What is with violence in video games lately?

I think we can all agree there is probably more graphic violence in games nowadays, due to how real the graphics look

a reply to: gdt26

"Graphic" as in quality, or "Graphic" as in gory? Because there are just as many (if not more) non-violent games these days as there are violent games. The quality of the imagery has nothing to do with the population.

The only difference is that some people take notice when the pixel count of blood goes from two to thousands and thus prematurely claims "there is so much violence these days"

I remember n64 and playstation one and sega genesis. not a focused emphasis on violence like we have today. it started with games like Doom.

originally posted by: Mousygretchen
I remember n64 and playstation one and sega genesis. not a focused emphasis on violence like we have today. it started with games like Doom.

Playstation and N64 came out AFTER Doom. And Doom certainly wasn't the first violent game. 1982 Custer's Revenge for the Atari 2600, Probably one of the most offensive games of all time.

Violence is an intrinsic property to parts of the gaming world. There is as much now as there was back then, the visuals have just gotten better.

a reply to: Ghost147

You forget their popularity in the world is that a lot of the top video games in America are banned in other countries. Meaning that they have to fill the void somewhere.

How do I not know the concept of a game? Please elaborate. Isn't the basic concept an activity that uses skill and chance for the entertainment of the player?

Go to a video game store and pick out the games on Xbox one that do not have any sort of violence whatever. It would be ignorant and apathetic to say that the majority of them aren't violent.

I think you misunderstand the reasoning of this thread. It's not about the violence in general, but why. Why is it that when we want to leave reality we want to hurt something? Why is it a game developers agenda to create virtual violence in the world.

I play every genre of game with racing being my favorite. I don't play sports games because they are not entertaining to me as I don't watch or play sports anyway. But even sports have violence, NHL games you get in fights to gain stamina.Why include that into the game?

Farming simulator and zoo tycoon are some non violent current gen games, but they are made so poorly that it was a waste of my money to even try them.

Maybe start making more adventure games. Some people would love a well built RPG about summiting Everest,k2,mt Fujiyama etc. But they won't because producers won't back it or advertise because they think it would be loss of revenue.

But I guess I am not a gamer and know nothing of the industry like you say.

a reply to: TheLotLizard

I answered this question earlier. Violence is a cheap and easy way to create conflict and challenge in a video game. Blame lazy coders and story writers, but that is really the answer.

Video Game Violence: Why Do We Like It, And What's It Doing To Us?

"You're really just plowing through and killing millions of demons throughout the progress of the story," Zlock says.

A story which, she says, is better with violence.

"If you want to create a good narrative, you need to create conflict, and violence is a really easy way to create conflict," she says.

Both Zlock and Sugarman, along with the dozen or so people around the office TV, say violence doesn't have to be a part of a good game, but sometimes it makes the game better. Iowa State University professor Douglas Gentile, who studies the effects of violent video games on children, says violent games tap into a primal instinct.

a reply to: TheLotLizard

You aren't going to get triple A titles like that anytime soon.

You are going to have to look at the indie game world like I told you before. Start backing the indie developers and if enough people do it, then sooner or later the triple As will have to pay attention. Again, Steam is an excellent place to find the indie houses.

Stop demanding pristinely beautiful and top of the line and you can find plenty of what you're after.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: TheLotLizard

You aren't going to get triple A titles like that anytime soon.

You are going to have to look at the indie game world like I told you before. Start backing the indie developers and if enough people do it, then sooner or later the triple As will have to pay attention. Again, Steam is an excellent place to find the indie houses.

Stop demanding pristinely beautiful and top of the line and you can find plenty of what you're after.

Yea it would be nice but the fact that Not having internet on my console makes it impossible to use steam or downloading indie games. My resort is the local GameStop to get any of them.

a reply to: TheLotLizard

In order to do that you would have to define violence. Violence is practically subjective from person to person.

Is it only violent blood is apparent? Is it violent when a character shoots a ball at a box that has eyes (symbolizing it's alive) and the box gets flattened? Are car crashes Violent? Is a Skateboarding game violent (what if that game also has a x-ray system when a player gets hurt)? Is it only violence when it's realistic? Is it violent if it's a human shooting a fictional character that cannot possibly exist?

a reply to: TheLotLizard

What is it with violence in the movies or on TV ?
It's part of the Human psyche , we are inherently violent , I think games and movies reflect who and what we are.

originally posted by: Ghost147
a reply to: TheLotLizard

In order to do that you would have to define violence. Violence is practically subjective from person to person.

Is it only violent blood is apparent? Is it violent when a character shoots a ball at a box that has eyes (symbolizing it's alive) and the box gets flattened? Are car crashes Violent? Is a Skateboarding game violent (what if that game also has a x-ray system when a player gets hurt)? Is it only violence when it's realistic? Is it violent if it's a human shooting a fictional character that cannot possibly exist?

If you look up the definition of violence by law it's behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.

So no technically that is not violence.

originally posted by: TheLotLizard
If you look up the definition of violence by law it's behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.

So no technically that is not violence.

Which is not violence? If we're speaking in technicalities, there is no violence in video games because one can not physically hurt, damage, or kill a group of pixels.

So we would have to go by what seems to be violent actions. Which again, is subjective from person to person.

a reply to: Ghost147

Well reality is just an illusion created by ones mind, a bunch of "pixels" to quote you.

So by your meaning how would that make it "real" violence? Because we need sensory touch and repercussions to have things considered violent?

Remember Mist? I love games where you seek out and find information that leads on a trail to discover.

My first computer was an Amiga 600. There were a lot of games available for that machine, and there were a great many which were devoted to the merciless ending of the lives of hundreds of sprites.

There were also many titles which did not revolve around that concept. Pushover, for example, was a fantastic little title, starring the Quavers dog. You know, the grey dog in the yellow fedora and suit combination, with the shiny two tone shoes? Liked eating those cheesy potato snacks? It was a fun game, involving a little ant fellow, who had to figure out how to make a stack of different dominos fall so that all dominos on the screen would fall down. Some of them split, some of them would roll after impact... All sorts of crazy crap would happen! Then there were the racing games, and the constant source of entertainment that was Pinball Fantasies!

There are still some top quality, non violent games being made today, but I think that the demographic of gamers has changed wildly since I was a kid. Many gamers these days are adults, and since, traditionally speaking, an adult has better access to funds than a child, it is this part of the playing community which commands more of the total spending power of the consumer base, and so I think it reasonable that more adult themes ought to come up in triple A titles. The games developers know their audience. Most of the time.

a reply to: Char-Lee

I remember mist. I think I was 10 when my parents got it and it was the most confusing game haha. Played it later in life and had to use a walk through to even understand most of it.

a reply to: TrueBrit

One of the most entertaining games when i was little was on sega genesis called Toejam And earl. Spending countless hours just finding and opening presents. Also a great one was ECCO the dolphin yet was too young at the time of that one also.

Lemmings. We had to actively stop the little fellas from topping themselves. How's that for non-violent?

originally posted by: TheLotLizard
a reply to: Char-Lee

I remember mist. I think I was 10 when my parents got it and it was the most confusing game haha. Played it later in life and had to use a walk through to even understand most of it.

Yes but the IDEA of the game would be really great with different movement abilities and the finding of objects and clues with different missions and rewards...