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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."
Try Reader Rabbit! I played it in elementary school. It was fun. Violent anti-social criminals should love it!
any of the Sim-lines (SimCity, SimRollercoaster, SimGolf, etc..)
Cognitoy makes an excellent (and engrossing) game called Mindrover, in which you have to design and program a vehicular robot to do certain things (follow waypoints, chase another robot, or destroy the opposing robot).
I don't know if a vehicle-on-vehicle rocket launcher qualifies as 'violence' or not (since these are very clearly toy robots going at it), but it's certainly an awesome game, even apart from it's educational value.
Loki has also ported it to Linux, and thier port is flawless.
Did you consider any of the Myst series? Those can engage the eye candy requirement, and also help them develop complex problem solving skills...that is, if they understand different bases and number theory :-)...
When nuance becomes the only objective we lose the ability to function
To suggest a solution as well as a direct statement of their literacy, I'd suggest anything in the "You Don't Know Jack" series. Seriously though good stuff.
--- Matthew Hill
"To quote the self is an act of the self riteous and uninitiated sub-moronic" - Matthew Hill
I guess you forget the part where they all explode. If that counts as "no-violence" you should have very little problem finding games.
Or you could try any of the many puzzle games out there: Tetris, Bust-A-Move, etc. There are plenty of adventure games that don't feature violence, as well.
Sim City 3000 (or 2000 if your hardware is not powerful enough)
Rollercoaster Tycoon (my wife's favorite)
Railroad Tycoon II
-- the cake is a lie
Worked great for us oldtimers. :D
Chess, backgammon, go.
Scrabble, trivial pursuit.
Kensington (if thats available in computer form)
I liked Where in the world is carmen sandiego... put them on the other side of the law.
C ID =244
http://www.learningcompany.com/SubCategory.asp?
Otherwise...SimCity (SimAnything, really), the Sims, RollerCoaster Tycoon. Whatever the new version of "Disney's Coaster" is called. (I always loved that game.)
Anyway, I think we need to know what the definition of violence is in this case, because some games that none of us would consider violent (like the aforementioned Oregon Trail) might not qualify.
For a modern collection of PG rated titles try most things published by Nintendo. Actually Mario 64 was an excellent game in itself and a pretty challenging one too.
Hope this helps.
Your pizza just the way you ought to have it.
Maybe you should define the term violence, cause if you ask me a bunch of lemmings shooting each other with bazookas is a bit violent. ;)
With the violence term defined, i would still think a good game on the Europeen Wars with many many historical references would do the job extremely well. Try Cossacks, even if it isn't a good game for your project, it's still a good game to try out.
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
Give them games from the Sim series (SimCity, Theme Park, etc) and games such as Railroad Tycoon 2. They are highly absorbing, require competitive and creative thought, but feature no guns or violence.
How about giving them some RPGs? Not sure if you can sneak them past the violence censors, but games that encourage teamwork should be considered a good thing.
Of course, adventure games will probably be fine too. But I hate them so I can't make any recommendations.
~Cederic
Teach 'em Java: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/09/09/156200
The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
Don't they have bombs and other ways of dieing? Does that count as nonviolent? (I know I think of it as a not so violent game, but if you are in a zero tolerance world....)
There use to be a amusement park simulator, I don't recall any violence in that. There are other sim games, but many have traces of violence (like that nasty hand in SimAnt...or riots in a poorly managed city...).
Of corse sim games may be a bit hard for people with low literacy, but that may be an advantage since their game play will improve as they manage to read more :-)
this game has no violence, and inspires creativity. I would also think that it helps them learn to manage money and create revenue.
I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
The Myst family of games is completely non-violent and requires problem solving skills. I think they could be along the lines of what your looking for.
Some good ones:
Roller coaster tycoon
Flight Sim 2000
Pipe dream (an old water puzzle game where you built plumbing to see how many pieces you could use.)
Have you looked at any of the old text adventures: Activision has a CD with a number of old Infocom games such as Zork, which while they do have fighting (Sometimes), it's all text and not very graphic. Great puzzle solving games. Frotz, a free interpreter for text adventure games, has a pretty good following, with a number of games available.
Finally, have you considered plain old Legos?
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
Or perhaps even civilisation or some historical wargame/strtegy game i.e Steel Panthers. You could use Typing of the Dead to teach keyboard skills or do these count as violent and could be disturbing to their fragile little minds. Though quite how it will help is beyond me. What do you want to teach these people? How to use a computer or how to play games?
Caesar III, Pharaoh/Cleopatra and Zeus. All are simcity-like, but with historical bents. There are some elements to building an army as necessary to defend your city at times, but you simply tell people to defend or attack, and do little else in terms of battle. Zeus and C III have a bit more of this than Pharaoh.
"Pinky, you've left the lens cap of your mind on again." - P&TB
"I can see my house from here!" - ST:
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.
Why not help them increase their literacy level while they have fun? There are plenty of text adventures that are non-violent and engaging. Any of the infocom titles would be an excellent choice, with the exception of HHGTG. That one might be a bit frustrating. As an added bonus, these games will run on the simplest of hardware and don't require frequent fixing. Also, it might foster a sense of community among your juveniles, forcing them to share solutions to puzzles.
I mean you watch people starve to death, pleading for their life, that's pretty violent.
Je t'aime Stéphanie
Lemmings qualifies as non-violent? The game where those cute little guys can fall off cliffs, be fried by flamethrowers, blown up, drowned, decapitated, and squished? That Lemmings? :-)
Anyway, I recommend Droidworks. You build droids to solve various puzzles, then pilot them in an over-the-shoulder view. My kids love it.
Chelloveck
I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
I know it's been said, but not heartily enough. Rollercoaster Tycoon seems to engage children (and adults like me) far more quickly than any sim-style game I've ever seen. Every child is familiar with the concept of an amusement park, and the chance to build and manage your own seems to suck them right in. I've seen kids get hooked on the game from age 7, and kids as old as, um, 27, play it to death.
-Fuzzy
This is a great little addictive game where the object is to push boxes through a maze to designated destinations without getting any of them stuck (e.g. pushing one into the corner...you can't push it out of there)
werd it's all in the subject ^^^
If you find an older version it would run well on old hardware too.
Everytime you look at porn a devil gets their horns.
Sokoban ! This neat little game is very simple learn, avaible in a wide variety of implementation (most for free) and it indocrtinates abstract thinking...
How about Grim Fandangoo.
Splenid graphics (quite important I would say for people who aren't necessarily interested in computers in any way (and therefor I would think that Tetris and the whole lot won't do)), and good fun!
The two most addictive games I have ever found are Qix (late 70s, I think) and Tetris. No violence, and in fact no people at all. Just moving shapes.
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
How about the King's Quest games. If I remember correctly at least the first four were non-violent, although the owl in KQ IV sometimes made me want to kill somebody.
Are evil. Make them read books instead. Only then will they be free from the spiritual slavery that is the modern world.
I don't know in how far the no violence means can't hit anything, but you have to kill dinosaurs and cavemen every now and then. The killing part is like Space Invaders: you shoot and it drops. No blood, no screams, no satanical laughing.
As I said, it's been quite some time since I played it, so I can't provide you with a link now. I'll see if I can find the disks at home. If I do, I'll let you know.
Woefdram, l'apprenti sorcier
Sierra's SWAT games are out of the question?
Almost any King's Quest ('cept the last 3d one... that sucked), any Monkey Island game, Grim Fandango, Sam & Max (well, I guess any LucasArts adv. game except for Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. Not so good). All teach puzzle-solving logic with a good sense of humo(u)r.
I second the Carmen Sandiego series as well as the 0ld Sk00l Oregon Trail. Mmmm, buffalo...
I recall a Sim-like game involving running a beer distributorship. Could prove interesting (except for the polka-influenced soundtrack. *shudder*)
Also, does X Pilot count as violent? You could bill it as A "gravitational physics/particle interaction simulator".
Then there's always SameGnome... *grin*
I wish I had a kryptonite cross, because then you could keep Dracula and Superman away.
Does the no violence policy include abstracted violence? The Civilization series of games is great if the abstracted violence is okay. For pure non-violence, Railroad Tycoon II is great. I've played it quite a bit - the main downside is that it takes quite a while to get up to speed and it also takes quite a while to play a single game. Its main benefits for an educational setting include: history, geography, macro economics, and finance. It can also be multi-player over a network.
Helping with organizational effectiveness is our job.
I guess xbill is completely out of the question...
"The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis" is a great game! Several years old, from Broderbund I believe.
Try out Snood! It has levels from very easy to maddening. It's addictive.
Cripple-ware trial available at www.snood.com
This seems appropriate, as it's rather easy, teaches economic values and risk-reward types of lessons, and requires only as much reading as you want to invest.
monkey island 1 2 3 (4?)
serious proplem solving (with think out side the box properties)
monkey 3 island that good, the "outside the box" got a little carried away for me.
violence is limited to insult sword fighting, shooting tenticles with shrink rays and other, (less the loony toons violence)
theres are entertaining and educational,
-rev
lets not forget that lemonade stand game!!
We used to play Oregon Trail and Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Those were some fun games, not much violence, except when you got to go hunting on OT, that sure was fun. Anyone else spend all their money on ammo? Yeah I was a disturbed child for sure...
~ now you know
The game gives you a budget, from which you build
a basic city by laying out traffic and utility grids, then "zoning" with commercial, redidential and industrial districts. You use income from taxes, fees, etc, to expand the city. Very good for showing budgeting, also, pretty good intro to city design.
Monkey Island 2, 3 and 4 are all great games where you have to think quite a bit... and best of all, you get to laugh too.
Don't miss out on Grim Fandango either.
All above from LucasArts.
I also enjoyed playing the Qing's/Space/Heroe's Quest games (Sierra) alot.
The Dig(LucasArts) is also a great adventure game not to be forgotten!
They're all non-violence.
get xited
In particular, I mention Crazy Taxi, because its non-violence is almost amusing. There are times when you accidentally drive the car off the road and you drop into oblivion, and your passenger's only comment is "turn right!", minus the expected screaming or flailing of hands.
We are working on a VR mud world with that very preface in mind (non-violence). I have come up with a scheme where rewards are not through "experience"--which is often a direct result of violence--as in common muds; but through talismans given as rewards for various tasks such as quests, puzzles and the like. Unfortunately, this is an online world, so it may not meet your criteria. The world is Telaus
tora
Tetris and MineSweeper. Both games can be played relying solely on luck, but players will see the benefit of planning their next move in short order. Mah-Jongg is also a good game, but kids might find it boring.
My other sig is extremely clever...
Any of the Sim games (SimCity, SimFarm, SimAnt, etc.) The Sims Civilization / Civilization II Alpha-Centauri
There are also computer versions of most board games and card games.
Of course, whether any of these titles are suitable depends on how violence is defined.
*** Where are we going? And what's with this handbasket?
Some of the Sim games are great, but they can lead to some violent or destructive behavior. And in a Juvenile Detention type situation that can be a bad thing.
