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Non-Violent, Cooperative Games?
jandersen writes "While I generally don't play computer games, I do occasionally play games like Crossfire or The Mana World, because they have more of a story line and allow you to go at your own pace. What I don't care much about, though, is that they are still focused on killing monsters and amassing wealth, and it gets very tedious after a while. Are there really no games where the goal isn't so much about increasing your own power and defeating others, but where you instead grow by doing things that benefit others, where enemies shouldn't be killed out of hand, but befriended; where learning, teaching, research and social skills are more important than killing and conquering? Would people be interested in a game of that nature?"
M.U.L.E, players who cooperated had a better outcome for their colony than when everyone was back stabbing each other. (Not that I knew that when I was playing.) The genre of "German Boardgames" avoids violence and usually has an interplay of cooperation and competition, there are computer implementations of some of the more popular, like settlers of catan.
I sought long and hard for just the games you mentioned after Myst Online crashed for the second time, and the only thing I found is A Tale of the Desert. This game exactly suits your needs, I think. No violence, you can trade stuff you grew or made, etc. I never played it because I basically want MystOnline to be back online, but I think you should give it a try.
-- Cheers!
Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe. http://www.openttd.org/
It's an open source recode of the original classic game, but with all the tweaks to bring it up to modern standards (8-players multiplayer, huge maps, better cargo routing algorithms, etc). Fantastic stuff.
There's also a large massively OpenTTD cooperative group, focussing on ways of making huge efficient cargo networks and other scenarios. http://www.openttdcoop.org/blog/
... best explains this. Play Civ 4. Play it by researching and trading and and expanding with friendly means. Play through the game on settler and never get attacked, and there is never any conflict or risk of losing. Then be so bored you dont want to come back.
After her second game which I forced her to play, on a higher difficulty, she made the comment "war is the part that is more fun".
And that is why games center more on violence.
I think one of the greatest games to EVER be released would have to be Grim Fandango. It's packed with an awesome story, along with some beautiful scenery and voice acting that I'm still yet to see outdone in any games over the past 10 years. If anyone else reading this hasn't played the game, then I high recommend you go out and find it (or stay inside and find it online). For those unfamiliar with it, it plays in the same sort of style as Monkey Island.
Seriously, check it out. They've just recently released the original design document, it's worth checking it out (They've taken the original story down... But Kotaku's mirror is still available)
http://kotaku.com/5077780/tim-shafer-publishes-original-grim-fandango-design-doc
Au contraire: I rather enjoy minimal-combat strategies for winning Civ IV. I've managed Research-'em to Death victories (i.e. research to successfully build and launch a starship in the late 1800s/early 1900s) and Virus/Borg victories, where you spread so fast that you are literally all over the start continent in the first millenium, and between everyone else. . .and then just Assimilate everyone by culture and growth. . .