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Creative Games sans Violence?
jolyon_jnr asks: "I'm looking for games to use in an unusual educational setting: a school within a Juvenile Detention Centre. I don't set policy, so the 'no violence' is a fixed criteria.
I want to engage students' creativity and problem solving skills, without using 'boring educational software'. I've thought of Lemmings and The Incredible Machine. What other suggestions can you offer? Please bear in mind that most students have very low literacy levels, but will learn if motivated sufficiently."
Chess, backgammon, go.
Scrabble, trivial pursuit.
Kensington (if thats available in computer form)
I think the Sims would be a great game for the kids you are working with. It teaches time management, the value of relationships, and is very addictive.
It could possibly be a loose model on successful living
and tweak the settings so economic cooperation is rewarded more than conquest. Could also have additional materials so that when they discover some new technology, you can go into it in more depth than the program does.
But....
any of the games could be used to simulate violence (even the ones you suggested)
in TIM you can do nasty things to cats, mice and fishes
in lemmings you can nuke them all
in SimCity you can build a city and destroy it
in RCT you can build rollercoasters that crash
I assume that in RRT you can get trains to crash as well
Please take this into consideration when picking your title. Note, I am NOT saying that people would use the games to do these things, but the possibility is there, and if it happens you (or whomever approved the games) might have some explaining to do, so I suggest that in your proposal you explain that creative games could *theoretically* be used to simulate violence, even if that's obviously not the aim of the game itself.
-- the cake is a lie
Get them into mudding. Find a mud that focusses on exploration and quest solving, rather than fighting. Then it meets the non-violence criteria.
Several advantages to muds (MUD, MUSH, etc:
- boosts literacy (text only feedback means you HAVE to read)
- teaches you to type fast
- social interaction
- intelligent inquisitive types will want to learn how to extend the mud == learning to code == gaining rather useful skills
- people will try to figure out how to cheat. This is healthy - it means they are applying creative thought.
- making the kids admin the mud puts them in a position of responsibility
~Cederic
http://www.littlejason.com/lemonade/
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we played a mac version of this game all through grade 5 & 6, it was the best... really competitive to see who can become the lemon baron. I don't know if this net version is any good, but I'm sure you could locate a version of the old software if necesary.
as mentioned before, sim* (city, etc.) Teaches management/juggleing; also, life isn't always "fair", you just take life as it comes.
also mentioned: mindrover (maybe too advanced--don't know what age group target--but a great game. Teaches engineering/scientific thinking, and trial and error. Great one for "learning by doing".
rollercoaster tycoon, et al. (all "tycoon" games are pretty good, you have to run your own [fill in the blank], very mind engaging) They would probably like the rollercoaster tycoon the best, but they are all good and teach organization and management. Fun to watch your theme park flurish.
train simulator (new, never played it, got good reviews)
homeworld/homeworld cataclysm (maybe these have "violence", but no blood and guts, so depending on your defininition... the ships just blow up, Star Wars style, so G-rated violence.) teaches organization and resourse allocation.
Hope these help.
room101 -- how much can you stand before they break you?
(they always break you eventually)
I'm trying to define "no violence" as anything that might insite the kids to riot. So here's my short list:
1. Myst/Riven/Myst III (well, if you get around Myst III's copy protection). Games with lot's o' puzzles, interesting plots, and should keep them engrossed for awhile and make them think.
2. The Longest Journey - another adventure game, but really, really good. Yes, the main character does have an underwear scene, but it's tame.
3. Gadget Tycoon - teach folks how to run a business. A little on the hard side, but interesting.
4. Tritrys - I've known many a person to be addicted to this one.
5. Lode Runner. 'Nuff said.
That should get you started. Most of your "non-violent" games are going to be of the adventure/puzzle variety. I'd also see what the limits of "non-violent" are - would 4X games (like Starships Unlimited) count? Racing games (Mario Kart - sounds stupid, but loads of fun) might also be up the alley.
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
This game has the highest replay value of any that I've ever played, and is non-violent (unless you count the blood that sprays from your face if you land a trick wrong ;)
They've even released a Mac version, although I think the Dreamcast version is tops.
--just kicked back like italics
Thinking of the institution you are involved with, many of them probably grew up playing/watching completely violent games being played. How many of them are actually going to want to play puzzle games, text based games or anything without a fancy little GUI to go along with it? Probably not too many, IMO.
Why not try to get them involved in actual games like chess or Risk, Axis and Allies, etc...all of these made it to PC/PS/Nintendo in one form or another, if you must stick to that route.
The question is, do you really want them to be involved with a medium that they are already familiar with or do you want them to concentrate on deeper thinking and problem solving, or possibly gaining an increased interest in a tech related field via the games?
Correlation does not indicate causality!
Could it just be that smart kids like chess more than average kids?
All the same I think that board games would be great to include in the list. If chess fits the bill, then be sure to look at Go. I personally like games like Risk and Axis&Allies.
Christopher
Mozilla
Nothing will stop people who wish to be cruel to one another from doing so.
Your goal is to motivate them to acquire skills and to learn that their abilities can extend far beyond that which they currently perceive them to.
I recommend that you avoid any games that involve the direct manipulation of human avatars in any form. Concentrate on activities that require logical decision making.
To be honest, I'm not sure at all if games are a solution here. I postulate that all games cater to a certain extent to our desire to escape our surroundings (much like movie watching does) and that therefore its quite possible that you are not solving the problem but creating a new one.
Still... its not a bad idea... just make sure that gaming is only part of what you do.
Do not spread "09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0" over the internet, thank you.
How much of a market is there? I am in the very early stages of creating a video game as part of a class (gotta love liberal arts colleges...) and I keep hoping that we can create something along the lines of the Myst series- interactive, engaging, immersive and fun. But look at the market right now. There is nothing that does not have an emphasis on violence.
It seems to me to be a bit nearsighted to say that all the games out have an emphasis on violence. When, in fact, some of the top selling games of ALL TIME have been those with the least violence. Myst was #1 for something like 2 years, even though DOOM, Quake, and others came and went. Then Roller Coaster Tycoon came around, and it camped out on the top of the list for quite some time. Now, I'm no game expert, but I know there's almost always one or two games that are in the top 10 of the month that are not based around violence. Even to the extent of something like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1/2, or even Gran Tourismo. Granted, they aren't quite what you're talking about (I'm much more inclined to play mind games than coordination games - thats why I play sports in Real LifeTM), but they're non-violent alternatives.
By the way - PLEASE continue to develop your game. We need more Mystish games. Don't let numbers discourage you! Where would we be if Linus looked at the market share of MS/Novell (10 years ago), and said, "Screw it - whats the point? It'll never be that widely used."
Almost all games involve competition. When competition occurs, some form of violence is inevitable. The issue to be avoided are graphic violence and use of violence a a reflexive or first resort. Games like Quake both graphically depict violence, and also fundamentally teach that violence is a problem-solving technique. That's not the idea you are trying to get across.
Chess is a war game. But there is no graphic violence. Lemmings depicts the final explosion as failure. It trvializes it, but it's not the same as a first person shooter.
Civilization (Civ II?) may be a good compromise. Yes, there are battles, but strategy and economic development are the keys. Starving citizens are to be avoided.
The SIM games also appeal. Avoid SimCopter.
How about Need for Speed? Not much literacy there.
To hear the gods laugh tell them your plans.