Take, for example, Sim City. Sure, these games are constructive, but they also have a destructive side. I used to work as a lab aid in my local library, and the children would take out games like the Sim series, just to be the 'benovlent god'. That type of behavior just seems unhealthy to me.
I for one am hooked on it. How serious is your "no violence" restriction? In KoDP there is the "how many warriors do you send" choice and one of the fighting styles is "kill as many as possible", but it is most certainly not a FPS. You don't see any carnage. Mostly it is a "political growth" game where your can tries to form (and control) a tribe, and perhaps an entire kingdom. On top of this there is exploration, religion, trade, and so on.
h tml.
http://www.a-sharp.com/kodp for the official blurb, and a review is at http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_2592.
They prob wont let you get away with Leisure Suit Larry but my other Fav's like the Space Quest series, the Kings Quest series, the Quest for Glory series and dont forget the Monkey Islands (LucasArts). They all are non-violent, all involve a lot of concentration and problem solving and can be really really funny at times.
:)
But if litteracy is going to be a hurdle that you'll need to overcome you might want to take a walk through a public schools software library. I once saved $1000 in consultants fees doing that!
BOSTON SUCKS!
jezzball, reversi, chess, checkers, civilization, all good, all clean. Perhaps boring for a lot of people.
Why not strategic games with network capability?
Form teams and make them work toghether.
Any of the old lucasarts adventure games had alot of problem solving. And you want to talk about entertiaing play the original 2 monkey islands. (Although im throughly convinved the writers of monkey island 2 where on some good LSD for that ending.)
"All I can tell the "lesser of two evils" folks is that if they keep voting for evil, they'll keep getting evil."-Lp.org
What constitutes "violence" is different for every person. Some might see Lemmings as a violent game because of the "suicide bombers." You intentionally set little blue and green guys to explode... that seems like violence with intent. And in SimCity you can be intentionally destructive; sending Godzilla through your own town is not the most peaceful thing. I believe someone mentioned the hunting "sim" in Oregon Trail. Nearly all games have some level of violence, whether it's jumping on little mushroom dudes' heads or blasting an alien with a chain gun.
Not that I think that's bad. Being destructive is an important part of creativity. If you're unwilling to part with your creations in a big bang, you need to learn to get over yourself. Part of being creative is striving to do something better.
So perhaps it's creativity that overpowers the violence contained in a game that you're asking for...
For those Mac-heads out there, Ambrosia Software has a wealth of great quality games that have minimum system requirements and contain little or no violence.
http://www.ambrosiasw.com
Oxyd is a very interesting puzzle solving game. If you search for Dongleware or Oxyd you should be able to find a downloadable a demo.
If all you are trying to teach them is how to turn on a computer, move a mouse and double-click a "bag of holding" or whatever, keep doing what you are doing.
But if you want them to actually LEARN something, teach them to read. Then give them some books. Supplement and reward this learning with software. For instance, have a science lesson about simple machines (levers, pulleys, wheels, etc) THEN break out The Incredible Machine to demo it. And if Joe Icepick hasn't read his assignment yet, no Lemmings for him at Game Time.
324006
The "Where in the * is Carmen San Diego" series is one of the best. Another common one that I've seen used in several schools was "Oregon Trail". If literacy levels are a concern, you may want to try some of the several text adventures out there. There are several good ones that are made for younger people - and having to read and type may be a great help to boost those literacy levels.
The various "Sim" games are, of course, excellent. I'd recommend Sim Earth, as it was intended to be purely educational. Sim City is, of course, a good one. Finally, though it can be considered slightly violent, depending on how you look at it, Civilization II would be an excellent choice for a strategy game.
--
Welcome to the land of the easily amused...
It isn't pretty.
Check out this guy's tattoo if you don't believe me.
The SomethingAwful forums had an absolutely hilarious thread along this line a few months back. I'd post a link to it, but I think their archives are currently busticated.
Games that are fun, nonviolent, and educational... well, I would personally reccomend a lego mindstorms set, though those can get pricey. Along the eyecandy line I can reccomend the Myst series, though if you want something a little less difficult (as far as the puzzles are concerned, Myst: Exile nonwithstanding), take a look at Presto Studio's Journeyman Project line... Not only eyecandy, but it includes quite a few historical/mythological locations (the game is based on time travel) and #2 and later include a handy AI who tends to comment on items of historical significance.
:)
;)
I'm actually reminded of an old game from about '94 that was called 'Heaven and Earth', which was essentially a collection of Puzzles and skill tests, ranging from the simle and fun to the mindbreakingly complex.
Of course... well, Civilization is a good one, a bit dated, though CivII is similarly addictive, and Civilization: Call To Power isn't bad either, and allows LAN games. Call To Power II I have personal issues with, because the interface is kinda tedious, and this series may not get past the non-violent part.
However, don't restrict yourself to computer games. If you feel like expanding into the realms of Card games and so on, I can reccomend a whole series of games. Chrononauts is a very funny and educational game, though it 'follows' a very tounge-in-cheek version of history. Similarly, many things by Cheapass Games can be fun... though you'll have to dig a bit to find something educational.
I hope this was helpfull
Have groups of four play networked Hearts. It requires them to concentrate on strategy and it's completely non-violent. Almost any card game will do, but networked hearts used to come with Windows, so it should be relatively easy to find.
"A man talking sense to himself is no madder than a man talking nonsense not to himself."
Just a list of games...
...
;-)
minesweeper, "solitaire" and other cards games,
tetris, puzzle bobble,
sokoban (one of my favorites !),
LucasArt adventure games like Day Of The Tentacle, Sam&Max,
the "Myst" series
Where in the world/space/time/... is Carmen San Diego
Those games are quite non-violent but can be a real pain for the nerves
That's another LucasArts game. You play either Obi-wan or Amidala and have to help the Gungans create a stable ecosystem on Naboo's moon. It's not a simple game, but it is fun and helps with natural science lessons - especially concerning food chains.
Lego Alpha Team is a game that makes the player solve spatial puzzles to continue to the next level. The puzzles require the player to place special blocks that change the direction of movement of the on-screen characters.
In effect, you "program" the movement to accomplish a specific goal. In fact, the playing process reminds me a great deal of programming. Kind of an edit-run-debug sort of process. You have unlimited time and lives to complete the puzzles (unlike actual programming, I guess).
All of this is wrapped up in a action/adventure story-line which keep it engaging. My eight-year-old son loves this game and I enjoy playing it too.
Check out the game's home page and a review at Kid's Domain.
trichard
Unfortunately, many building games also have a combat component. However, at least the free demo of Caesar III is completely free from violence, it's free, and it should keep most people occupied for a couple of hours.
I don't know if simple games like Tetris or Breakout (now that's an ideal game for juvenile offenders) fit the bill...
Stephan
There is an entire Hoyle's series of computer games, based on non-tech standards. Hoyle's Word Games is a good vocabulary builder. Hoyle's Board Games and Hoyle's Card Games build math and general strategic skills.
--The basis of all love is respect
Chess. If they are on-line, you can play at chess.delorie.com Have a nice day and a JonKatz-free weekend.
There was a game called "hackers" or something like that for the Atari ST where you go rummaging through computers of big bad corporation to figure out and stop their world domination plot. It took a good amount of problem solving, and it was fun.
Plus you get to indoctrinate the juvies on corporate evil.
Puzzle Bobble...
Or Mame equiv's...
This sia great game with no violence, but lots of problem solving. It includes a neat inverted Tower of Hanoi problem in it that takes a while to recognize. I haven't played any other games in the series, but this one's pretty good.
I demand a million helicopters and a DOLLAR!
I remember a game from around 96 called Endorfun.
It starts out simple, rolling around a cube on a grid, going after colored boxes. The cube is a different color on each side, and you have to roll over the colored grid square with the same color on top of the cube. Once you get the hang of it, it makes small increases in difficulty.
It challenges creativity, thinking of different ways to land the cube on the colored grid with the correct color on top, and also challenges problem solving skills.
The kicker is that behind the music, it has positive reinforcement subliminal messages.
Creatures has very little violence, although some people might be tempted to beat their creatures to death, and in Creatures 3, it is VERY easy to kill Creatures of all sorts in creative ways (set the norn detector to activate the sludge cannon, for example). But otherwise, it is interesting, and a fairly intellectually challenging game.
Virtually any puzzle game would fit the bill.
Racing games tend not to be violent, although you could take up ramming other cars, as well. Many of these allow customization of cars. The ever-popular Gran Turismo series being one of the best examples. (Use Bleem! if you can't use playstations.)
Non-combat flight sims only allow self-abuse.
That should satisfy your no-violins-in-games policy!
[PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
What about the Sierra Dr. Brain games? I don't remember those being vilent.
Gerald626
Leisure Suit Larry
'nuff said.
I've recently been consumed by the non-violent fun found in Bridge Builder (fulfill all your secret engineering fantasies), as well as the cartoon physics motorcycle puzzle game. Bridge Builder is Free (as in Beer), and the motorcycle game has an 18 level shareware version.
What's cooler than a raccoon running about teaching you how to build circuits? Admittedly it's meant for 8-year olds, but all EE courses should be this amusing...
http://www.littlejason.com/lemonade/
-
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.
The Incredible Machine is a game for kids but even as an adult I love to play this game.
This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
I think incredible machien would lead to an increased number of escapes from alcatraz :> hehe
:>>
Just kidding...
What about adventure games like monkey island (well, not ESCAPE FROM MONKEY ISLAND hehe)or grim fandango ? For guys that are in isolation, ofcourse windows "solitaire" its your best choice
http://psx.ign.com/reviews/3896.html
Problably one of the more clever games I've seen is called "Devil Dice." The name comes from the fact that the main character is a devil, and he has to move dice. From the review:
"The object of the game is to tumble dice in limited moves to match up numerically with other dice and beat either a clock or an opponent."
The game is pretty simple, but it requires critical thinking, puzzle solving, and some use of math.
It's definitely a unique game, and it can be quite addicting. :-) It's for the original PlayStation, BTW.
If all you have are silver bullets, everything looks like a werewolf.
never played it but I always thought it was a cool idea to be a dolphin. "Echo the Dolphin" I believe is the name of the game. I don't think it is violent but there may be some shark killing involved. Oh and Tetris. I have never hurt anyone while I was in a Tetris dream. I also liked Oilcap - the one where you have to be a plumber and stop the oil from spilling.
How perfectly goddamn delightful it all is, to be sure. - Charles Crumb
The lemmings can be made to explode after a 5-10 second countdown. Also, they get killed by falling into flames, hot acid, on hard/sharp surfaces, etc.
Cute problem solver (although it's a "play it once and then not again"). If you get stuck you wander round and round for ever, but you can't (almost!) kill the character off. One of the designer's aims was to make a fun non-violent game, and they succeeded pretty well.
Very nice visuals too. No rendering - they just made it all of plasticine and filmed it.
is Riven. Lots of wierd interesting stuff with a hint of problem solving.
I think you underestimate just how much I just dont care.
This is the karma equivalent of shooting myself in the kneecap, but...
If their literacy levels are so low, why not spend that time teaching them to be better readers?
