Video games and murder are like cheese and crackers. Vic and Bob. The Edinburgh Fringe and disgruntled locals. A classic partnership, but hardly inseparable: though our chief interaction with these virtual worlds is to deal death to their residents, it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, there are thousands of video games out there where you aren’t compelled to kill anyone. Or stab them. Or even lightly maim them. Farming simulators, for example, where the only thing resembling violence is the application of combine harvester to corn. Relationship simulators, where the only conflict to be found is that between heart and head. Or Assassin’s Creed 3, where you tend to just kill British colonisers, which most people agree is fair game.
Our guest this week is James Batchelor, editor-in-chief of our sister publication Gamesindustry.biz, and someone who is keen to spread awareness of the fact that video gaming is a broad and eclectic art form which includes plenty of non-violent titles, over 300 of which he has documented in his book: The Best Non-Violent Video Games.
So, which is the best game where nobody gets killed, according to our esteemed panel? To find out, you’ll have to watch or listen to this show. Handily there are several methods for doing so listed below. Cor, you lucky people. We’ve thought of everything!