Raf Colantonio and Harvey Smith, co-creative directors on Bethesda’s upcoming title Dishonored, have discussed the role of violence within video games.
It’s the topic du jour within the gaming community: Naughty Dog have recently distanced themselves from the graphic violence in their E3 demo, however Raf and Harvey have eloquently explained why we have – and quite possibly need – violent games.
They suggest that even sedentary games such as poker or chess have a form of conflict and that conflict is part of what defines a game.
“People, I think, have devised this thing called a ‘game’ as a way of exploring conflict and exploring their relationships with conflict in a completely safe, abstract way,” said Harvey, “that’s a neat topic that we don’t sit around thinking about all the time, of course. But if you watch lion cubs bite each other and roll around on the ground, they’re not trying to kill each other; they’re engaged in some sort of conflict-based play. That’s the same thing I think we’re doing.”
“Games are one of the ways that people, throughout thousands of years, have engaged in some sort of mock conflict in a safe environment,” he continued, “we all find conflict fascinating.”
Now without getting all metaphysical and examining the inner workings of the human soul, he’s got a point. Humans have been constantly fighting each other ever since we learnt to pick up a rock.
John Connor: We’re not gonna make it, are we? People, I mean.
The Terminator: It’s in your nature to destroy yourselves.
John Connor: Yeah. Major drag, huh?
If you need further proof that humans thrive on conflict and competition then you only need to look approximately five miles from where I am sat right now, where the entire world is about to do battle in the forthcoming Olympic Games.
“If you’re playing poker with your friends, someone crushes the life out of everyone else. It’s absolute. There’s not even a soft way to lose poker; you are crushed out of existence. So I don’t think it’s endemic to video games, or exclusive to video games,” concluded Harvey.
It’s a damn fine argument: on a biological level, humans are animals and all animals fight for survival. We have evolved and are now intelligent enough to restrict the majority of our battles to virtual arenas where no one gets hurt – what do you think?
Source: Gamasutra
3shirts
Really interesting and well argued point. I particularly like the reference to young animals which play fight.
Violent games are, in that sense, beneficial to society in that they help us to target the need for conflict into an easily accessible medium.
Maybe people who DON’T play them are the ones to worry about!
LTG Davey
Personally I have no problem with violence in games providing it isn’t there simply to be controversial. Playing a gritty shooter like Gears of War without blood and guts flying everywhere just wouldn’t have the same effect. People need to man up a bit I think.
hazelam
or woman up. ^_^
PoorPaddy89
All very true I think. We might like to think we’re more civilized, but video games, movies, the Olympics, Big Brother… they’re just modern day gladiatorial arenas. Sure, less people actually die, but as a spectator you’re able to get much closer and more involved in the action than ever before.
PoorPaddy89
* as a gamer, not a spectator :P
Izorpo
You really need to read Those About to Die by Daniel P. Mannix if you think the Olympics and reality TV in anyway compare to what took place in the coliseums of ancient Rome – depraved doesn’t even come close to being an adjective.
Being mindful that someone (Roman) would spend 3 months training a lion to rape humans for the entertainment of others- and yes I actually know how that was done – thank you Mr. Mannix – I really don’t see how that equates with modern arenas where we get more up close and personal. The arenas are closer to mondo or snuff films if they did exist for public consumption….maybe in Canada recently where the film of a guy cutting up his lover was shown to a criminal justice studies class is applicable.
No humans are far more bloodthirsty and inhumane than any video game, film, reality tv will ever allow us to pretend to be or as voyeuristic as we like to think we are – we claim we are civilized and yet so did the Romans
The Lone Steven
People do get hurt when playing games but it is usually down to them getting punched in the face by their mate due to them being a very annoying person when they are winning. ;)
I think 70-90% of gamers find that violent games help to relieve stress. Had a completely crap day at work? Kill random people online or blow £”%! up. However, not everyone likes to play only violent games. For example, RPGs tend to allow you to avoid using violence to resolve a situation, IE the Fallout series. Due to the success of violent games, the industry still needs them otherwise 95% of the market would cease to exist and major publishers like Acti and EA would be bankrupt(EA would have decent chance of surviving due to their sports titles)
Games like GOW has proven that we love completey gorefests and that we are willing to kill for more(Disclaimer:If you are from the DM and reading this, i’m joking :p). So i believe it comes down to your tastes if you want violence in your games. Personally, i don’t really mind as long as the game as a decent story and is a RPG as RPGs do usually allow you to avoid using violence. Such as you can either charge in to kill a group of bandits that are in your way or make them flee by using a spell or sneak past them.
Sympozium
Yeah, I prefer Devil May Cry over God of War since I find the gore to be over the top for the sake of it. tastes
oh oh oh…and casting a frost trap spell on enemies IS SO FUN…! I COULD KILL! KILL! KILL without anyone expecting.
*Eye slowly opens*
Bandit Chief: Someones here!
Bandit: THERE HE IS, AFTER HIM!
….shit.
Shadow_lawless
The only thing I’m having trouble with is the jump he’s making between, Being competitive (even extremely) and the violence. You can have conflict and competition in games but I think there is a difference when we’re talking about violence. I love a violent game as much as the next guy, and I’m extremely competitive since I was a kid I’ve always been into combat sports, and love the feeling of winning a fight. But I’ve not once imagined tearing my opponents head off or stabbing him.
What I’m getting at is you Can satisfy your need for conflict and competition without the use the kind of violence we refer to when we talk about video games. So as much as I like the idea I think his argument is a little… Out there.
Sympozium
I don’t find violence to be so like Uh… I’m angry I’ll cool off in a game where I can cut ladders down or something, its just odd.
Anyway in some of us rage builds up and we go nuts because 1) In a versus your outclassed 2) You keep getting killed 3) You cannot control anger well enough. Well I like 2 really well since it happens a lot of I don’t mind, its life in a game like Uncharted or Gears though the latter is a bit shit imo, but I really think it depends on the game. If you have to like cool down on something it doesn’t have to be violent, look at a fighting game or even sports etc etc if you get a good challenge then its better than chopping the head of a innocent Teddy Bear with a happy face and Sackboy threads.
At E3 I didn’t find the violence on the conferences to be so bad, yeah there wasn’t enough there to appeal to a kid but its pretty bleak, wasn’t much things like Spyros and Crashs but it was alright? instead we get more mature dark games, a bland looking fighting game, Simcity, typical Ninty, a new Rayman and
a magic book? So you know actually violence isn’t the problem its the ideas.
RudeAwakening
Whoever is getting their panties/jocks in a bunch over voilence been portrayed in video game need to realise that voilence has been portayed long before video gaming. Have these people forgotten about the voilent movies they watch or sports or even the books they read.
Ok videogames are more interactive than your voilent movie or book but you would be just invested in either. Voilence will always be there and alot worse and darker than your average videogame.
It’s the same story every time Videogames are evil. What a load of BS.
Right im off to kill some polygonal characters in Uncharted! :P
OnlineAssassin77
Theres nothing wrong with violence in video games in my 34yrs of life never done me any harm i never got a strong urge to jump on someone’s head after playing mario or throw a fire ball at anyone after a bout of streetfighter or carry a severed head in a blue carrier bag after a marathon session of man hunt whats this world coming too sigh!