"There is no night so forlorn, no mood so bleak, that it cannot be infused with pleasure by tender meat..." - R.W. Apple
Have them learn a programming language--that'd be far more productive than having them play games. Have them make pong, or something simple like that.
A
It only runs on windows unfortunately, but its educational and addicting. The other downside is while the game has no violence, it led me to violence acts :)
Bridge builder
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)
If you've never heard of it, dont knock it. It is disgustingly cutsy, but strangly addictive & will improve problem solving skills for anyone who lives in the world of Dweep
teach you to commit suicide to save your neighbors.
¦ ©® ±
They could play counter-strike and just hide behind cover like the rest of those camping bastards. They'd never experience any real violence except the occasional shot that kills them, but they wouldn't really see that anyway. Plus, they'd learn the important value of hiding from your problems until they go away.
I say Total Annihilation is an excelent game to teach overall strategy without the key aspects of battlefield logistics and resource planning. Its all done with robots so no 'body' actually get hurt. Its a strech but I think its a worthwhile game for cognitive development.
Grand Theft Auto, Theif: The Dark Project, Kingpin or Chaos Overlords..
If they are older machines, maybe Ganja Farmer or Carribian Contraband.
"Career Simulators" is how you catagorize them.
I tried to use the game titles as a subject, but the lameness filter kicked in. Go figure.
- - - If the sun is a star, why can't I see it at night?
give them Logo or something? maybe the realbasic (reviewed a few days ago at O'reilly)
This might have already been mentioned, but The Sims would work great. Mostly icon based, teaches problem solving, basic budget management, and maybe an added benefit considering your situation, but also basic human interaction. (Being nice is better, etc... ;)
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
The title says it all. Sokoban is great for encouraging people to think about the consequences of actions, and to plan ahead.
"The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
THe best educational games I played while I was a kid were on the C64. I'm sure they are ported in various ways to other systems, but my favourites were:
Lemonade (Capitalist fun)
Oregon Trail (pioneering, resource management)
That even rules out some Tetris-like puzzle games where you can drop bombs on a color to make it disappear, space-invaders style arcade math games where you shoot the right answer, and puzzle games like Lemmings where the cute little freaks can die grusome deaths if you dig in the wrong spot. Even SimCity has a violent subtext, with crime being one of the factors under your control and disasters like Godzilla-like creature bashing up your town.
Pretending violence doesn't exist within the confines of a detention center doesn't prepare malefactors for release into the general populace where force and the threat of force is basically the glue of society. Let them eat Quake.
AC's cheerfully ignored
I've downloaded a couple of games from poptop.com lately that are completely abstract and non-violent, like Bejeweled. And the price is right too.
-- Spring: Forces, coiled again!
Get them hooked on something interesting in real life - chess isn't a bad idea, music could do it, putting together a play, designing their own game, mock stock market investment, a mock (or real) small business, etc. One good one is learning to fix computers!
Then use the computer to help organize and keep track of that activity. Let them use word processors, music editors, databases for inventory, checking and accounting software, spreadsheet for analysis, paint programs, presentation makers, etc. Let them learn
to program, how to create cool web pages, etc.
It is a digital DNA type game- you can breed these little digital creatures and train them to do different things- I believe that thier is also a Creatures 2, so I am not sure about the availablity.
Buy N64s Gamecubes and GBAs. Then stock up on everything Mario. Fun for all ages.
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
If it's not too advanced, Robocode, by IBM's Alphaworks is a real cool way to get into programming Java.
While the robots can take damage and blow up, idea behind it requires a lot of actual thinking and codeing.
For more info, there is a thread over on K5 about it.
Really, I know what I'm doing...Ohhhh, look at the shiny buttons!
Role playing games are cool but often alienating and violent, Jones In The Fast Lane by Sierra isn't one of those. It's a career simulator: go to a job, earn money. Check it out.
Other old but good adventure games (by Lucas Arts or Sierra) are:
Monkey Island (trilogy), one of the best adventure games all time.
Day Of The Tentacle, very funny, history-oriented ...sort of.
Loom, beautiful fairytale story altough a bit old, EGA graphics. That didn't matter when I played it, I was really hooked by the story.
Leisure Suit Larry series, women chasing and lot's of jokes, maybe not very suitable for sexual offenders..
Preserve old classics: copy your collection onto all hard drives.
-db
Microsoft Train Simulator might be a good choice. It is more challenging than it may seem. For passenger trains you have deadlines to meet (get to this station at time X) and they up the ante by putting track under maintenance (have to go slower) or rerouting because of problems forcing you to try and make up lost time.
For freight some of the harder scenarios have you maunally building the consist yourself -- imagine having to foigure out which tracks you need to be on to get each car added to the train in the correct order so that they can be dropped off in the correct order. It's like a puzzle game.
In all scenarios the user is rated for minor screwups, where you were speeding, and whether you jarred the cargo/passengers too much.
And I have not even tried the steam engines yet!
Train Simulator Website
-- Argel
I think that Civilization is one of the most educative games ever (if you mean a game which makes you think!)
Sure there is the concept of "war, but sincerly I can't believe that someone can find any "violence" in the way it is represented.
Maybe, due to graphical evolution, Civ III "Call To Power" can be more appealing to younger people, which is important if you want they get involved in the game enough to appreciates its dynamics and strategies.
Ok, now let's start celebrating our "We Love Sid Meier Day"!
Titles to check out would be the Putt Putt!, Freddy Fish, (and my personal fave) Pajama Sam series of adventure games from Humongous Entertainment. Well drawn, humorous, educational, and lacking violence, these titles are engaging and challenging.
I would urge that you at least check out one Pajama Sam title. Of course, if you are interested in purely entertainment titles that offer no violence or educational value, try out the racing sims like any Nascar title, the various Microsoft racing titles, HydroThunder and San Francisco Rush 2049 for DreamCast, the Need For Speed series, or Fly!, the flight simulator.
HTH
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
Recently, I've been enthralled with FUN.COM's The Longest Journey. Great game, excellent story and voice acting. Also, unlike most adventure games, I haven't gotten stuck yet :).
You might want to play through the game first, because there is a bit of "strong language" uttered from the mouth of the lead character (she's a college student majoring in liberal arts, and it fits her).
An "old favorite" from the mid-90's is "Oxyd" from Dongleware. It's a fascinating puzzle game that has you navigating a marble around.
The first ten levels were free to try it out, and it should still be out there for download.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= John Reinert Nash -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sokoban is on many platforms, does not need massive graphics, and has many challenging levels. Some levels need to simmer for a few days before solving them.
search google for a download site
Hey, leave comments about my mother out of this!
You should check out the IF community. Take a look at the links from www.guetech.org links page. Also check out the rec.games.int-fiction and rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroups. There is an archive of IF games and authoring systems at my mirror site at ftp.guetech.org/if-archive that includes games, interpreters (needed to play the games) and authoring systems to write games.
If you could get them involved in this it would be a big benefit to them! You have to read and think logically (in some games illogically) in order to solve the games, and you can even write your own and learn how to program at the same time (TADS and Inform are the most popular authoring systems). There is a wide selection of free games to play, including the Infocom games available from Activision.
Brian
Remember Lexington Green!
Grim Fandango is also an excellent problem-solving game. And it has an amusing and engrossing story line.
Do not read this sig.
I have a copy of a game called The Robot Club which is squarely aimed at your likely age group, pre-teen to 16-17years. No violence at all, you just build robots to accomplish preset tasks using pre-existing components and a very basic scripting language (actually the programs are mostly GUI). This came out of a bargain bin at a surplus store to give some idea of its commercial success but it is still a fun game even for older kids (I am 36)
This is a widely available freeware version of the "Settlers of Catan" (Kolonisten) board. It is a network game with no A.I., but otherwise it is an incredibly adictive game (in any form, virtual or not). Simple rules, complex strategy, no violence.
I think any puzzle games such as Tetris or Pandora's Box would be good. These are non-violent and actually intellectually stimulating!
Tyler
What about The Journeyman Project series. Much more entertaining than the myst series, and there is deffinately more thinking involved (or atleast their was for me). Plus, time travel just plain kicks ass.
If you're using macs, check out Tranquility at www.tqworld.com. The name explains it all -- it's the most relaxing, engrossing computer program I've ever encountered.
I smell home cooking! It's only the river... It's only the river.
try TuxTyping or Tetris
The Tetris Company has not authorized any TETRIS® brand product that runs on a GNU, BSD, or UNIX® system. However, you can try one of my t*tr*s clones, which may help victims of the War on Some Drugs get off mescaline. (A non-drug version called freepuzzlearena is also available.)
Will I retire or break 10K?
QUAKE 3!!
Oh wait, you said non-violent?
WTF is that?
We dance to all the wrong songs.
--Refused.
Try Roller Coaster Tycoon, SimCity. Civilization would be good, but I don't know if it would be considered violent.
The best way "to engage students' creativity and problem solving skills" is computer programming. Several people have suggested some very good special purpose programming languages:
Incredible Machine, Mind Rover, Lemmings (a slight stretch), LEGO Mindstorms, Rocky's Boots (and Robot Odyssey should be included here)
Someone's suggestion to try Java was called "cruel and unusual punishment" and that is probably accurate but some general purpose programming languages are appropriate:
Logo is being used in a few Juvenile Detention Centers. Seymour Papert is involved in such a project.
Stagecast Creator is pretty simple and sort of general.
ToonTalk (my baby) is a general purpose programming language that looks and feels like a computer game.
Even though the title might seem bloody or violent, the game play is rather not. It is based on leadership more and its quite interesting to play and requires lots of thinking.
The game is dated from a graphics standpoint, but the playability and the problem-solving in it are fantastic. Even most adults will find the advanced level challenging.
I found this review of the game, but there seems to be a lot of webpages devoted to this topic.
Hope this helps.
Question that raises here is if you think that being "barely literate juvenile delinquents" is:
- a temporary situation that you will try to correct.
- a fact against which you will simply resign.
In the first case stimulate them with games that "forces" them to learn and think should be your way, altough a very hard one at start.
If you resign then you're probably the wrong man in the wrong place...
We have the following non-violent games at Tux Games
Erics Ultimate Solitaire
Krilo
Mindrover
Railroad Tycoon II
Reel Deal Slots (tho this is gambling so maybe not)
Wurstelstand
Mindrover and Krilo especially are good for problem solving.
Tux Games. Your complete source for native Linux games.
I was going to mention that one. I'm glad it got some lip service. There is a bit of violence in it, although not perpetrated by the main character. A couple of people, the protagonist's friends, get shot (not killed). All in all, it's a great game.
Technoli
To add a little graphics to the text, how about those Sierra Games such as King's Quest series, the Police Quest Series, the Space Quest Series, etc... Especially the earlier ones that required typing in order to accomplish tasks.
Civilazation, Civ 2, Alpha Centauri.
They have violence in them, but it is highly abstracted. Those games are the best for problem solving and abstract thinking in my opnion.
SimEarth is non-violent and interesting, but old. Maxis also had a little-known game called A-Train that is more about economic development than anything else. Also old, and hard to find. Pure simulation games, like driving games and flight games also have their non-violent versions.
