> I think that's the same sort of argument that HN user 'kirindave' is making with respect to violence.
Not quite, but it is an interesting one. Folks are very comfortable with games depicting repeated fatal violence. Would they feel the same way about a game involving repeated rape? Surely not, at least in the US, surely?! But then again, Pick Up Artist games that evaluate your ability to emotionally manipulate people into sex are popular enough that they've broken into the world of big youtubers and
The reason these are different is because of the way our culture normalizes conflict and normalizes different kinds of dominance.
We've seen games that challenge this (even when they're by people who clearly aren't). Night in the Woods, Slenderman, Minecraft & Roblox, every racing game, Kerbal Space Program and Untitled Goose Game? All of these games are famous and made a major impact on the gaming social structure and they don't focus on pulling triggers or capturing points.
Minecraft involves hiding from things trying to kill you at night. Roblox has guns and violence, it's just not bloody or realistically depicted. It's cartoonist violence. Slenderman is a survival horror game so by definition it's violent. Mario Kart takes the fun of racing games to a higher level by enabling you to attack other racers with weapons.
Kerbal Space Program is a good counter example. It's a sim game. I think sim games are fun. But if I'm with a large group of friends I'd pick Smash Bros. over Kerbal.
> Minecraft involves hiding from things trying to kill you at night.
The most popular version is on peaceful by default.
> Roblox has guns and violence, it's just not bloody or realistically depicted. It's cartoonist violence.
Sure, but for every conflict minigame there is a game where you ride a dragon collecting rainbows. The first goal is to build and explore; physical conflict exists as a consequence of other decisions, not as a foregone conclusion.
> Slenderman is a survival horror game so by definition it's violent.
Not really, it's a game about terror. There is very little human-vs-human commentary.
> Kerbal Space Program is a good counter example. It's a sim game. I think sim games are fun. But if I'm with a large group of friends I'd pick Smash Bros. over Kerbal.
Sure, but even Smash is such a watered down experience of violence. And it feels like that shows in its community which is MUCH less awful than more realistic and serious fighting options.
Not quite, but it is an interesting one. Folks are very comfortable with games depicting repeated fatal violence. Would they feel the same way about a game involving repeated rape? Surely not, at least in the US, surely?! But then again, Pick Up Artist games that evaluate your ability to emotionally manipulate people into sex are popular enough that they've broken into the world of big youtubers and
The reason these are different is because of the way our culture normalizes conflict and normalizes different kinds of dominance.
We've seen games that challenge this (even when they're by people who clearly aren't). Night in the Woods, Slenderman, Minecraft & Roblox, every racing game, Kerbal Space Program and Untitled Goose Game? All of these games are famous and made a major impact on the gaming social structure and they don't focus on pulling triggers or capturing points.