leonerdchurch:

firecr0tch:

lilietsblog:

jordanparrished:

wackd:

maxwellelvis:

wackd:

maxwellelvis:

mybrainmadethis:

Imagine a typical FPS game where you start loaded out with grenades, machine gun, sniper rifle, etc, and are dropped into a war zone… but, in a starting cut scene, your character has taken a vow of nonviolence.

You now must use these weapons to puzzle-solve your way through environments (grenades make distracting noises, shotguns open locked doors, sniper rifles accurately knock things off ledges, etc.) and, if you accidentally DO kill or injure another person, you have to start that level over.

Forced pacifism is a huge backlash waiting to happen.

Well yeah, but that’s because gamers are assholes, not because there’s anything wrong with the concept.

Certainly nothing wronger with it than there is with forced violence, aka how 90% of all video games operate.

No it’s more because railroading is a terrible design strategy.

that’s why people hate mario, right, it forces you to stomp on goombas and drop bowser into a pit, the railroading piece of shit

or like pac-man, railroading me into eating all those dots, how dare that game have success perimeters i tell you

why won’t punch-out!!! let me calmly talk through my problems with these muscular men, who designed this thing, some kind of train engineer

It’s why Portal, which has a specific solution for each level, is so deeply unpopular. It’s why Assassins Creed, which desynchronizes if you kill anyone other than your targets, never got anything but hatred from the larger gaming community.

I would play that

i feel like this post is a good place to bring up dishonored, a game where you get those weapons and you totally can be violent and murderous if you want - but it makes the world a shittier and shittier place, whereas if you take the non-murderous option and use all your tools in the more pacificst way the game also encourages you to take, the world doesn’t descent into chaos around you and you get a different ending.

as far as i know, dishonored wasn’t totally hated by the gaming community and has gotten some pretty good reviews for this option, but i don’t really talk to gamers much. still. it’s definitely something game developers are experimenting with

UNDERTALE FFS

Don’t forget undertale where while the items don’t really change combat wise, you can still use them as items in pacifist ways such as waving the stick to make and enemy think you’re a wizard and respect you. And it encourages you to be pacifist by having the pacifist rout lead to the “True” ending.