- Freed
"Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love." -Turkish Proverb
Bullfrog games has some wonderful strategy stuff. Theme Hospital may be just what your looking for, as it has all sorts of sick and quite scatalogical humour and the worst violence is clicking on the rats that infest your hospital. Most of the game is visually oriented (not too much literacy needed, just a bit of a learning curve). Obviously, Dungeon Keeper is right out.
Frogger 2 is actually a good game for thinking and planning ahead. It's got the action, but the only way to really win is to be patient, no matter how hairy things get, and think about your next move. Once your students figure out how to complete a level there are other strategy options, like how do you get all the coins. I don't know if the in-game movies of the bad guy chucking baby frogs around or Frogger getting sliced in half by a cartoon circular saw are appropriate to your non-violent game mandate though. Let's put it this way, The Powerpuff Girls has worse violence.
A large Solitaire package is perfect. One that has a lot of different varieties, like Bicycle's.
If you're looking for a real pull out the Haldol sort of game, there's always stuff like Reversi, TaiPei (Mahjong tile removal game), Minesweeper etc. from the venerable old Windows entertainment pack, most of these games are easily available on Linux as well.
Finally, you've got to love Tux Racer, proving once again that penguins can fly!
I love flying penguins, don't you?
Torodung
Always a fun, violence free place to chill.
3D building blocks on the computer. No violence, no dancing bears, just plain building.
GollyGee Blocks -- 3D creativity software for kids.
great, just we need a bunch of kids stuck in fantasy land when they get out of the joint. I can see it now, they get released, what do they do?
Go north
go north
go east
pick up stick
beat old man
You've gained experience!
You've looted 3 silver pieces!
Go east
go east...
Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle, and quick to anger.
Any software without proper guidance and motivation is a waste. Many people made sugestions but no one spoke of creating first an environment where learning and self expression and respect is supported. Children need guidance, role models and a place and people they can trust with their woes. They are not chickens or rats in a cage where one places items for them to learn with food rewards.
Why not give them access to music programs. What better way to fuel their creativity then exploring delicious beats and slamin basslines. There are many cheap and good programs that will allow students to express and explore music. It enables them to feel good about themselves, develop skills, and even get interested in an profession!!
As for learning...
If they get excited, they will naturally want to learn more. First, they will learn what all the knobs do on an external level. (This will turn a bleep into a bloop) But eventually, they may want a deeper understadning ( The square -wave is getting sent through a filter having its harmonics cut off) And a rare few may want even deeper understanding( lets hack the source code)
The music programs have a learning curve. But something simple like ReBirth, gives them enough of an initial satisfaction to keep playing. Well, providing enough flexibility for continued exploration.
Online beatboxes at:
http://www.postmodemist.com
Really. Violence in the turn-based strategy is very abstract and, most important, you never have adrenaline rush due to it (that's what should be avoided, as far as I understand).
All kinds of Civilazation, Master of Orion, Master of Magic, xyz General and so on.
Learning curve may be a bit too steep, though.
Forget what it's called now, but you build bridges and run trains across them.
It's Tetris for the new generation. Not that there's anything wrong with Tetris or they shouldn't be playing Tetris, because they should.
Easy does it!
This comment has been submitted already, 276865 hours , 59 minutes ago. No need to try again.
Go with everyone's favorite pioneer sim, Oregon Trail. Although they may consider the hunting for food part too violent. (Samuel gets 856lb of food, can only carry 100)
Plus my whole family always gets cholera.. awww
Bridge Builder. No idea if the shareware version is out there for download (there were (tm) problems with the name), but it's a simple problem solving game that teaches physics at the same time.
:) First train makes it across with all cars intact, but it breaks struts that would keep a second train from crossing...
And I dare all y'all that still have the game to make 15 one-use bridges like me and my buds did
Co-founder of GerbilMechs
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?
I have to agree, I think the Sims is probably the best non-violent game I've ever played. Further, it really makes it fun just to be playing a character with a normal, routine lifestyle. SimCity 3000, Roller Coaster Tycoon, SimPark, etc., would all be great. They're accessible at many different age levels, and all involve problem-solving, critical thinking, long term planning, short term risks/benefits, etc.
How can you call Lemmings non-violent? Lemmings are blown up, squashed, spalt into the ground and discentegrate... and sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice little cute lemmings to win levels.
Not saying this is a bad thing, the game is fun and I enjoyed every second playing it (well, any game in the series).
Just want to mention that violence isn't really that objective a criteria.
http://www.freeciv.org/
its free, its civ, its addictive...
And it learned me a lot about how humans advanced tru time...
And yes it has voilence in the form of war, but also diplomatic features, you can communicate to win and setting blood war off and space race as a winning goal will force users to go for science instead of war...
Quazion.
Try the old appleII game called "Rocky's Boots" yes.. I was a geek child, but my dad put me infront of that game (GUI based and it teaches logic, with some fun puzzles) and it sure payed off when I was taking discrete structures in college.. ;]
While I'm on this trip remembering the AppleII and all, Oregon Trail was another good one. RPG type game about hitting the trail out to Oregon. Simple Graphics, simple text, easy for a child to learn and pretty entertaining.. heh
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
There's a Sierra title out there called "Jones in the Fast Lane!" It's very old, probably have to get it on an abandonware site and ask Sierra's permission to use it. It's a "game of Life" for multiple players where you work your way up from "Burger Hut" jobs to highly skilled jobs which require an education in an effort to become highly successful and have all sorts of cool stuff (and win, of course.) It also has a great sense of humour which makes it highly addictive and fun. That one is PERFECT!
I recommend Grim Fandango and The Secret of Monkey Island.
A classic text-based game of drug dealing. The police-dealer shootouts are non-graphic, so you could say that it doesn't count as violence. Think of the lessons that could be learned. The kids could learn to appreciate the free market, as well as the value of a good ol' AK-47. And they would see that dealing drugs is really not a very profitable career (unless you deal herion).
Ditto to all others who suggested Myst. It's completely non-violent, and the original version will run on old systems (Mac or PC) and still looks stunning. If you have access to new machines and sense that the children will crave more eye candy and full 3D immersion, RealMYST will fit the bill nicely.
Risk is truely evil given form! In college a couple of times we got a game going... and going.... and going. One went so long people were subing in and out, I don't think we ever got done before 2 am.
monopoly
I can't help it - I'm a 19D.
I'm not sure if it's ported to PC's, but there was a great game the TI-80(???? or was it the Commodore 64 - now I know I'm dating myself). It was called Treasure Island. Straight text game no visuals but great for teaching creativity.
There is a cave ahead.
Go into the cave.
You are in the cave.
What do I see?
You see nothing.
Why?
Because it's dark.
Light a torch.
What about Abe's Oddyssee, and Loderunner?
This is a sample sig. Press F1 to personalize.
I'm guessing Redneck Rampage with the Cuss pack installed wouldn't fly?
the Lost Mind of Dr. Brain, as well as the others in the series. I have used therse in the Special Ed. classroom and kids of all age and literacy levels love playing them (including my huisband and myself.:) Pandora's Box is a great puzzle based game. Also the Math Blaster and Reading Blaster games.
If you have internet access on location, which I doubt, the Big Idea website (www.bigidea.com) has some great educational Flash games that are highly addictive and teach physics etc. - Spaced Penguin and Ship Lander are great on this site.
http://www.liquid.se/pong.html
The only thing you can accurately describe as "Scotch" is a sticky tape made by 3M. And it's
While it does have the principle of warfare in it, the "battles" are about as violent as Sesame Street. It teaches organization, cooperation (especially when networked), and long-term planning. Sounds like something right up your alley.
What about online fantasy sports leagues? There are several available, most of which are free. It has subject matter that would appeal to teens, but also would help them with doing reading, research, understanding statistics, math, etc.
.sig is funny
There are also non-sports genres of this type of game/simulation. I play one called Hollywood Stock Exchange (www.hsx.com) that is a very realistic simulation of stock exchange, using movies and movie stars as commodities. There is also a music version of the game at the same site.
Most of these games allow players to set up teams and/or leagues to compete.
my other
I know this is a bit late, but for anyone reading this far down the list, I would highly recommend the suite of economic games from Lavamind. Gazillionaire and Zapitalism were a blast and although I haven't played Profitania, it sounds as if it has the same winning ingredients. Each of the games has you trading commodities, a.k.a. MULE, and encountering situations that will keep the game interesting and challenging for quite some time. I would also like to add that it has some of the most challenging computer opponents around. Another great game comes from Stardock.com, The Corporate Machine. The Corporate Machine is another non-violent business sim game with amazing replay value and lots of add-ons. All of these games have a zero violence quotient and teach economics and fiscal strategy (and are cutthroat and engaging at the same time).
I've yet to be disapointed with any of these games, and they are non-violent as well as fun for kids (mine currently are 4, 8, & 10 and all of them enjoy the games better than any other kids games we've bought)... they're also fun for adults as well. Most of them have a very minimal reading requirement, and most can be played by someone who can't read if they have an older child there to play with them who can read.
Check out their software at Humongus.com.
My personal favorites are the SpyFox series (some reading/logic skills required) and the Knowledge Bug series (no reading required at all, just silly fun).
Good luck!
They can't play segas Typing Of The Dead As the screenshots show, it is possible for a game to be very entertaining while teaching a important skill at the same time. Juvenile delinquents would thrive on this sort of stuff.
Remember that you are unique, just like everybody else.
Have you asked the students, and teaching staff what would be good? Maybe they could create their own.
Now THAT was twisted and funny !
I'm not sure what educational value it has, but for non-violent we really love Glider. It's from Cassidy&Green, started out as a Mac program, but there is a windows version.
You control a paper airplane flying thru a house, catching lift from hot air ducts, candles, etc.
Zork Series (for those who can read)
Tetris
Dr. Mario (or Some variant)
BustAMove/Super BustAmove
"Don't mess with him, he taunts the happy fun ball."
1. Sierra puts out (& have put out) a bunch of stuff that involve creative thought. 'The Secret Island of Dr. Brain', 'The incredible machine'(!), plus the others already mentioned.
2. Turn them on to html. Buy any old HTML 4 book w/CD. Use the CD repeatedly. Linux books w/CD usually have an Apache site already set up with the Caldera and Red Hat versions. Building a web site is relatively simple and can give them a chance to strut their stuff, literally. If you are running MicroSoft, the web site software (Option pack 4) is FREE, at you-know-where. If you are using Unix/Linux, the Apache web server software is FREE, too. So is the java stuff at Sun for javaServerPages (JSP). (Free there, too.) Allaire/Macromedia has a FREE JavaServerPages server (with no expiration date for a developer version) at . Have fun!
Well all of you who remember playing Oregon Trail seem to not remember that the whole point of the game was to go hunting as much as possible. The ground was littered with squirrels and rabbits before I would return to the wagon and move but one game tick so it would let me hunt again.
Oregon Trail:
"You have killed 5400 pounds of meat, but can only carry 200 back."
