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Monday, July 10, 2006
Peaceful online gaming
I blame the Americans. Just kidding. But did you notice how all multiplayer online games seem to be about violence? There are MMORPG where players either kill each other in PvP or kill computer controlled creatures in PvE. There are all sorts of shooter and strategy games where players can't do anything but attacking each other. There are a only a handful of peaceful online games, A Tale in the Desert, The Sims Online, or Second Life, and despite getting lots of coverage from the media, there aren't very many people interested in playing these.
I've read an article in The Escapist about playing Animal Crossing with strangers, via Nintendo DS wireless connections, but where is Animal Crossing Online? Where are the massively multiplayer games in which each player controls a village, city, or factory, and interacts with other players without the option of attacking them? Where is "Sid Meier's Railroads Online"? Or Zoo Tycoon Online, where players can trade rare animals with each other and compete to build the biggest zoo? Where is a version of EVE Online after galactic peace has broken out, and players can shoot neither each other nor are there any pirates to attack. I'd like to play Ports of Call online, a shipping simulation we used to play many years ago on my Amiga. Or economic games like Industry Giant. Hey, I would even play The Sims Online, if somebody made a half-decent version of that game, the current one is atrocious.
In my Real Life ® I have all sorts of peaceful interaction with other people, be that social or economic, and there is no violence whatsoever. In my virtual lives I either fight with or against other people, with social and economic interactions being of lesser importance. And I think peaceful online gaming could be a huge market opportunity, as not everybody enjoys violence, even if it is just pixelated. Maybe Will Wright's Spore will be the game I'm looking for, but the intro flash animation doesn't look very peaceful to me, and "galactic dominance" seems to be the final goal of the game. Do games have to be violent to sell?
- posted by Tobold @ 12:50 PM Permanent Link
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Isn't that kind of what Second Life is about? Sims Online? Not meaning to be snippy (or violence prone american :P ), but have you seen either of these?
Do games have to be violent to sell?
Well not only games have to, every medium has. The "i can not do this in real life"-factor is a huge argument for MMOs, so i doubt that anyone would like to trade stamps in an MMO, cause he does not need a virtual world to do this.
Well not only games have to, every medium has. The "i can not do this in real life"-factor is a huge argument for MMOs, so i doubt that anyone would like to trade stamps in an MMO, cause he does not need a virtual world to do this.
# posted by 
: 10/7/06 15:25
: 10/7/06 15:25
I've played The Sims Online. Unfortunately somebody forgot to put a game in there. Haven't played Second Life, but I hear it has the same problem. Just because a game is non-violent doesn't mean it shouldn't have goals.
Trading virtual cards for example is a major attraction in Magic the Gathering Online, in spite of the fact that you could trade real cards in real life. But how do you reach an audience of several thousand players in real life, leafing through your card collection binders?
Trading virtual cards for example is a major attraction in Magic the Gathering Online, in spite of the fact that you could trade real cards in real life. But how do you reach an audience of several thousand players in real life, leafing through your card collection binders?
I hardly think we can lay the blame solely at the feet of the Americans (I know you were just messing around ;) Anyone up for a rousing game of Spanish Inquisition? What about a round or two of Jihad, then? Perhaps a Viking Raid on a small coastal village?
I think humans, as a whole, are a violent, war mongering race. We're ok with our own people, but throw together two tribes, villages, communities, cities, countries, etc, and we get brutally competitive.
Then again, even the members of one tribe will compete with each other if nobody else is around. Who gets the prettiest bride in the village? The winner of a foot race? The hunter who brings home the biggest deer? Or the one who can beat up all of the other eligible bachelors? And isn't the leader of the village normally the strongest (or smartest) warrior?
When growing up most boys (and some girls, too) will choose to play (irl, not in a video game) cowboys & indians, or cops & robbers, or war, or army, or some other equally violent game.
My 6-year old son asked me to play outside with him the other day. His choice of game? "Super Gun 2", with him being someone called "Evil Killer". I guess that's what he and his chums are playing at school. I talked him into having a hit of badminton with me, instead ;)
When we're inside he wants to play Soul Caliber II, or Diablo II, or something else equally violent. And if we're playing with Lego he wants to build robots, then have them fight, of course ;)
I think humans, as a whole, are a violent, war mongering race. We're ok with our own people, but throw together two tribes, villages, communities, cities, countries, etc, and we get brutally competitive.
Then again, even the members of one tribe will compete with each other if nobody else is around. Who gets the prettiest bride in the village? The winner of a foot race? The hunter who brings home the biggest deer? Or the one who can beat up all of the other eligible bachelors? And isn't the leader of the village normally the strongest (or smartest) warrior?
When growing up most boys (and some girls, too) will choose to play (irl, not in a video game) cowboys & indians, or cops & robbers, or war, or army, or some other equally violent game.
My 6-year old son asked me to play outside with him the other day. His choice of game? "Super Gun 2", with him being someone called "Evil Killer". I guess that's what he and his chums are playing at school. I talked him into having a hit of badminton with me, instead ;)
When we're inside he wants to play Soul Caliber II, or Diablo II, or something else equally violent. And if we're playing with Lego he wants to build robots, then have them fight, of course ;)
The online peaceful and imo best online game EVER was Myst Online, Uru Live and see what happened with that one... I don't think the world is ready for a peaceful MMORPG yet, which pains me no end.
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# posted by : 17/11/08 05:48
: 17/11/08 05:48<< Home
