Okay, I have a dilemma. I like combat in games, especially action/arcade style combat, it's fun. But, in real life I am a pacifist, who thinks violence almost always does more harm than good (anyone remember End Goblin Genocide?). And _Xenallure_(my game design) is about teaching people good philosophy, among other things - so how can I put combat into my design in a way that is ethical? Other people have tried the combat-that-isn't approach, like Sonic where beating up monsters frees them to go back to being fluffy bunnies, or several games where you compete against NPCs at some sort of rhythm game, like DDR, but neither of those fits with the fairly realisic worldbulding and overall plot of my game design. Any ideas?

Well without the conflict of combat in games, there is really no interest. This goes for most genres including RPGs, even though the player turns back the baddies into bunnies, he's steal beating on them, and that's what the players play for. Without the violence and fighting in the games, having two players conflict, I don't really see the alternative. If all you have in the game is walking through corridors and talking to NPCs, then it should probably be a movie instead.

Action right? And realistic?

Non-lethal fighting. You can use weapons as stunners, traps, and such. When you inmobilize an enemy it has been beaten.

Oh, also about the conflict thingie. I have found that games that are purely about discovery and fun do not have to have a conflict. It's hard to pull it off but is posible. However conflicts do not have to be violent, when you play against your friend seeing which one is going to solve a puzzle first there is no violence but the conflict is there. I don't think that conflict is bad.

Well you could state loudly at the beginning of the game that the main character is american and the enemies are evil muslim terrorists. That would make it instantly ethical and morally correct. You can even say that God and Jesus Christ are on the main character's side. That should justify any action he takes, no matter how violent it is.

Now, seriously. Make the bad guys really bad: demons, ghosts, sombies and/or mummies. That should work.

You could also try putting in alternatives to combat, so that the player doesn't have to fight his way through the game. Stealth, putting enemies to sleep, finding secret passages, and the like.

You could go through the entire Fallout only using a high intelligence, charisma and conversation abilities... And it was much faster and safer than killing by hand everyone.

Other than that, I had once come up with the idea of imaginary combat: through a mind link, opponents take turns in trying to scare the other by displaying acts of violence to them. For instance, A would have a few seconds to scare B by creating an illusion of A attacking B with much violence, while B would only try to defend. Then, B would try to scare A in the same way, and this would go on until one of them is grossed out by the violence.

Well It depends on the type of story or game you are going for but a couple things came to mind.

1. you could do something like what Owl suggested and make opponents something that is not inherently human like amimals, ghosts, robots or anything that is inherently emotionless or without morals.

2. You could have the main character be a pacifist or someone that is really violent but put them in a utilitarian situation where violence is required to reduce or prevent massive death. In doing so story elements could be employed to show the horrors of the violence the protagonist is inflicting. This could possibly change the character from being violent (if that is the path you took) or could be placed as a huge emotional obstacle to a pacifist character.

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Original post by ToohrVyk You could go through the entire Fallout only using a high intelligence, charisma and conversation abilities... And it was much faster and safer than killing by hand everyone.

Ah yeah, I guess I was wrong about what I said earlier. Deus Ex did the same thing, don't know about the second one, but I remember the creator being angry because the player had to kill one person in the game. It worked pretty well.

Well I don't know much about your game but could you not use some other form of conflict besides combat?

CHANGE ALL THE CHARACTERS INTO VEGTABLES!!!!!

Seriously, how is it wrong for a carrot to beat up a potato?
Its somehow cute.
Throw in cute sound effects and bright colours for full effect!

However, that may take a complete rewrite (I personally think it would always be for the better, as stories about veggie combat are inherently more entertaining then dwarves/elves or humans)

I am with you though, there is so much violence being portrayed carelessly or needlessly in games.

- Jacob