Not a good one for these kids.
A lot of good games have been suggested. However, you might want to try leaving a few of the PCs blank. Get some Linux CDs and let the kids have at it. Let them install and configure the PCs themselves and let them simply explore or develop their own games. Place restrictions on the types of games they can develop if you have to. You mentioned low literacy rates. Perhaps this will give them an incentive to improve their reading ability. It will help develop their technical and analytical skills and it will give them an alternative to just racking up high scores.
The Myst series, on the other hand, much as I love it, does have some violence in it, both implied and direct. If you don't believe me, you really must not have explored the many ways you can die in Riven. It's not common, many players won't encounter it... but it's there.
How about Bolo Adventures? The objective is to get Bolo out of the "room" by manipulating objects in the room with each level getting progressively more intricate. It's a dos based game and rather small if I remember correctly.. it's been a rather long time since I played it. Here's a link to the site where you can download it:
http://www.soleau.com/dosgame.html
My personal pick is Go. It's Soooo deep.
You can get go client software for just about any common platform, some are in java too. So you can play on servers against other humans, and you can play against AI programs (which most people can beat easily after playing a few years because go is just too deep for a computer to play well - despite a $1 million reward for a truly good go AI).
There have been studies on the effects of go on the brain. Apparently it has developmental benefits in children similar to studying music. It supposedly also helps with dementia.
Might I respectfully suggest one of the great General Aviation flight sims that are available (MS Flight Simulator 2000, Fly!, Pro Pilot, etc.)
While a lot of people may play it just to look at the scenery, or "hyuk, hyuk, let's see what happens if I crash this plane on purpose!", it might also spark a healthy interest in aviation for a few of these kids, and give them a goal to work towards.
I've been flying (real) planes for a couple of years now, and remain grateful to Flight Simulators for helping to foster my interest in aviation.
- In Capitalist America, law violates YOU!
Teach em perl and lisp. They can't rejoin society until they can look at the obfuscation competition winning entries and say what they do at a single glance :-)
http://www.soleau.com/dosgame.html
I used to play the Bolo games; they were addictive problem-solving games. Lots of fun and very challenging.
I liked Oregon Trail a lot back in "the day." But it fails the no violence requirement. Most of the game was cool stuff like choosing trails, fording streams, and fixing busted wagon wheels. Genuine fun.
But Oregon Trail had a darker side. You could choose to go a-hunting to get meat for your family. You would spend all day searching for game, then blasting it.
This was also cool, but way more educational than it sounds. The chance of finding game would depend on the weather. You could only haul 100 lbs of meat back, so a deer and a bear got you the same amount. Bullets cost quite a bit, so you had to decide whether or not it was worth it to take a shot at a rabbit for only 5 or 10 lbs of meat. Hunting was pretty hard, and you could feel what it was like to go back to those hungry mouths at camp empty-handed.
I liked this game a lot, but I doubt that the state would find the "glorification" of violence and "cruelty" to animals appropriate for the "rehabilitation" of "amoral superpredators" like those you find in juvie hall.
were all mentally stimulating and challenging, along with being fun.
Wow, I'm a little bit alarmed that so far the list seems to consist of:
Lemmings
Sim-*
The Sims
How strict is this no violence policy? I mean obviously "Soldier of Fortune" and "Kingpin" are out, but what about:
Age of Empires
Civ series
StarCraft
There's lots of sports games (FIFA), driving games, flight-sims, etc. that aren't violent.
There's also:
ThemePark World
Rollercoaster Tycoon (many variants of both I think)
You don't specify platform, but I guess PC. If you're on a console you've got a lot more options... as well as the sports/driving games there's heaps of cutesy-but-brain-bending puzzle games amongst the fighting/blowing stuff up/organ muching zombie games.
The GameCube can be relied upon to feature non-violent content (Pikmin looks intriguing).
maybe
The trouble with what you are asking for is that for a game to be interesting there must be an objective. For the objective to be meaningful there must be problems to overcome.
Violence is a part of life, defining it is tough, artificially removing it is just dumb. You need clarification from the people in power. Do you want games with NO violence, or games which encourage problem solving without violence?
As one person pointed out, you can smash cities in Sim City. Big deal. We've all done it. We're not all axe-murderers. The problem you're going to come up against, in my opinion, is not the person playing the games, nor the social workers laying down the law as to what is 'constructive' or 'violent', but the people with the I.T. budget who think they know anything about what the correctional institution is doing.
Get the O.K. from your Boss to call in the people making the decisions. Otherwise you'll take the fall for some guy committing suicide because his city crumbled. Get each and every game 'rubberstamped' and be sure to point out to them how the game can be abused.
If you want to make a difference in what kind of software these people are exposed to, you won't be able to do it from the tech department... at least not without some help.
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.
My family and I used to spend hours playing the "Dr. Brain" games.
Dozings.com -- Its kinda funny... If you're as crazy as me.
As someone who codes/admin's for a living I know (firsthand) that computers are a panacea to NOTHING. They don't teach our kids. They frustrate teachers, and only complicate the problem of forcing creative minds to do something difficult and less entertaining. Like learning something. Yeah, it's not fun. It sucks. But then every damn thing we do that means anything is tough. If that's too much of a thought to bear, then obviously it's a personal problem.
Like the old adage goes, "Everything I've learned, I learned from someone else", and that's what's important. And what I've learned from watching K-12 admins, teachers, and kids has taught me that computers have a very limited (extremely limited) role to play in education at the K-12 level; a role that's almost equivalent to TV use. The importance of computers to education for young children is extremely overplayed to the benefit of nearly everyone but the children and the teachers, so if you don't find a solution to the problem of good learning software it's because you're ignoring the best learning device (wetware) the planet has to offer...it's that idealistic, incredibly underpaid teacher who has to do without and somehow perform a minor miracle in this age of micro-burst attention spans in children(conditioned reflex to all those extravagant TV ads that peddle chinese plastic and wonder to the young in this country).
BTW...this isn't a Luddite point of view. It's just so damn obvious that only people who are in love with the concept of schools (fat cats and vendors making money selling firewater to the natives) sitting children down in classrooms full of computers and somehow letting the comptuers do something that is uniquely human.
Maybe we should get some lucky bastard to write up a socially acceptable study to determine the level of feral behavior a child would have if everything they learned came from a computer. That would be a good read. Maybe we could roll a little "operant conditioning" in there too. You know, force the little buggers to figure out the right sequence of actions they would need to perform correctly in order to get a caffine drink, or a piece of candy. Failure could result in a mild electric shock. Hey, now that would be progress, eh? We love you B.F. Skinner, and a big shout out to P.T. Barnum, who is to Human Nature, what Albert Einstien is to Physics.
Every new form of media has it's own Requirimento
how about a nice game of chess?
Om Mani Padme Hum
It's not a computer game, but the card game Set would be great. It's completely visual, so literacy is not a problem; it's easy to learn; it's fast-paced and exciting; and there are a lot of interesting math problems and puzzles associated with it.
[http://www.familygames.com/], especially
[http://www.familygames.com/freelane.html].
Check out http://www.brigebuilder-game.com
Sim Family for Home Ec
Carmageddeon for Drivers Ed sim (alternate: Crazy Taxi)
Summer Games 2000 for PE (that game sucked so bad they will want to actually go outside and play real sports)
Black and White for theology
BattleChess for the Chess club
Please give your mod points to others, Im at the cap. They will appreciate it more
There's a
review here of the "Logical Journey of the Zoombinis", which is supposed to be one of the better puzzle games out there. Of course, it's created for 8-12 year olds, but depending on the developmental level of your charges, it might still be appropriate.
Libertarianism is rich wolves and poor sheep playing gambler's ruin for dinner.
Of course, there are also sports games, which at least aren't about killing people. Not much educational value, but they do keep a lot of people interested.
Many of these are no longer published, but are still available for order online. All are available for Windows and Mac.
The Logical Journey of the Zoombinies. (Broderbund) Best of the bunch. Terrific job of teaching logic, but so much fun the kids don't realize they are learning. Excellent production values (narration, sound, music, animation). Simple interface. lends itself to cooperative problem-solving (a bunch of kids around one monitor). Like a non-violent Lemmings with a twist. Came out in a teacher's kit as well as a retail version.
Math Heads. (Theatrix Interactive) Hip, music-video-style quiz-show-cum-math program.
Julliard Music Adventure. (Theatrix Interactive) Original, uses simplified sequencer to solve musical puzzles (and incidentally teach about rhythm, melody and chords) in an adventure-game wrapping.
Widget Workshop (Maxis). Wonderful. Virtual Rube-Goldberg experiments but with organic components and analog meters added. Sort of like Incredible Machines but with real scientific value.
David Macauley's The Way Things Work (Houghton Mifflin). Kids love to play around and learn about things. The most recent versions include clever games that teach about physics principles.
Lego Mindstorms. 'nuff said. Their Mars Exploration kit, among others.
Brenda Laurel's Purple Moon games, especially the Rockett series which deals realistically with social problems among adolescents, and the Secret Paths series. Wonderful multi-cultural storytelling for girls - and boys. Unfortunately, Purple Moon was bought out by Mattel.
There is a dearth of good socially-responsible interactive entertainment out there. Some of us are working to change that, but it's a long, hard road. Hope this helps in the meantime.
Flout 'em and scout 'em,
and scout 'em and flout 'em;
Thought is free. - Shakespeare [The Tempest]
It seems farily obvious that the study established a correlation between the two things, chess playing, and test scores, however, that does not establish a causal relationship. Playing chess, under that statement, does not provedly improve one's capacity to take tests. Rather it's likely that high test scores, and an affinity toward chess are derived from the same root cause... higher intelligence. Those who really enjoy chess do so because they love wrapping their mind around looking several moves into the future, and manipulating their opponent into things while avoiding being manipulated themselves. Individuals with IQ's of 8 can't do this, so chess is simply frustrating.
Slay a dragon... over lunch!
Seriously. Starcraft really does make you think. You have to plan your attacks and defenses according to your opponent. Can I send 6 tanks in against 24 marines with stimpaks? It also is a little violent. Not in the sense that most people think of when they picture a violent game, but in the sense that you do kill beings. My $.02.
I wrote a game called SNUG, which is a puzzle of fitting random shapes into a box. There is no time limit to encourage deep thinking. This game improves children's spatial visualization skills. I received emails from teachers asking if they could use it in their schools. The answer is yes, because it's freeware. If you want to download it, here is where I put it: http://www.puz.com/sw/freeware/page3.htm
Download Mazes and Puzzles from www.puz.com
I know a 12 year old girl who can't even tolerate cartoon violence, much less fighting games, and Sonic's her favorite character in the whole world. Every one of these games is a labor of love.
You can get a new Dreamcast with Sonic Adventure, a memory card and another game that has the word Sonic in the title but doesn't really count for $100 new. Various PC Sonic games (CD , Sonic and Knuckles collection etc) Can be found in bargain bins for $5-$20.
One good thing about RRT2 is that it has a scenario editor, so if you need to make an easier game for younger kids, or promote a specific style of play, you can set up scenarios for that, and edit the map as you see fit.
