.
A good story has memorable characters and situations, but it always centers around a conflict of some kind. Without violence, what conflict can there be and still be interesting? 'Shucks, I'm out of milk, now I must go get milk!'? I suppose you could have a more romantic focus, but that would have to be dynamite in terms of writing. In fact, anything focusing 100% on story would have to have dynamite writing.

Very very hard to pull off, methinks.

Yeah look at 90% of games before the year 2000, really it's not that difficult to make a game without violence.

I was about to write "Viva Pinata", before I remember how much violence, incest, cannibalism and language (Have you heard the shopkeeper?) it contains.

I could guess you could point out they've already developed Flower for the PS3.

Um... The Sims doesn't "technically" have violence in it...

There are audiences like that now, and they can be reached with the Wii and/or DS.

Wii Fit and Brain Age aren't violent games.

I agree, you can have games without violence that are great.
For example: Mirror's Edge could have done that without the fight sequences (the part of the game I didn't like!), or Portal without you getting shot wouldn't have been very different (I'm not saying it shouldn't have had turrets, only that if could).

Blaspheme i say :D

PedroSteckecilo:
Um... The Sims doesn't "technically" have violence in it...

I'm sure sealing them in four doorless walls and witholding any kind of basic necessity could "technically" be considered violence.

That's actually impossible to do really.

Making games without violence these days is like asking for a midget to be tall.

I never really notice the difference in games with or without violence. When I play Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing I'm just playing for the experience, just like I would while playing Fallout 3. I don't really think about it.

Souplex:
*Cough* Ace attorney *Cough*

Almost all of the cases are murder cases in that series though.

What about Professor Layton? Or Tetris? Hell, if not for the turrets, Portal is relatively without violence. Not only do these games exist, but some of them are damn good.

Yes! At last please!

I think they imply games more like Mass Effect and the sort of high-quality, AAA titles that Bioware is more known for. Portal has violence - there is much potential death and shooting. It would be fantastic to see some games that aren't based around conflict so much.

I posit Black Isle's (RIP) Planescape Torment, where maybe two battles are mandatory. The first RPG that allowed you to think or charm your way out of a fight. I'm fairly sure Bioware know something about it, since they and Black Isle collaborated on so many RPGs.

The infamous SCAMola:

PedroSteckecilo:
Um... The Sims doesn't "technically" have violence in it...

I'm sure sealing them in four doorless walls and witholding any kind of basic necessity could "technically" be considered violence.

Technically, so could breaking blocks with other blocks, like in Tetris. But the "violence" in the Sims wasn't central to the gameplay. The idea behind the game was to make your sims happy and healthy...quite the opposite of violence actually.

Wii fit? Wii plus? Tetris? I hate to point this out, but non violent games have and still do sell incredibly well. Many of them have also been historical classics.

lol wut?

Okay, you can make games without violence, but why would you want to?

i would really like some new kinds of games that are more than hack and slash. i mean its not that i hate the violence, sometimes you want to punch some guy in the face its just that its getting a little boring.

by the way i really like your avatar.

Somebody obviously hasn't heard of racing games, or sports games, or the Wii, or casual games of any description.

what was implied in the article is that an adventure game (specifically) could virtually be without violence in the gameplay at-all.

that doesn't mean conflict has to be removed, just that resolutions alternative to violence will set in place as the center of gameplay.

some people can talk about enemy evasion as one of those alternatives. (chieftly in games about thievery or spying or METAL GEAR!?!?)

but a fun and successful game (with a quality story line) where you can bring a foe to his/her/its knees without

"a single punch thrown or drop of blood sown"

We are talking about real games people! Not casual!

Oh so violence is in gran turismo?

That's one more reason to get it.

Fluffles:
We are talking about real games people! Not casual!

You do know that a lot of the classic games, the ones that got people into gaming, would be considered "casual" games by today's ridiculous standards? And why are "casual" games not "real" games? Because you don't like them?

What the hell is "Pong"?!

Since the real world is full of violence every day, it's the most basic concept any gamer can relate to. You see it on TV, on the streets, on the internet, violence is everywhere.

Sure, you can make games completely without any kind of danger or violence, but that is why its harder to relate to and create immersion in these games. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's a much needed component. In Portal, you were in danger of falling to your death, get crushed or shot...etc. In Mirror's Edge, the same. Even the old adventure games, where you cannot technically die, had some sense of danger incorporated, just think back a little.

It's a basic concept, that's all.

PedroSteckecilo:
Um... The Sims doesn't "technically" have violence in it...

You can make your Sim fight/hit people. That's pretty violent.

A non-violent game... Asteroids! Unless you think that destroying rocks is violent.

I think there will be games without violence,but not shooters or rpg's,there are racing and sport games with no violence and a wide audience already,but some genres are based on violence,cause people like hurting stuff