Don't label something "offtopic" unless you know the topic well enough to tell what's on topic.
Steve Shipway's old Wanderer game involved some serious problem solving. There is some minor violence, as you need to drop a rock or an arrow ontop of some monsters to keep them from eating you.
But most of the game is using logic to figure out how to go through the maze.
Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
It holds a bunch of old and free games running on PC.
My current obsession. The problem-solving part is untangling routing messes. Doesn't require too much literacy, but does require the ability to recognize numbers (I need $285K to put this rail down and I've only got $240K; plus I'll need to spend $50K on an engine.) And it's business-oriented (if you consider robber barons to be business-oriented), so you can get 'em into that capitalist/happy-contributor-to-society mindset.
John.
Check out www.sodaplay.com for a cool little physical simulation game.
Ideas in this comment are smarter than they appear.
Another suggestion. Pit Droids by the now defunct Lucas Learning. This was a great puzzle game. Playable by and challenging to any age or intellect. A kid could play it, and an intelligent adult could be challenged by it. The only violence occurrs when your droids are marched under a hazardous ob-stackle
--Damn! We're in a tight spot!
Soleau Software and Everett Kaser Games. Soleau has many platform-style puzzlers of the Sokoban and Boulderdash varieties. Kaser also has these, but the best are Sherlock and Honeycomb Hotel. These last two games are like logic word games ("Mr. Johnson likes apples", only completely graphic (picture of a man over a picture of an apple). They teach deduction and observation.
Best of all, they're free to try, and cheap to buy.
I don't know if this would qualify as interesting enough, or work with true illiterates (that is, a person that can't read thing one) but there's always TurtleGraphics.
My improved version of LOGO is here, and it's free (GPL). Again, the literacy thing can be an obstacle, but there's no reason an early elementary schooler can't use it, so you don't have to be at the Shakespearian level to try it.
At any rate, it might be a nice change of pace if you have even one person that can benefit from it.
--ryan.(icculus@SPAMISEVILclutteredmind.org)
Don't say, "don't quote me," because if no one quotes you, you probably haven't said a thing worth saying.
Give them the SNES version of MK1. Maybe the sweat will make them think they should work hard to be cool like Sub Zero.
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.
At the risk of dating myself, games like PacMan, Frogger and Tetris are among the top selling games of "all time" if you want to look at market share/popularity at the time.
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."
Ditto, ditto, ditto. Just because there is a dirth of non-violent games now doesn't mean the trend couldn't be changed by just one or two killer games. Heck, with how derivitive everything is lately, if you just make one good one, there will be 50 other people jumping on the new "non-violent game" bandwagon. Back before Linus, everyone was saying, "Open source? Bah!" (Now its just most people saying it...)
Do what you love. If you do it well, success will follow!
I would have to say that explosives are the most abused technology in all of history.
Try games like the 7th gate or the 11th hr
It doesn't even have to be multi-player Civ. Even single-player Civ is an extraordinarily great game for teaching anthropology, history, and political science. More importantly, I think a lot of kids get into trouble because they feel powerless against society. I think that Civ, by showing how technology, sociology, politics, and economics relate to each other, how they support each other, and how they create power for people and nations, can give these kids a better understanding of the world and how they can be empowered within it.
Anybody else remember "The Halley Project" for the Amiga? That was an excellent learning game. You flew around the solar system in a little space ship in missions where you'd do things like "land on a moon with an atmosphere".
Taught you how to navigate, and you had to go to the encyclopedia to look stuff up to know where to fly.
Very cool old game.
--- It is not the things we do which we regret the most, but the things which we don't do.
You might also want to look at the old Apogee/3D-Realms games, which you can download here. Many of them are nonviolent, and they tend to enhance problem solving skills to some extent -- especially Math Rescue and Word Rescue.
Not sure if it's been suggested already but try the Monkey Island series. There is some animated violence but it's along the slapstick variety and you may be able to get approval. The series is a laugh riot. Well worth the time
some that come to mind immediately:
* for games with an asterisk: i don't know how well those fit your constraints - they involve conflict and abstract warfare, but no violence on individuals.
while we're at it, i'd also recommend getting some complex board games, since in addition to working on problem solving and thinking, they also require social interaction. some examples that come to mind:
hope this helps!
My other car is a cons.
im a tempremental, nervous person. I punch things when I'm angry. I'm not nearly as angry when I have a healthy dose of starcraft, counterstrike, or even better, outdoor paintball (in real life). Why don't you get some psychologists to come in and watch these groups play different games. I mean, they're juvenile offenders and people too, but it doesn't mean we can learn from the _mistakes_ we've made as a society...
________________________________________________
George Lucas has had a project for awhile to create educational games. Driodworks coems to mind, there may be others.
For (generally) non-violent, mind strethcing recreation, i'd also look at some of the adventure games. Escape from Monkey island is a fun new one. Some of the older ones like Day of the Tentacle or Sam and Max are still lots of fun too.
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.
Try http://www.dreamcatchergames.com for some great adventure games that involve problem solving but have a bit more action than Myst & Riven. Some of the games they sell have animated violence, but most of them are rated "E" & are nonviolent, yet are interesting for people above the age of twelve. My personal fave: Beyond Atlantis. I didn't care for "the Crystal Key" (lots of bugs, have to download patches & possibly change Quicktime settings) but others liked it. (There are about 3 others I want to buy, but have put a moratorium on purchases until I finish the ones I already have.)
It hasn't been released yet, but it would seem to be a good bet. Learn about chaos theory and fractals as well as musical composition.
Venharis
Or if you just want to do the musical composition (using fractals) check out organised chaos
with pretty pictures and music is Railroad Tycoon II.
They are coming out with a rerelease Sept 20th.
Excellent non-violence, competitive game.
The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
Snood is a nonviolent arcade-style game that requires a decent amount of forethought and planning. When I was managing labs at a middle school, both the students and teachers couldn't get enough of it. Available for MacOS, Windows, PalmOS and soon, it seems, GameBoy Advance. Download a fully-functional copy of this fine shareware game and give it a try.
People have already mentioned a couple of Lucas Learning titles - but missed my favorite "Pit Droids" In this puzzle game that's like lemmings, you have to create a path from one part of the game to the exits for the Pit Droids to get to. The game teaches pattern recognition, ratios, and simple branching (All needed for programming!!). Add to that Star Wars themes arranged as jazz, and you have an addictive title for adults too. You can also make your own puzzles once you've finished the game. If you're on a Mac, Tranquility is another great 3D puzzle game that teaches patience!! http://www.tqworld.com/
Knowledge Adventure (owned by Sierra) puts out two series of educational games (jump-start and blaster) aimed at children of (all ages) with cute cartoon characters. While their newest game incorporates a spy theme and uses a fireball blast to destroy robots, my brother, who works their, says its the first time they've ever used an explosion graphic. (The game characters have never used guns). The games teach a lot of spelling/grammar/language arts as well as math and logic. Additionally they have geography, science, and history components. They have a wide variety of games with different themes (ie skateboarding adventures etc) and grade levels. Perhaps you might find one of their games of interest.
Try http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/
'nuff said.
One very challenging card game is SET (a favorite of mine), which also has a PC version and a downloadable demo. Try www.setgame.com.
Check out Galapagos from Anark.
;).
Its an old game, and its not even losted on their site anymore -- but I'm sure its out there. It works on both Wintel and Macintosh platforms.
Its heavily based on its AI -- its kind of unique like that. You control this little robot (it has a catchy name, but I forgot what it is) that learns and develops behavioral patterns and intelligence. The premise is that you need to help this little sucker (life form) through a hostile world by affecting the world rather than the character.
You can't control the creature directly, but you can alter its environment to make it do different stuff. You can click on its posterior to give it a push in a certian direction, hit it in the nose to stop it, or push it away -- left, right etc. You can also click on triggers throughout the level (they flash to let you know that they're clickable) to affect the environment to help it to complete a puzzle. the AI is kind of neat -- if you click on/aggrivate your robot too much, it becomes neurotic!
I'd say that its probably less violent than Lemmings (no Lemming nukes or otherwise exploding creatures) -- and probably less than TIM (no gun as a catalyst)
Again, its a really old game, so you will have to search a little to find it, but a benefit of that is that it will run really old on whatever old hardware you've got...it is 3d, and its got a decent software renderer, and it supports some 3d hardware...not sure of the details though.
Check it out sometime. I'm sure that it will make your kids feel good...or likely better than a detention center/(insert bad stuff here) makes them feel. Hope this helps!
J-Turkey
It ain't too cool bein' no jive turkey so close to Thanksgiving!
-Turkey
most will run happily on 486's ... and at most have comic mischeif and some rare cartoon violence ...
Read: Monkey Island 1 and 2, Day of the Tentacle, Sam n Max hit the road, etc...
Some other non-violent games that require like a p200mx or better : monkey islan 3, 4 and Grim Fandango ...
Grim Fandango might be an interesting choice -- its about "Manny" who is forced to work off his misdeeds in life by public service in death ... and its the best game ever made.
Most of these you can pickup for 15$, theres a reissue of moneky island 3 that includes monkey island 1 and 2 as well ... 15$ :)
email if youd like more info
Free Techno/Jazz/DNB/MI Music by guys obsessed with monkeys!
Bullfrog's Theme Park is pretty cool. Economics, layout and design, cool rides to boot.
Good feedback loop too. More cash more research better rides. Most violent part is trying to make your park patrons puke because the toilets are overflowing....
Non voilent.
Thinking skills.
Problem solving.
I haven't played it since I nuked my windows partition, but Rubik's Playground was one of the best and most fun puzzle games I've ever seen. Being a physics simulation, it requires developing sound intuition about mechanics. It comes with a built in editor allowing students to create puzzles for themselves and others as well.
:).
The game also includes 3 other puzzles, including a nice cube simulation. It certainly fits the no-violence criterion at least
Oregon trail has violence.
Yup, some might count shooting animals with a rifle as violent. Unless you want to hack the game to remove the hunting (leaving stocking up early and bushes as the sole source of food), you've got violence in Oregon Trail.
D'oh.
Support a few technologists in Washington.
Play it in Hippie mode and the blood and gibs turn into flowers and fruit!
OK, maybe it's still kinda violent, but it's funny as hell. Kill a room full of monsters and it's covered in daisies and melons.
from the web page (http://wolfpack.twu.net/SearchAndRescue/)
Changing the pace of recent sterotypical game themes, Search and Rescue aims to create a plot based on positive goals such as saving victims in varying situations of distress.
The player will be given the chance to pilot different types of rescue aircraft in a variety of search and rescue style missions.
Search and Rescue is highly customizeable by allowing intermediate players to create their own missions and allowing experianced players to design their own aircraft and scenery.
I think my favorite non-violent game ever was Bubble Bobble. I wasted many hours playing that with friends in university. It's really an excellent game with two players, since they both play at once and must co-operate to clear a screen.
Seems to me there were a lot of games like that before the PC became standard with it's single joystick port. A real shame that good 2 player games are only to be found on consoles these days. I miss my old Atari 800 with it's four joystick ports. Now there was a great game-playing machine.
Robot Odyssey was a good educational game that gave the basics of designing circuits and logic using your various logic gates, flip-flops, etc. It gets very involved and awfully difficult near the end-levels.
I imagine just about any sports based game (other than the obvious wrestling/rugby) would work for meeting the non-violent criteria.
You might also consider the various Play by Mail games out there - especially those that have regular turns run. This also gives added negotiating power - do the homework, get to see their next turn, etc. Of course, that requires net access.
That Jesus Christ guy is getting some terrible lag... it took him 3 days to respawn! -NJ CoolBreeze
Now he had some pretty good games...
I dont remember any violence in chopping down a tree to climb down and get eaten by chiggers, or grabbing a statue of a blue ox and saying bunyon.
Just going for variety here...
Sims and Civs were definitely what leapt to mind for me. Devastatingly addictive, so they won't complain about being bored. Not violent (certainly not in an FPS way, in any case... you let them play Risk? You'll let them play Civ). They'll spend a long time strategizing. Great combination!
[TMB]
1) The Incredible Machine
2) Railroad Tycoon (the latest one)
3) Sim-anything
4) Snood
5) RTS games (I would argue that the strategic thought exercise outweighs the cartoon violence)
6) Sid Meier games in general (Alpha Centauri is pretty good, try having them win through cooperation and trade instead of warfare... I think it's important to have games with warfare as an option but that also show the down-side to it, and SMAC does a good job of this... This is the only way kids will learn to NOT choose to fight)
7) Any MMORPG
Lots of games have things "disappearing" in an abstract manner, and that is often interpreted as "killing" it, so good luck finding games that have nothing to do with that theme =)
I was with you right up to point Number 7. Most MMORPGs are built around killing people/monsters with swords, knives, arrows and explosives (albeit "magical" explosives, lol). I seriously doubt most MMORPG's would pass the No Violence clause. And most of them wouldn't be particularly contructive environments for Juvenile Delinquents to be in, methinks.
Try "king pin". It will help them move on with their career.
I suppose literacty might be a problem, as well as attention spans, but my favorite non-violent games have been some of the past few years' best adventure games, such as The Longest Journey, Grim Fandango, and Sanatorium. Fantastic stuff.
Neverhood by Dreamworks... it's been out a few years, but its great fun and requires lots of thinking to solve some of the puzzles.
Maybe he could find an old set of Pirate and Traveler? It combined elements of geography, adventure and risks, although the references to whale trade, seal skins, polar bear fur and cannibals might not be politically incorrect.
'nough said
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Food Chain from Cajun Games http://www.cajungames.com/foodchain/ is a very addictive creative puzzle solver game. The only violence is small cartoon animals that eat each other, as part of the 'food chain'
011001110110110001100101011011100110001001101111
In a similar genre, I liked Jewels of the Oracle. It's still available.
www.dopewars.com
Sorry to shatter illusions, but I can remember some serious mindless violence with Lemmings.
What we used to do with Lemmings 1 was to find a level with lots of stone that could be blown up - below and beside, but not too much above. We'd then fence every single Lemming into a really, really narrow zone. When we had 100 Lemmings into an area maybe 30-40 pixels wide, we'd set off the Nuke 'em. They all blow up 5 seconds later, some sooner than others. Some are blown into the air, some bounce around, lots of scenery gets blown up and it's all very spectacular and silly.
Or, occasionally, for simple sadism, dig a hole above some water or (even better) lava and watch a whole convoy walk along, then fall in and scream, quietly.
With a sufficiently sadistic mind, Lemmings is perfectly capable of being used for violence.
Greg
(Inside a nuclear plant)
Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!
....like take them outside and have them play some physical sport that forces them to use problem solving and to respect the limits and abilities of their own bodies. Just a thought.
------------------
I threw away my tv. It wasn't raising my kids right. --Me
I'm determined to reclaim my karma. Now, if I can only find a groundbreaking article and something witty to say....
Black and White can easily be played with no violence. It also offers you to interact with a "creature" and "villagers". It's a great game in my opinion and kids will love it.
I thought this game was reasonably entertaining, and it's certainly non-violent. It's entirely creative, since you have to figure out how to build/maintain amusement parks based on the criteria for each level. When you get tired of using the pre-packaged rides, you can start designing your own, which emphasizes skills involving 3D/spatial assessment.
Alice)
Essentially a 3D version of Logo. Users program 3D worlds and have characters which interact. Very cool (and no cost). The underlying language is Python.
Agentsheets
Stagecast
Both very good environments which allow children to build simulations of anything which interests them. They both use visual languages to reduce the need for keyboards.
ToonTalk
Users program robots to perform tasks. All done using programming by demonstration.
Lego Mindstorms
Yeah, don't need to write anything here. It's wicked.
Alternatively, you can wait until I develop my environment, but don't held your breath...:)
Carpe post meridian
I'm sure out of all these people somebody must have said it, but I'll reiterate - The Neverhood. Great game. Puzzles are challenging and entertaining. The humour is great for children of all ages. I dig the music too but others beg to differ (what is there not to like about 'The Doi-Doi Song'?). The claymation aspect also makes it very entertaining.
Mindrover is a terrific game that really helps build concrete skills. And fun too! But the rocket launchers prolly count as 'violence'. Hmmm.
What about Civilization II? At the mid to high levels the difficulty is challenging and requires planning and strategy. And of course it's fun as hell. I guess you could call it "violence" when two armies fight in CivII, but in the way that two chesspieces fight.
Our first Massively Multiplayer Role Playing^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^HSwine Herding Game.
http://www.worldforge.org/website/rules/acorn/
Ven. Jhanrato
Chu Chu Rocket, Puyo Pyuo, Sega Swirl and Dr. Mario are great ones.
CCR is a high speed, simplified version of Lemmings. Your goal is to save mice from cats by laying some arrow tiles on the floor in the mice's path. It's made by Sonic Team for Dreamcast, and it supports up to 4 players at once. You can get the whole setup for under $150 now.
Puyo Puyo and Dr. Mario are similar to Tetris; you have to guide falling colored pieces to keep the screen from filling. The US version of Puyo Puyo are called "Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine" on Sega Genesis and Sega Game Gear and "Kirby's Avalanche" on Super NES. You can get those whole setups for under $60, though they might be hard to find.
Sega Swirl is another game sort of like Tetris. It's free, since it comes on the web browser disk with every Dreamcast. If you don't have it, Sega will send you a free web browser disk in the mail by calling 1-800-USA-SEGA.
If they have some patience, try teaching them BASIC. Two recent versions are especially made for making games, and thus have lots of graphic and sound commands. Learn to Program BASIC from Interplay, made for 2D graphics, costs $30 and Dark Basic, made for 3D graphics, costs $70. Both run in Windows, and LTPB also runs in MacOS.
Nothing wastes more of my time that trying to learn a new language (computer or spoken/written). A lot of the foreign language software comes with little games to play. Also Ham University has a game that teaches Morse Code (Pentode) and there are others. This is the kind of stuff I would want in their shoes, since Q3A is off limits. You don't have to aim low with children's software. Ask the prisoners what they want from the suggestions listed here. You might actually be worth something if you could translate after release.
However, if these kids require eye candy, there was a new release: here is some info.
Those of us with nostalgia would probably prefer the IIe version, but your students might like the new one.
Critical thinking, math, planning, and luck all play a big role in your success. I loved this game and it was always a treat to play it.
Print out these testimonials to quell any "policy."
While I think the sims and other "toys" are better than games for what you are trying to do, I think a "tool" would be even better still. I'm thinking of a 3D rendering/modeling/animation program, such as trueSpace 3D. It's easy to start fiddling with without reading instructions, has built-in tutorials to teach the use of the fancier features, lets people create photo-realistic scenes or animations fairly simply, but scales up to TV-quality stuff too. It can be used by just about anyone, but there are many obvious "hooks" to use to branch off into physics (it has real world physics, such as gravity and collisions, in the animation section so things behave realistically), there's a lot of math involved in the NURBS, Splines, boolean object functions, and most other aspects of the software, though you don't *have* to know it to make nice images...it just helps you understand what's going on. As a "grabber" to get attention and teach planning, concentration, and stick-with-it, it's useful, but add in the branching off to math, cinematorgraphy, physics, art, story-telling and lots of other things, and I think you can't beat it. There are public-domain and freeware programs, such as PovRay, which do some of the same things at little or no cost, but trueSpace is really a good program for beginners...like I was when I started using it. It's not cheap, but perhaps, given your use and environment, Caligari might agree to donate a few copies? Might be worth asking anyway. http://www.caligari.com/ should get you contact info and more description of what the program can do.
You didn't give an age range, but for younger children, Humongous sotware do a good collection (Pajama Sam etc). SockWorks is very cool - debug a cellular automaton in the form of conveyer belts moving socks around to get them in the right basket.
For older children
Logical Journey of the Zoombinis from Broderbund is another puzzle game where you have to solve problems to get the Zoombinis to freedom.
Zap from Edmark is also very neat - you have to fix all the electrics, lights and sound systems to put on a gig, and the simulators are very general.
I spose I'd have to look back to my childhood(which wasn't that long ago) and look at the games I enjoyed :)
;))
;))
Monkey Island 1,2,3 (Ok so maybe 3 wasn't in my childhood but I'm still a kid at heart
Day of the Tentacle
Sam and Max Hit the Road
Those games will keep most kids/young adults occupied for hours with both puzzles and humor. I've also heard good things about Grim but I've never had a chance to play it (and who wants 3D anyway
Both of these games are non violent (unless you crash your airplane}. And come to think of it EA golf, soccer etal could be considered non violent....
--Richard
I know this can seem a pretty dull question, but you have to define what kind of violence we're talking about. Let me explain : ;-) ) are stress-annihilators, since they redirect it into the game - but since they have no educationnal purpose, they can't be chosen.
While some adventure games may have no explicit violent scenes featured, the atmosphere conveyed can be unhealthy (think of Shadow of the Comet, or Alone in the Dark, two Lovecraft-inspired games).
On the contrary, combat games (such as Fatal Street Shodown
I've seen some comments here saying that since they were fairy tale-inspired games, the King Quest series (and other games molded the same way) may not be a good choice. That is *so* wrong. Yes, fairy tales include real gory details, and a certain amount of violence. I think we're missing the point by searching violence-free games, because almost everything we do is violence-related in some way, IMHO.
Yes SimCity, etc. could allow people to create big cities just to crush them after that, but you just can't prevent people from diverting a game's purpose to fill their need of violence. We're all violent to some extent; we just need to know how to release our impulses the good way (ie by doing sports, playing fighting video games, whatever helps to avoid bashing one's neighbour).
Now, the purpose is educationnal, but since the players have litteracy problems, you need to make them want to play those games... Myst, etc. are very good games, but, as it's been said previously, maybe a little too "abstract" for these guys. An old game I quite like is The 7th Guest. It is graphically correct, deals with enigmas, and has a good, enticing atmosphere.
In any case, you just can't give them games that aren't featuring enough "beautiful" graphics - at least at the beginning.
I would personnaly recommend any of the lucas adventure games (with a preference for Day of the Tentacle, which is a really crazy game, and prompts the player to imagine the weirdest solutions to solve problems)
Ya because beating the crap out of someone with the crowbar is so much less violent then just shooting them. Smarty Phants.
Heaven and Earth, by Scott Kim (google him for web site), is one of the most incredible puzzle games ever made. It features hundreds of delightful single-screen puzzles based on subtle visual illusions and interface tricks. No boring search-the-dungeon-for-the-key or find-the-secret-combination puzzles. Did anyone else find this game as wonderful as I did?
There are a lot of different music programs, MIDI widgets, piano keyboard emulators, etc. Some are happier with special input devices, but there's a lot you can do with just vanilla soundcards, and there are programs for Macintoshen as well as Windows.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
That's right, I said none! Well, I guess Tetris qualifies, but there are _hardly_ any.
Nearly every non-kiddie game available has some tie to violence. Grim Fandango, one of the finest games written (not just coded--written) is set in the Mexican Day of the Dead, and still manages to involve violence and death. So does Zork. So does Myst, for that matter. So do all of the other suggestions I've seen, including Lode Runner.
The question is, where does violence become encouraging and gratuitous? This is, of course, different for different people. (hence the problem with games inciting copycat behaviour in some people and not others; the problems with ratings; and so forth.) In a correctional facility or that sort of thing, you definitely want to be erring on the side of caution, but literature and drama might balance the books against violence in a game which has them all.
The truly interesting thing is that the same argument goes for nearly every form of entertainment, education, and diversion ever created. Go figure!
"People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
Puzzle games are by FAR the greatest mental stimulus I've ever been entertained by. the ENTIRE Tetris series of video games on the Nintendo platforms has always been entertaining. Stuff like the adventures of LoLo or Kickle Cubicle on the 8-bit Nintendo were just fantastic. Puzzle games with time limits teach problem solving in limited time, they quicken response and thought processes, and overall just make your brain function more quickly. It also teaches you to second-guess yourself, to plan things out in order to solve the puzzle. Really, I think puzzle games are essential to true mental development. Don't take my word for it though, TRY IT. (Pick up a super nintendo and the game 'tetris attack' and you'll see what I mean)
-Sy
Reinvent the wheel only at either a lower cost, greater effectiveness, or your own personal enrichment and satisfaction.
Food Chain http://www.cajungames.com/foodchain/
I think some of the very best games when it comes down to problem solving, reasoning, etc. are the original Sierra games. For example the King's Quest, Space Quest, Quest for Glory, and Police Quest series(es?).
Unfortunately, there is a little bit of violence in some of these, notably Quest for Glory which involves sword fighting, Police Quest since you are a cop, and the latest King's Quest which really tried to get gamers who are into things like Quake. But most of the violence in the other King's Quest and Space Quest games weren't anything you wouldn't see in a storybook for kids.
Played at expert level to teach Economics.
Seriously, that game has got a hard-core and complex economic model. Took me months to figure it out.
"Reactionaries must be deprived of the right to voice their opinions; only the people have that right." - Mao
Zork, from infogames.
You can apparently get the old Zork stuff from the Infocom web site.
Involves getting eaten by grues, trolls with weapons, that kind of stuff, but no humans are harmed (apart from the player).
See... even Geeks have violent fantasies. We kill imaginary creatures for fun. And profit.
If you prevent [children] from doing stupid things, you prevent [children] from doing clever things.
...
or something like that.
"Reactionaries must be deprived of the right to voice their opinions; only the people have that right." - Mao
A 3D Game where your program cars using Logic. There is violence in that there are battle options.
Chess can be taught to anyone at almost any age - it does take patience to master - but it can be learned very easily.
I was taught Chess by my grandfather at age FOUR - one of the best legacies he could have ever given me.
Here in Chicago one of the great aspects of playing chess is that it is an activity that is open and available to anyone of any race, sex, or age - go to any of the public chess pavilions (actually this is true around the world for the most part) and you will find a group of people who would unlikely talk to each other in other circumstances playing a game for hours at a time.
I have seen traders from the board of trade playing homeless men - and often lossing.
There are hundreds of books and courses for how to teach chess - books and techniques tailored to any age - learning chess is a very powerful experience, it is fundementally a simple game - much simplier than most PC games - what makes it so difficult and so rewarding is how a very simple set of rules (7 types of pieces, two "special rules with pawns, one special move with King and rook, some special rules with one piece the king - that's really it) can create amazing complexity.
Books I would strongly recommend is anything by a Lasker (either Emanuel Lasker or Edward Lasker). Emanuel Lasker's books are on my short list of the most influential books I have EVER read - they teach a great about how to think - not just how to think about chess.
Both books teach chess backwards.
They start by teaching how to move the pieces, then how to win in the endgame with only a few pieces on the board, then common ideas/elements of the middlegame, and then and only then do they talk about the opening - and here rather than teach specific opening lines they concentrate on understanding WHY certain moves are made.
After understanding all this, not only do you play fairly decent chess, but you also begin to have a good feeling about how understanding something can help you make decisions, how small decisions can lead to bigger things in the end - all important lessons in life.
Play chess is also a great chance for students in any situation to get exposed to the world - they can play each other, over the computer they can play online against people of similar skill levels across the globe, they can even participate in tournements - either in person or online.
One of the joys of my life is the fact that in any city, nearly anywhere in the world, if I find a place where chess players meet, I can find a place where I can meet friendly people in that city - I have played chess all over the world - one of the best times being playing in the Luxumbourg gardens in Paris against an Englishman who lived in Paris - as an American tourist how else would you get to randomly meet people who live in that city.
So, I have to disagree with Garcia on the subject of chess - go ahead and teach your students chess - there are many great computer programs to help, and many great online resources for them to explore - it will give them a skill and an entre into a world that they might not otherwise enter.
Some real examples of this - through playing chess I have met millionaires, russian imigrants, hispanics, african americans, and many other people of as diverse a range of backgrounds, educational levels, and jobs as you could find. I have friends ranging from Business school professors, cab drivers, traders at the board of trade, city workers, to retired former "special assistants to Mayor Daley (Sr.) 75+ year old retires play 14 year teenagers. Through playing a common game we share a common passion (some would say madness) and over chess either in a public square, a local coffeeshop, or a local chess club we have a chance to meet, talk, and get to know each other.
This occurs in a manner very rare in American - your students would seem very likely to benefit from learning and playing chess.
Ask around - I suspect that there are local chess clubs, chess teachers, and probably even a grandmaster or two who would be very willing to help teach chess to your students - chess is a passion and most serious players love to share it.
Shannon
-- Join us in Chicago May 1-4th for MeshForum -- writer, historian, tech geek, entrepreneur, internet junky since '91 --
They have great strategy games.
If you're not on somebody's shit list, you're not doing anything worthwhile.....
Though it isn't a computer game, it does teach important lessons about life with an up-beat hip to the kids message! It was released on the original NES 8-bit system, so you won't need a lot of dollar either. Not sure if Wally is for you and those you wish to inspire, check out this informative website :
http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/wallybear.htm
Good luck in your honorable quest!
Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here
The aim of that is for there to be as little violence as possible!
"Anybody remotely interesting is mad, in some way or another" - Doctor Who
Droidworks was actually obnoxious to play in comparison, with each "level" taking more than 30 minutes to play. I only played the demo, but it was monotonous, loud, and stupid. And the puzzle was all about gear ratios. Talk about "educational", might as well get ToonTalk (which teaches kids to "program" in a faux-Lego 3D environment) or ReaderRabbit.
There are a lot of games out there for those who like solving puzzles. Not just board game rip-offs. In fact, several of the computer game rating sites have a "puzzle" genre.
I've enjoyed a lot of the Dreamcatcher games too. But watch out for the violence in those.
If you're getting just one, PitDroids. The graphics are good, the sound is good, the game play is good (interface is decent), and since it's a LucasArts game, you'll be able to order it forever.
Take a look at Zillions of Games (http://www.zillions-of-games.com). It plays chess (and tons of variations), checkers, and many, many other perfect-information games, and has it's own LISP-ish programming language to add your own games.
Since everything is in text mode and interactive, it suits for non-violent games. And most of it, you would help the near-dead BBS scene!
I'm kinda joking, I know... But I still call local BBSes oftan.
All Hail Discordia. Hail Eris. Fnord.
Civ, even the later versions, can be too complicated in terms of interface and scope. I recommend Pharaoh, which is like Civ with a more intuitive interface and simpler options, and obviously a focus on one particular civilization. Like Civ bad stuff can happen--like your city being razed--but it's not inherently violent and is extremely fun and engaging. Personally, I enjoyed it as much as any Civ version I've tried, perhaps because the elegant simplicity lends itself to engaging more casual gamers like myself--and like most of your potential student players.
Chasing Amy
(We all chase Amy...)
"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws"-Tacitus
That's all you need to do--introduce them to a place where they could very likely end up having "tinysex"/cybersex with strangers. Try explaining how you let random cyberspace strangers "into the school," in the same hysteric society which runs that horrid commercial warning kids of reporting suspicious people online (horrid because the "online predator" guy is stereotypically a fat guy made up to look really ugly. Yes, let's teach kids to judge by appearance, and to think fat people are ugly and evil and out to molest them).
Once you let them interact with strangers online, you open up a huge can of worms for which you WILL be held responsible the minute someone has cybersex or talks about something "untoward." Not to mention mock-violence like in the classic tale *A Rape in Cyberspace*.
It would be a great idea--if only Americans weren't so paranoid about kids and the Net.
Chasing Amy
(We all chase Amy...)
"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws"-Tacitus
The best game I've played in a month was Bridgebuilder. You can find it at http://www.bridgebuilder-game.com/. It's not overly educational in and of itself, (unless you want to build bridges in a two dimentional universe for a living,) but it developes skills which are transfurable to real engineering, math, programming, etc. A real gem, in my humble opinion.
In the same vein, you have Colobot.
You have to program robots in a C and logo like language to make them do some tasks like explore a planet.
The primary goal of the game was to teach programming to kids.
It looks quite childish at first, but in fact it is really entertaining.
nuff said..
In this situation, the definition of a violent game is one where the main theme is success through violence. As clearly pointed out, most games involve some possibility of violence. I'm looking for games where the aim is creative puzzle solving. Thanks for so many great suggestions, I have read everyone's comments.
But after a while, it also dawned on me that the analogy doesn't stop there: the game as a process is actually a fairly accurate model of historical reality. Balancing issues within the game, such as the balance between diplomacy and aggression, or war and economic development, are pretty accurate reflections of the balancing issues that nations face in the real world. Many historical events and processes can readily be explained in Civ terms.
Civilization is first and foremost an addictive game, but at the same time, it is very instructive as a simulation of history.
i'm not too sure if you count throwing apples at the beast as voilent ... but it's a game in which you can't die!
King's Quest is good too, but the most recent was T-rated, so I'd stick to the earlier versions...